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by Pamela Huntley Turner (Author), Melanie Calan Sanchez (Illustrator)
A Haiku rhythm poem as a child's game comes to life in a picture book when Pamela lived in Hawaii. Zoris are flip flops from the Japanese word, zori. The Japanese were very influential in Hawaii and words like zori were incorporated into the English language. She actually played this game at Hickim Air Force Base in Oahu. The girls are determined not to get a peck on the cheek from the boys by flipping zoris down the hill to the playground and claiming them before the boys do. They do not have far to run on the seventy degree days in Hawaii so they can go barefoot. The playground is located on lush green grass that make the bare toes feel good and tingly. Both boys and girls run together and the game requires them to be polite with each other and not push and shove. Their teacher knows the guidelines of the game to make sure the children are fair with each other. The game is played for ten minutes a day during the week when the children want to try it to see which side wins, boys or girls. Their teacher keeps a tally, and when each week is finished, the winning team gets ice cream. Most of the teachers are Hawaiian and children always have playtime for this game after napping on reed mats in the classroom. Their Hawaiian teacher ushers the children back to class and the game is over for the day. Maybe the next day the boys will win the game. The vibrant colors of the flip flops help the child learn colors and begin to count. Girls have the advantage of outwitting the boys as they scramble to find their flip flops. A definite confidence builder for young girls. Of course when the boys win the game do the girls get a peck on the cheek? Only under teacher's approval do the boys and girls thank each other for the game.
