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Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind is a children's and young adult blog about books set in Asia and books with Asian characters (regardless of where they are published and whether or not their authors and illustrators are Asian), and Asian authors and illustrators (no matter where they are in the world).
Statistics for Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind
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In an effort to contribute to on-going relief and rehabilitation endeavors, the children’s literature community in the Philippines is coming together to raise more funds for the survivors of typhoon Yolanda.
Join us on Nov. 30, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Raya School Gym, 109 Sct. Fernandez corner Sct. Torillo, Brgy. Sacred Heart, Quezon City for the following activities:
* Sale: Rummage through and purchase books, artwork, collectibles, and other previously-loved items. Or drop-off your previously-loved items to sell and donate.
* Meet & Greet Sessions: Grab the opportunity to chat with your favorite authors and illustrators. Get your books signed and your photos taken with them.
* Storytelling Sessions: Listen to beloved children stories read aloud by storytellers, authors, illustrators, publishers, and theater actors. Or even volunteer to read some of these stories aloud.
Also brought to you in cooperation with Anvil Publishing, Lampara Books, Flipside Publishing, Halo Halo Books, Tahanan Books, Samahang Pilandokan, and many more,all proceeds of Tinda-Tindahan, Kuwento-Kuwentuhan will be directed to UNICEF Philippines.
Welcome to the second day of the Ngumiti si Andoy blog tour! Ngumiti si Andoy, written by Xi Zuq (/Shee Zuk/) and illustrated by Dominic Agsaway, is the winner of the 2013 PBBY Salanga and Alcala Prizes and the latest bilingual (Filipino and English) picture book from Adarna House.
In Ngumiti si Andoy, a boy named Andrew is drawing the statues in his school's heroes park when the statue of Andres "Andoy" Bonifacio, the Father of the Philippine Revolution, comes to life. Andrew and Andoy have a conversation about Andoy's parents, siblings, and wife. The book has great educational value - teachers and parents can use it to introduce children to the hero or complement formal history lessons - but it is not overtly didactic.
For the
Ngumiti si Andoy blog tour, I am interviewing both the book's author and illustrator, as well as sharing some of the illustrator's initial sketches for the book.
Let's start with the debut author and my fellow book reviewer
Michael Jude Tumamac Xi Zuq.
Hi, MJ Xi Zuq! Why did you join the Salanga, and what did winning mean to you?
I joined last year’s Salanga because it’s Andres B.-themed. Andres B. and his close friend Emilio Jacinto are my favorite heroes. It was my dream to publish a work about them. Winning the Salanga, therefore, paved the way for me to realize this dream. And it is a great honor for me to have the opportunity to reintroduce some aspects of Andres B.’s life to the present generation of Filipinos.
Why is Andres Bonifacio your favorite hero?
Andres B. is my favorite hero because he was very passionate in everything he did and he invested so much in persons he loved.
Is that why you focused on Andres Bonfacio's relationships in Ngumiti si Andoy?
Yes. I also wanted to portray Andres B. as a human who knew how to love. Hence, I animated the statue of Andres B. to somehow liberate him from the mold we usually put him in - a fearless freedom fighter (though he really was). But only when we "soften" and animate his statue will we be able to realize that he kept a lot of emotional pain, pain from losing his two brothers, being unable to see his beloved, the death of his son . . . I can only imagine the flashbacks he had during the hour that he knew he was going to be killed.
Can you please share your creative process for Ngumiti si Andoy?
Well, my main project in writing the story was playing with the element of time. I thought it would be fitting to disorient the linearity of time in this story especially because it tackles a historical figure. Hence, I used the heroes park and the statues because they are loaded with historical time features. I was engrossed with the idea of using statues (and as well as other historical artifacts) because they represent a world in the past but exist (and most are created) in the present.
Then, I introduced a kid narrator who started the story with an "ending" and ended it with another "beginning." [Tarie's note to readers: You have to read the book to see this!] To add to the play of bending the linearity of time, I opted to animate Andres B.’s statue and had him interact with the kid narrator. Through their conversation, the kid was able to access events that happened in a different period of time without entering that period.
