By Liza Simon / Ka Wai Ola

For parents in search of escape from the South Park snarky-ism pervading kid's entertainment these days, the Keiki Tent at the annual Hawai'i Book and Music Festival offers a great oasis. Check it out for free on May 17 to 18 on the grounds of Honolulu Hale. Amid the showcase of noted authors, musicians and storytellers of all kinds, there will be two local scribes who have recently penned inspirational biographies of genuine Hawaiian heroes.

Be on the lookout for Punahou School social studies teacher Marion Lyman-Mersereau, who has written a rare eyewitness account of what it was like to “cling like an 'opihi” to the capsized Hōkūle'a while famed surf legend Aikau set off on a surfboard to look for help. Lyman-Mersereau was on that fateful voyage and has always wanted to write about it for kids. But for a long time she wrangled with the question of how to help youngsters comprehend the ultimate sacrifice made by Aikau who perished in his attempt to save his crewmates.

In the year that marks the 30th anniversary of the tragedy, she resolved the dilemma by creating a cast of vivid sea-creatures who speak of “the brave human” in a way that honors the love and lore of the ocean that was so central to Aikau's life. Eddie Wen' Go: The Story of the Upside-Down Canoe is beautifully illustrated by Melissa DeSica and comes with a companion read-along CD.

Parents might still find themselves peppered with a question or two by curious kids of today: Why didn't someone just call for help on a cell phone? Why is there no YouTube version of what happened? These are actually thought-provoking questions making us realize how insolated we are by modern technology compared to three decades ago when lending a hand really did require putting life and limb on the line.

Hawai'i author Barbara Del Piano also took on a challenge when she sat down to write about the life of Hawai'i's Queen Emma for young readers. Her dilemma, she says, was how to not frighten away children in depicting the deadly epidemic that swept through Hawai'i in 1848 and the personal grief Emma experienced at the untimely loss of her young son and her husband. In the end, Del Piano couches the glut of tragedy in a provocative depiction of how the monarch's efforts to ease the suffering of others culminated in her establishment of the first medical facility to serve Native Hawaiians – the Queen's Hospital. Like Lyman-Mersereau's biography, Del Piano's book is targeted to kids but it's also a compelling read for history buffs. It offers a cache of anecdotes about 19th century Hawaiian court life, plus iconic illustrations by Jackie Black.

For an event schedule, go to www.hawaiibookandmusicfestival.org.