Thelma Parker Library to Host Special Children’s Programs

“A Perfect Day for an Albatross” bookcover. Artwork by Caren Loebel-Fried.

Caren Loebel-Fried sketching on Midway Atoll. Photo by Dan clark.

Jonny Keeling. Courtesy photo.

The Waimea Ocean Film Festival will present two special children’s programs at Thelma Parker Memorial Public Library on Thursday, Jan. 4, and Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018. The free programs are free and open to the public as part of the Waimea library’s NASA@My Library initiative to enhance STEM learning opportunities for communities throughout the country.

“We’re looking forward to sharing these programs as part of the work the Thelma Parker Library does for the community,” said Tania Howard, founder and director of the Waimea Ocean Film Festival.

“We’re delighted to have this opportunity to work with the Waimea Ocean Film Festival,” said Pamela Akao, library branch manager. “Children and their families are sure to enjoy both of these amazing events.”

The special programs will include:

• Jonny Keeling Presents “Andy’s Prehistoric Adventures: Argentinosaurus and Woolly Mammoth” – Thursday, Jan. 4, at 10 a.m.

Travel back in time with with interactive program by Jonny Keeling, head of the Children’s Natural History Unit at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and executive producer of the popular children’s series “Andy’s Prehistoric Adventures.” The series follows a Natural History Museum Employee named Andy who travels back in time and meets dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals.

Keeling has been sharing his passion for the natural world with audiences worldwide during his 21 years of filmmaking experience in the BBC’s Natural History Unit. His career roles includes assistant producer on David Attenborough’s “Life of Mammals,” producer on “Planet Earth,” and series producer on the “Expedition” series, which took scientists and explorers to uncharted corners of the planet. More recently, Keeling was an executive producer on the BBC One landmark series “Planet Earth II,” and currently works as the executive producer for the 2019 BBC landmark series “Seven Worlds.”

• “A Perfect Day for an Albatross” Live Documentary with Hawai‘i Island Author Caren Loebel-Fried – Thursday, Jan. 11, 10 a.m to 1:30 p.m.

Award-winning Volcano artist and author Caren Loebel-Fried has published numerous books retelling Hawaiian legends through narrative and artwork. Her accolades include the Hawai‘i Book Publishers Association Ka Palapala Po’okela Award for illustration and children’s Hawaiian culture, and the American Folklore Society’s Aesop Prize for Children’s Folklore. She has created iconic, educational art for conservation organizations and government agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Kilauea Point Natural History Association and Conservation Council for Hawai‘i.

Loebel-Fried created her most recent book, “A Perfect Day for an Albatross,” following a five-week work experience on Midway Atoll counting albatrosses and assisting with research efforts. Loebel-Fried also created a “live documentary” about her time on Midway Atoll, which gives viewers a glimpse into the incredible hidden lives of large seabirds and goes behind-the scenes of “A Perfect Day for an Albatross.” Cornell Lab created a free educational guide to accompany the book that both teachers and parents can access.

For more information, call (808) 887-6067. Thelma Parker Library is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and from 12:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.