After finishing the first draft, I got worried that my experimentation was too much. If child readers would be able to follow the story was my primary concern. But I also thought (after reading some literature about children’s concept of time) that kids narrate events usually in a non-linear manner. In the end, I made a compromise between the two [a linear and non-linear story].
How does being a book reviewer affect your being an author and vice versa?
Being a book reviewer helped me a lot in writing stories. For one, I rarely write prose. My entry point in the kidlit sphere was actually writing poetry for children. So by reading and analyzing story books, I sort of learn the way to write stories.
Reviewing books also helps me know what’s there and what’s "in." I somehow got ideas on which types of stories and writing styles win in certain contests.
Why do you prefer to use a pseudonym?
The story behind my psedunoym is top secret (laughs). But I decided to use it mainly because it piques the interest and curiosity of kids. One of my students even said (yes, I sign their work with my pseudonym) that it was odd and weird but she liked it.
As an author, what are your essentials and obsessions?
I cannot write without my notebook, where I keep all my story/poem ideas and drafts. [I feel more comfortable writing by hand] because I've been trained that way since grade school. I only encode a work after one revision by hand. Then I print it and do another revision by hand. I do that until I feel satisfied with the work. Also, I put a lot of notes, references, and comments that I have difficulty managing when working on my computer.
I'm obsessed with forms and structures. Since I was a poet first, I cannot help minding every element of a story - the title, line cuts, sound patterns, spelling, plot, symbols, etc.
Do you have any advice for writers waiting for their big break?
My advice is they should read and read works for children if they want to write for children. Reading can help them identify stories they like, dissect their elements, and apply the techniques and styles they'll discover in their writing. Reading reviews, research, and literary criticism of children's works can also aid them, especially if they are unsure of how to dissect a work.
MJ Xi Zuq, thank you so much for this peek into your writing life.
Next up is my interview with Ngumiti si Andoy illustrator Dominic Agsaway!
Hi, Domz! Why did you join the Alcala, and what did winning mean to you?It's bizaare that I joined the contest for the "Alcala" factor associated with the award. Just a brief background: since I was a kid, I have loved Alcala's works and he is a hero for me and my parents.
Larry Alcala was the artist who always created works that made Filipinos love their culture with smiles on their faces. When I saw the 2013 Salanga winning story, I was amazed that it was culturally significant, but I still felt pressured about the challenge ahead. I was reluctant to join and felt awkward because I knew a lot of talented artists would be joining. Something within me said, "Create what you love and do the artwork that will make Filipino kids and adults love Andres Bonifacio." It was the "Alcala" in me that moved me to do it.
Can you give more details about what you felt when you first read the story? What's your favorite thing about it?With regard to the story, the first time I read it, I concluded it was very good and easy to digest material for kids. Xi Zuq's narrative is very alive. The challenge for me was that our great Supremo had to be drawn in a whimsical story in which there are parts about his life. I had not yet made artwork with a respectable figure interacting with a comical kid. My heart was calling me. It was time to contribute fitting artwork for a breakthrough story that kids and adults will enjoy reading - a historical, fantastical, fun story about Bonifacio. It's far from reading textbook material about a hero that at the end makes you feel like you will have an exam or quiz bee review afterwards. I have nothing against history books since they are good references and we gain knowledge from them. It is just that
Ngumiti si Andoy is a cool narrative: kids and adults will enjoy its humor, gain knowledge about Andres Bonifacio, and be inspired by his life. It's like counting numbers through a catchy song instead of just plain counting numbers. We learn, but through a flavorful variation. We take it in our mind and enjoy.
Can you please take us step by step through your creative process?Hop on and see that my creative process starts with walking on the road and observing the difference between the morning and afternoon sky, the details of places for reference, and gestures of both kids and adults. I take note of essential things and transfer them to the paper as artwork (sometimes with tiny erasable notes). Most of the time, I stand up and reenact the expressions of the characters. A mirror is a great aid for that. Deciding on the layout is like creating the best shot or cinematography that you want for a scene in a movie. It will be all smooth sailing then with sketching and inking. I feel like a kid again doodling and checking a perfect grade school paper with regard to creating ink shadows. Lastly, the challenging part is choosing the compatible colors. After the hard work, I'll double check every corner of the artwork. If everything's good, I look at it from a distance and imagine it as a part of a great book with text.
