Hawai'i children's book authors and illustrators have been impressing Mainland publishers, and 2007 will be another banner year for locally written and illustrated, nationally released works.

Manoa author and illustrator James Rumford — the man behind recent favorites "The Cloudmakers" and "Calabash Cat" — puts out two new books this year. In February, look for the fanciful cowboy tale "Don't Touch My Hat" (Knopf Books for Young Readers).

I was lucky to see this jewel in draft form, before the book found a publisher. While Rumford frequently takes on historical fiction with complex subjects, this one is pure whimsy.

Publisher's preview: "Sheriff John is a lawman in the wild, wild west. It's not just his badge and his gun that send robbers and rustlers galloping out of town, it's also his 10-gallon hat. Or so he thinks ... "

In August, Houghton Mifflin will publish "Beowulf: A Hero's Tale Retold." Years in the making, it is Rumford's version of the 8th-century Anglo-Saxon epic poem.

Publisher's preview: "When sleep was at its deepest, night at its blackest, up from the mist-filled marsh came Grendel stalking ... Thus begins the battle between good and evil, for lying in wait and anxious to challenge the ogre Grendel is a young man, strong-willed and fire-hearted. This man is Beowulf, whose heroic dragon-slaying deeds were sung in the courts of Anglo-Saxon England more than a thousand years ago."

"Beowulf" will include Rumford's own pen-and-ink illustrations. We can expect major accolades from national press.

In October, Lee and Low Books in New York will release Hawai'i author Ellie Crowe's "Surfer of the Century: The Life of Duke Kahanamoku," with illustrations by Richard Waldrep.

Also out in fall 2007 is "Sneeze" by Alexandra Siy and Kailua resident Dennis Kunkel (Charlesbridge).

Kunkel is an award-winning photomicrographer whose images appear worldwide in print, film and electronic media. His images have illustrated two books, "MicroAliens: Dazzling Journeys with an Electron Microscope" (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) and "Hidden Worlds: Looking Through a Scientist's Microscope" (Houghton Mifflin).

Publisher's preview: "There's something in the air — pollen, dust mites, mold spores, dust, goose down, cat hair, pepper, flu viruses, and bright light — that's causing these nine kids to sneeze. Vivid, full color micrographs show the pesky allergens and irritants that cause the sneeze reflex, while simple scientific text explains how the impulse to sneeze is created inside the body."

Looking even further ahead to 2008: Charlesbridge will publish three books with Hawai'i ties: "Sea Queens" by legendary children's book author Jane Yolen, illustrated by Hawai'i artist Christine Joy Pratt, "The Perfect Sword," written and illustrated by Hawai'i artist Scott Goto, and the late author and illustrator Martha Alexander's last book, "Max and the Dumb Flower Picture."