"This is My Piko," a new children's book by Dr. Terry Carolan and Joanna Carolan of Banana Patch Studio, will be unveiled at the Made in Hawaii Festival this weekend (it opens Friday) at the Blaisdell Center.

The Carolans also created "A President From Hawai'i," a locally published children's book with images of President Obama and tidbits about growing up here. It comes with a CD narrated by Amy Hanaiali'i, accompanied by Keli'i Kaneali'i on slack-key guitar. The CD also includes oli performed by kumu hula Healani Youn.

— Jolie Jean Cotton, Special to The Advertiser

INVESTIGATOR REPORTS ON RISK TO KIDS

The Internet has changed how we communicate, educate, and entertain ourselves, in many ways bringing the world to one's doorstep. But it also brings dangers such as Internet predators, who, according to reports, sexually solicit about 20 percent of the 25 million children who regularly go online.

An excerpt of investigative journalist Matt Levi's report on child endangerment and Internet predators is available at Edgy Lee's blog at http://LifeIsGood.honadvblogs.com, and more information is available at http://news.pacificnetwork.tv/LifeIsGood.

— Pacific Network TV

FAMILY PASS A DEAL FOR FREQUENT VISITS

Do you use museums the way we do? We buy family memberships and pop in whenever we're in the mood, or if we have some time before our next appointment and don't want to run all the way home.

Used frequently like that, museum memberships are truly a bargain. At Bishop Museum, for instance, a family membership is $70 a year for two adults plus their children/grandchildren under 18. Otherwise, two adults and two children ages 4-12 at the kama'aina/military rate is $34 for just one visit.

Recently my 5-year-old daughter and I checked out Bishop Museum's "Backyard Monsters: The World of Insects," which is full of giant robotic insects, such as an enormous monarch butterfly my daughter loved.

My daughter did rubbings of each insect, using the sides of crayons on paper over raised plates. There are also interactive exhibits about bug sounds and vision.

"Backyard Monsters" ends Sept. 7, but permanent fixtures include an erupting volcano and the newly reopened Hawaiian Hall.

— Leslie Lang