That's a good question. Love is essential to me to create the artwork. It's my love for creating art and love for special ones that inspire me - God, my fellow Filipinos, my special someone, my family, friends, and the kids who will be reading the book. It makes me feel like I'm on steroids when I'm creating my works. It will reflect on the artwork if the illustrator has no love for what he is doing, making it lifeless even if the greatest techniques or media were used.
With regard to obsessions, I hoard inspirational materials like sketch drawn children's books (
Where the Wild Things Are;
Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You;
Mostly Ghostly by Steve Zorn and John Bradley;
No, David!; Edward Gorey
's The Gashlycrumb Tinies;
and
Stories to Tell in the Dark by
Alvin Schwartz and Stephen Gammell.), humorous comics
(Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts, Mutts, and Yotsuba&!), feel good music
("Like a G6" by Far East Movement, "Titanium" by David Guetta featuring Sia, "Wild Ones" by Florida featuring Sia, "I Wish" by Exile, "Tik Tok" and "C'mon" by Ke$ha, "Here's to the Night" by Eve 6, "Replay" by Iyaz, and "Give Me Everything Tonight" by Pitbull), and motivational materials (e.g.
Chicken Soup for the Soul). These obsessions remind me that everything I do is valued and will promote something good to others.
Do you have any advice for illustrators waiting for their big break? For my fellow illustrators, everyone dreams of a big break. Don't stop believing in what you can do. Dream. Dream big. After finishing my artwork for the 2013 Alcala contest, I stared at it, imagined that it will be in book form, will be featured in different media, and that kids will enjoy it. All these things are happening at the present time.
Another thing to take note of is to love and feel inspired. Love your craft, love your talent, and put love in your drawings. Everything must be free flowing.
If there's love and vision, you must also do the action - learn. Learning is a continuous process. I have tried different techniques and studied any possible medium that matches me. One day, I tried going back to my very first - pen and paper. I listened to comments and advice from my mentors and my fellow artists. Be grateful to them. One of my greatest secrets is to practice drawing at least 30 minutes a day.
Your hard work will pay off and don't forget to give thanks to the Creator, to your inspirations, and to the people who supported you. Good luck and maybe in the future we'll see a award winning book illustrated by (insert your name here).
Bye, Domz! Thank you so much for visiting my blog to answer interview questions.And bye, readers! Please make sure to check out a copy of Ngumiti si Andoy. :o)
If you are an author, please consider participating in
this online auction for the benefit of Typhoon Haiyan victims.
And if you are an illustrator, please consider
selling illustrations for the benefit of Typhoon Haiyan victims.
Mga Saranggola sa Tag-ulan by Eugene Evasco and Bernadette Solina-Wolf (LG&M Corporation)
Ninoy, Cory, and Noynoy by Yvette Fernandez and Abi Goy (Dream Big Books)
And the finalists in the novel in English category, all young adult novels!
Salingkit: A 1986 Diary by Cyan Abad-Jugo (Anvil)
Voices in the Theater by A.S. Santos (Flipside Publishing)
Woman in a Frame by Raissa Rivera Falgui (Flipside Publishing)
If you want to catch the announcement of the winners of the 2013 Filipino Readers' Choice Awards, please attend
the 3rd Filipino ReaderCon on Nov. 9 at the Rizal Library of the Ateneo de Manila University!
THANK YOU to
Studio Dialogo for designing the new logo of
the Filipino Readers' Choice Awards. Studio Dialogo is the design company of Filipino children's book illustrators
Abi Goy,
Fran Alvarez,
Liza Flores, and
Rommel Joson. The entire Filipino Readers' Choice Awards committee thanks and applauds you!!!!
The Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) is now accepting entries for the 2014 PBBY-Salanga Prize. The contest is co-sponsored by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and the National Library of the Philippines (NLP). The winner shall receive twenty-five thousand pesos (Php 25,000) and a medal. Prizes will be awarded in an appropriate ceremony to be held during the celebration of National Children’s Book Day 2014.
CONTEST RULES
The contest is open to all Filipino citizens except those who are related to any PBBY member up to the third degree of consanguinity.
Stories should be intended for children ages 6 to 12 years old. The plot and the sequence must be capable of sustaining an illustrated book of 28 to 32 pages.
Entries may be in Filipino or English.
Entries must be in hard copy, double-spaced, on short bond paper. Maximum length is five (5) pages.
A contestant may send in more than one (1) entry.
Each entry must be signed by a pen name only. Five (5) copies of each entry should be placed in an envelope, on the face of which only the pen name of the contestant should appear.
Together with each entry, contestants must submit a second envelope, on the face of which the pen name shall appear. This must contain the contestant’s full name, address, contact numbers, a short literary background, and a notarized certification from the author, vouching for the originality of the entry and for the freedom of the organizers from any liability arising from the infringement of copyright in case of publication, and affirming that the entry or any variant thereof has (a) never been published nor (b) won any other contest i.e. that it has never won 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or honorable mention in any other contest or otherwise been awarded a medal, citation, or included in a publicized list of meritorious entries to a literary contest.
All entries must be sent through snail mail to the PBBY Secretariat, c/o Adarna House, Inc., Scout Torillo cor. Scout Fernandez Sts., Barangay Sacred Heart, Quezon City.
All entries must be received by the PBBY Secretariat no later than 5:00 p.m., November 8, 2013.
Winners will be announced no later than December 13, 2013. Non-winning entries will be disposed of by the PBBY Secretariat.
The winning story will be the basis for the 2014 PBBY-Alcala Prize. For more details, interested parties may contact the Philippine Board on Books for Young People at 3526765 local 203 or email [email protected].
Have you written a children’s story that is inspired by Asia?
The Scholastic Asian Book Award (SABA) is the joint initiative of the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) and Scholastic. SABA recognises children's writers of Asian origin and their efforts to celebrate Asian life and experiences, and share them with the world. The award also aims to promote the understanding of the Asian experience and its expression in innovative and creative forms.
Click here to learn how to submit your story.
The closing date for the 2014 SABA is October 21, 2013, 5 p.m. (Singapore time) and the results will be declared in May 2014, at the Asian Festival of Children’s Content.
Below are the top six children's picture books after one week of voting for the 2013 Filipino Readers' Choice Awards. There is still one week left to vote, so these results could definitely change. It's all up to the voters! The top three books will be judged by a panel of children. :o)
Mga Saranggola sa Tag-Ulan (Kites in the Rain) by Eugene Evasco and Bernadette Solina-Wolf (LG&M Corporation)
Naaay! Taaay! by Kristine Canon and Vanessa Tamayo (Adarna)
Alamat ng Anay by Mikhail C. Jamisola and Rowin T. Agarao (Lampara)
Ako’y Isang Mabuting Pilipino by Noel Cabangon and Jomike Tejido (Lampara)
Anong Gupit Natin Ngayon? by Russell Molina and Hubert Fucio (Adarna)
Siya Ba Ang Inay Ko? by Segundo D. Matias Jr. and Jomike Tejido (Lampara)
Click
here to vote for your favorite 2012 Filipino children's picture book in the Filipino Readers' Choice Awards. Kid judges will read the three books with the most votes and choose a winner!
An International One Day - One Story Campaign
Pratham Books, a multilingual non-profit children's publishing house in India, is looking for international participants for their One Day - One Story campaign.
They have conducted four such events in India, and during the last event, more than 250 volunteers conducted storytelling sessions. This time, they are hoping to make it a bigger campaign by inviting international participants. Are you interested? :o)
International Literacy Day is on Sept. 8 and Pratham Books wants to celebrate the joy of reading around this day. Since Sept. 8 is a Sunday, the storytelling sessions will be on Sept. 7 in order to include more schools and organizations.
How Does One Day - One Story Work?
For participants in India, a copy of the book (
Paplu, the Giant by Ramendra Kumar and Zainab Tambawalla) and a banner will be sent by the Pratham Books team. International participants will be sent a PDF copy of the book - the images to be printed or projected onto a large screen.
Participants are free to choose the time and place for the storytelling sessions. You may also conduct other activities that go with the theme of the book.
Please fill out this online form to confirm your participation in One Day - One Story. Don't forget to document the event! Send pictures and a short write up about the storytelling session you conducted. The article will be shared on
the Pratham Books blog and will help encourage other people to spread the joy of reading.
For more information, please email mayaATprathambooksDOTorg, or click
this link. Please also share the link to help spread the word about this event.
How wonderful will it be if we can achieve this: one day and thousands of children around the world enjoying the same book. And this seems like a fun way to introduce children to books from India!
Nominate them for the 2013 Filipino Readers' Choice Awards - Children's Picture Book Category! The Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards develop awareness and appreciation of Philippine literature, recognize the reader’s role in creating the meaning and experience of a literary work, and give readers a voice in the Philippine book industry.
For the 2013 Filipino Readers' Choice Awards, you may now nominate your favorite Philippine-published books from 2012, in the following categories:
* children’s picture book* chick lit
* novel in English
* novel in Filipino
* comic/graphic novel
* short story anthology
* essay anthology
* poetry
Nominations are open until August 23.
To nominate a book, just fill out the online nomination form on the Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards website.
* The winner of the EDSA giveaway is . . . Kathryn Anne Hilario! Congratulations, Kathryn. Please contact me soon (asiaintheheartATyahooDOTcom) with your mailing address so that I can get the book out to you. :o)
* For those of you who missed it, here is the link to Michael Jude Tumamac's interview of me for Kalatas Literary Ezine.
* The Filipino Readers' Choice Awards - Children's Picture Book Category will be open for nominations on the 9th of this month! Go to this link on the 9th and nominate your favorite Filipino children's picture book from 2012!
This post is especially for readers outside the Philippines who have been wondering how they can celebrate Philippine National Children's Book Month. You can enjoy this children's book iPad app - in English and for FREE!
Filipino children's book publisher
Adarna House entered the iPad app market earlier this year by developing
A Day in the Market, which is based on the Philippine National Children's Book Award-winning
Araw sa Palengke written by
May Tobias-Papa and illustrated by
Isabel Roxas (published by Adarna House in 2008). A Day in the Market is excellent and FREE.
Children are taken along a little girl and her mother's trip to the market, where the little girl is amazed by all the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and other experiences. She promised her mother that she wouldn't point to things at the market and ask for them, and at the end of the day, the little girl is rewarded for her patience and obedience.
Two things are very important when a children's book is turned into an app: The app must always respond to a child's touch, but the responses must never distract the child from the story. Adarna House nails these two things in A Day in the Market. Children poke and prod the little girl awake and dress her for market day. They help her navigate the market and play there with her. There are games too, like sorting things bought at the market - and cooking! All the features will have children grinning from ear to ear and squealing with delight. They work together with the minimal text and charming artwork to form one seamless narrative.
So if you have been curious about books and/or apps from the Philippines, please download the
Kirkus-starred A Day in the Market
here. It showcases some of the best of our fiction, illustration, and technology for children.
EDSA by
Russell Molina and
Sergio Bumatay III (Adarna House and the EDSA People Power Commission, 2013) is a picture book done right. It's the story of the Philippines' nonviolent 1986 EDSA Revolution presented as an interactive counting book. Children are treated to minimal text (in Filipino) and iconic images of the revolution, such as radios, yellow ribbons, military tanks, flowers, and thousands of Filipinos united.
Molina used counting because, like counting, the EDSA Revolution was something that started quietly and then escalated. It's brilliant: Gently introducing the EDSA Revolution to children instead of force-feeding a history lesson or hitting them over the head with it. Children will be awed by the illustrations and will have fun counting the birds, soldiers, priests and nuns, supply trucks, and flags in the book, but they will also naturally ask questions about their stories. The book then becomes a springboard for family conversations and classroom discussions about the EDSA Revolution.
Bumatay's pen and acrylic illustrations for
EDSA are overwhelmingly good. There is special use of the color yellow, as the EDSA Revolution is also known as the Yellow Revolution, but the illustrations are mostly black and white to emphasize how the book brings back memories of the revolution. The illustrations are mounted in wooden boxes as dioramas, giving a faint sense of movement and three-dimensionality that completes the book's nostalgic effect. Picture books are children's first exposure to fine art and
EDSA is definitely a portable gallery for them.
Click on the image below to see the details of one of the illustrations for
EDSA!
I highly recommend EDSA for very young Filipinos and am giving away a copy signed by both the author and illustrator. To join the giveaway, leave your name in the comments section below. This giveaway is open to everyone, no matter where you are in the world. The winner will be randomly selected and announced the evening of Aug. 7.
Bugtong Bugtong 2: More Filipino RiddlesBy Daniel Palma Tayona
Tahanan Books, 2013
A tribute to Rene O. Villanueva's 1998 classic book
Bugtong, BugtongRiddle:
Sariling-sarili mo na, ginagamit pa ng iba.Answer:
Pangalan!
This illustrated collection of 57 Filipino riddles is fun for everyone. I can definitely see a parent or child reading aloud from this book, trying to stump the rest of the family. I can see bored teens reading these riddles to each other too! I read some of the riddles to my teen students and some to my adult friends and there's just something so satisfying about seeing one triumphant face shout out the correct answer from among a group of confused faces.
I can also see a child poring over this book by his or herself. Everything about
Bugtong Bugtong 2's book design is kid friendly: Everything from the type size and face to the book's size and the thickness of the paper make the book very inviting and easy to read. The ink and gouache illustrations are bright, simple, charming, and they not just provide clues to the riddles, they show the story of a day in the life of Oskar the (cute!) dog.
Bugtong Bugtong 2 is beautifully simple and simply beautiful.
Daniel Palma Tayona poses with his book Bugtong Bugtong 2
I, Tarie Sabido, do solemnly swear to serve the Philippine Board on Books for Young People by upholding its constitution and by-laws; by fulfilling my role as Chair; and, by dedicating my time and talent to help fulfill the PBBY's vision to make every child a reader, every reader a lover of books. So help me God.
This one is a real crowd pleaser:
Ako'y Isang Mabuting Pilipino,
Lampara Books' 2012 picture book adaptation of
Noel Cabangon's song, with Cabangon's original Filipino lyrics, functional English translations by
Becky Bravo, and illustrations by
Jomike Tejido!
Cabangon's inspiring lyrics remind children of the ways they can be good Filipinos, such as doing their best in school and obeying their parents. There are plenty of reminders for adults too, such as following traffic rules and not selling their votes during elections. Tejido's illustrations are warm and wholesome, acrylic paintings on hand-woven mats that depict different ways to be good citizens.
You just can't go wrong with
Ako'y Isang Mabuting Pilipino! Children and adults will understand and appreciate the lyrics and paintings. The chords of the song are provided, so music lovers can play and sing along. There are notes and guide questions for educators. There is even a treat for book collectors: a hardcover edition (which is rare among Filipino picture books).
Here is a live performance of "Ako'y Isang Mabuting Pilipino":
Please attend this lecture! :o)
Please don't forget to like the Facebook page of the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) to follow all the different celebrations for National Children's Book Month. ~^o^~
Write and submit a poem to this landmark anthology!
The editors of the forthcoming anthology of Philippine children’s poetry, Ginto’t Pilak, Namumulaklak: Antolohiya ng mga Tula, Berso at Awit Pambata sa Pilipinas, are extending their last day of submissions to July 31, 2013.
Any form of children’s poetry will be accepted (rhymed and metered, free verse, shape/form poetry, narrative poetry, etc.). The anthology will also accept submissions from other Philippine languages aside from Filipino, such as Iloko, Pangasinense, Pampango, Bikol, Hiligaynon, Cebuano/Bisaya, Waray, Chavacano, Tausug, etc., provided they have an accompanying translation in Filipino.
Writers are encouraged to write into poetry the colorful life, traditions, and culture of Filipino children wherever they are.
Email your poems to [email protected] with the heading “SUBMISSION FOR ANTHOLOGY” or “TULANG PAMBATA” along with a biographical note and contact number.
Contributors are also encouraged to visit the anthology’s official Facebook account for further announcements.
This month's issue of
Candy, a magazine for Filipina teens, includes a fiction special! Pretty perfect timing, huh? :o)
The fiction special includes three stories for older teens (ages 16-19) which are described as "super short, so-you stories that will change your life." I've read them and I wouldn't say that they will change readers' lives, but the stories are definitely about life changes: "Sparrows" by Leslie Lipa is about losing a mother, "Is there even a future here?" by Joanna Kennedy is about breaking up, and "Arrival" by Marla Miniano is about reuniting with an estranged father. My favorite is "Is there even a future here?" because it's a realistic and entertaining depiction of an "amicable breakup" that I feel will really appeal to older teen readers.
I wonder if Candy features at least one short story every issue. THEY SHOULD!
Watch
Tanghalang Pilipino's musical adaptation of the children's book
Sandosenang Sapatos by Dr. Luis Gatmaitan! Sandosenang Sapatos, the Musical runs from July 13 to 21 at Tanghalang Huseng Batute in the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Regular tickets are Php600 and student tickets are Php300. There is a 20% discount on the regular ticket price for senior citizens, government employees, military employees, and PWDs. Tickets are available at all TicketWorld outlets.
For inquiries, you may contact Enzo of Tanghalang Pilipino: 0999-8843821.
National Children's Book Month is the perfect time to read or reread Naku, Nakuu, Nakuuu! by Nanoy Rafael and Sergio Bumatay III (Adarna House, 2008). The book is a product of the silver anniversary Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) Salanga and Alcala prizes, and is one of my favorite Filipino children's books. Recently the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Sweden awarded Naku, Nakuu, Nakuuu! the Peter Pan Prize, an annual prize for a foreign children's or young adult book of high quality published in Sweden. (Bokförlaget Trasten is Naku, Nakuu, Nakuuu!'s publisher in Sweden.)
CONGRATULATIONS!
Here is IBBY Sweden’s citation for the book:
"The Filipino picture book Naku, Nakuu, Nakuuu! represents a part of the world not often seen in Swedish publishing for children. The theme, however, is universal: A child getting a younger sibling. The boy Isko’s anxiety about the changes he suspects will take place in his family is expressed by the recurrent cry of 'Naku, nakuu, nakuuu!' (roughly 'My, my, oh my!').
The illustrations mirror the main character’s apprehension, and visualize his fears in an imaginative and detailed way. Through a changing palette of colors the pictures follow Isko’s mood from anxious bewilderment to the harmonious final page: Here, the mask which Isko has worn throughout the book has been removed, and he seems to have grown into his role of soon-to-be older brother."
Sergio Bumatay III (Serj), the book's illustrator, is our guest for today and I have asked him a few questions:
Congratulations, Serj! What did you love most about Naku, Nakuu, Nakuuu!?It gave me the chance to draw everything I love drawing. There are so many details in the book that readers will enjoy hunting.
Naku is special to me because it’s one of my books that opened so many opportunities for me in children’s lit.
What was your creative process for Naku, Nakuu, Nakuuu!? I took time to internalize the story and put myself in Isko’s shoes (main character). It wasn’t really that hard because I can relate to him, I was more than once an anxious brother-to-be. So I banked on childhood experiences and focused on surreal imagination. I also did some research for some details of the illustration like animal babies, spider eggs, pregnancy charts, and patterns etc.
[Updated to add: Naku, Nakuu, Nakuuu! was illustrated using pencil and acrylic paint on boards.]
What does winning the Peter Pan Prize mean to you?It means that life isn’t always that bad, the news came to me when our family was facing a challenge. It also means that sometimes appreciation doesn’t come in an instant. If you work hard on something, people will notice eventually.
As a children's book illustrator, what are your ten essentials or ten obsessions?For the essentials, I coined it as artist best friends, see the poster below. :-) I made this poster just for your interview. :-p This is also available as a print. For the obsessions, I guess my Instagram pretty much sums it up.
Wow, an Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind exclusive! Thank you so much, Serj!
Please check this blog again for the list of essentials and obsessions of Naku, Nakuu, Nakuuu!'s writer Nanoy Rafael.
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