A parent’s guide to the Philippine Book Festival
There’s a lot happening at the second annual Philippine Book Festival (PBF), scheduled to take place April 25 to April 28 at the World Trade Center in Pasay. There will be author meet-and-greets, book signings, workshops, panels, performances and more. “It’s not just a book fair, it’s a book experience,” said National Book Development Board Philippines (NBDB) executive director Charisse Aquino-Tugade.
And it’s an experience for the whole family. “We have programs for families, for friends, for lolas and lolos, and for kids, so take time to really enjoy this community affair,” Aquino-Tugade shared. It was important to Aquino-Tugade, a parent herself, for the event to be a family-friendly one.
The four-day festival, which brings together Philippine literature, culture, arts, education, entertainment and shopping in one big event, is part of the NBDB’s quest to promote a culture of reading and develop the publishing industry in the Philippines. If you have kids who love books or you wish your kids loved books, you need to take them to the PBF. And here’s the great thing—admission is free.
Here are tips so you can make the most out of your festival experience with your kids:
1. Register online. Do it through the website (philippinebookfest.com) so you can go in quickly.
2. Review the festival schedule. You can also find it on the PBF website and on Facebook and Instagram. Prioritize which events you don’t want to miss. “Si Al Buda an Tsinelas: A Kid’s Musical” will take place from noon to 1 p.m. on the Main Stage on Day 1 and 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Day 3. On Day 2, a puppet show, “Enggoy at ang Makulay N’yang Mundo,” will be staged at the Kids At Play area 11 a.m. to noon. There are also storytelling sessions with different personalities. On April 27, 11 a.m. to noon, there will be a “Super May and Her Amazing Ears!” storytelling and scavenger hunt with Bambi Rodriguez at the Kids at Play area.
3. Wear comfortable shoes. The World Trade Center Manila is a big place and there are over 160 exhibitors, so you might be doing plenty of walking.
4. “Expect to be at the festival the whole day,” said Aquino-Tugade, so pack accordingly. Parking is available and you don’t have to worry about your kids getting hungry, she said. “You can bring snacks but we’re going to have a lot of food options. I’m a mother so I’m very particular about not having soft drinks [at the event]. There’s a lot of fresh juices, fresh good food, rice meals, sandwiches. There are eating areas.”
5. The festival is divided into four realms—Aral Aklat, for textbooks and educational materials; Booktopia, home to fiction and nonfiction titles; Komiks, which highlights Pinoy komiks, and the place where you’ll most likely be spending your time; and Kid Lit, an area on books and activities for children. Each realm is inspired by a different element and color, making it easy for you to know exactly where you are. “Kid Lit is pink and is inspired by water,” said Beth Parrocha, founding member of Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan and the children’s book illustrator who created the visuals for the event.
6. Let your kids meet authors and illustrators, said Luis Gatmaitan, a medical doctor, award-winning author of children’s books, and sectoral representative for writers of the Philippine Board on Books for Young People. Gatmaitan wrote “Sandosenang Sapatos,” which has been adapted into a musical and staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. “Parents would come to me with their kids, they ask me about the story, it’s a chance for them to get an in-depth look at the creation of books,” said Gatmaitan. It’s a great chance for budding writers and illustrators to see that their dreams can come true because these people are living proof.
7. There will be a rare books exhibit by the National Library of the Philippines—this could be a good chance for your kids to see up close relics they’ve only heard of in History class.
8. There are workshops for kids where they can have fun and learn new things like “Comics Can Change The World,” a four-panel comics workshop for Kids by Patti Ramos, happening at Creator’s Lab on April 28, 10 a.m. to noon. (Register via bit.ly/pbfccctw). That same day, also at Creator’s Lab, 5 to 7 p.m., Black Ink will hold a session on “How To Draw Manga.” There are arts and crafts activities too like “Pinky the Picky Butterfly” by Anya Santos-Uy and Mia Claravall-Reyes which will take place at Kids at Play on Day 2, 2 to 4 p.m.
9. Take this time to introduce your children to Filipino books outside of the ones they are required to read for school. (Or if you and your kids already read Filipino books at home, here’s a chance to add new titles to your shelves). Gatmaitan said, “Nakikipagbuno yung mga libro namin (Our books compete) with the likes of Disney… Magaganda lahat ‘yun (they’re all good) but it’s high time we look at our own produce, our own harvest… We offer a Filipino-ness in terms of text and illustrations of the children’s books. There are so many good stories for children, these are contemporary stories dealing with contemporary issues, sometimes even social issues.”
Gatmaitan is proud to have written a children’s book about war called “Maselan ang Tanong ng Batang si Usman.”
“It’s about children displaced in the war. The topics of our children’s books will surprise you—death, gender issues, marital discord. Nothing is taboo as long as the author and illustrator handle the subject with care.”
Parrocha has some titles to recommend as well. “If you want your kids to learn about right conduct, there’s the ‘Oh Mateo!’ series by Grace Chong from OMF.”
More recommendations from Parrocha: “For books that will teach young kids how to take care of themselves, the ‘Ako Ay May Titi’ by Genaro R. Gojo Cruz and ‘Ako Ay May Kiki’ by Glenda Oris from Lampara. For kids who are a little older, books from Adarna House like ‘Ang Pambihirang Buhok ni Raquel’ by Luis Gatmaitan which is about cancer, or ‘Papel de Liha’ by Ompong Remigio.”
Parrocha, who has illustrated over 70 books, finds joy in what she does. She started illustrating children’s books as a way to stay connected to her inner child. “I want to be excited, I want to draw on paper the world that I want—colorful, alive, imaginative—and that I don’t see in the people around me who are so serious. The little girl inside me wants to jump around and have fun. I found that in the world of children’s picture books. Kids have their own world and it’s a world that I entered wholeheartedly.”
10. Allow your kids to pick their own books. Gatmaitan said, “Huwag yung, ‘Ay huwag yan, hindi yan maganda’ ‘pag ang bata may gusto na at binubuklat (Don’t say, ‘Not that, that’s not good’ when they find a book they like). Let them be enticed by books and then, later on, once they’ve whet their appetite for books, then you can go, ‘Here are the classics, you might want to try this.’”
He added, “Reimburse the money they spend on books. It’s one way to encourage them to read.”
11. Don’t skip the Komiks realm. It’s a treasure trove as well. And real talk: Comics are a great way to convert non-readers into readers.
“At the Komiket booth we have ‘Unang Engkantada’ (by Al Santos and Jap Mikel), which was nominated for a National Book Award this year,” said Paolo Herras, author, film director, Komiket president, and co-founder and passionate advocate for Pinoy komiks and komiks creators. “’Doobiedoo Asks,’ which won the National Children’s Book Award, is an autobiographical story of a komiks couple, Bambi and Roland Amago, whose firstborn child is on the spectrum of autism. It bridges understanding of autism.”
Other titles you can look for are “Little Wolf” and “Way Way Out There” by Cat S. “‘Little Wolf’ won the National Children’s Book Award also, and ‘Way Way Out There’ won the White Ravens Award last year,” said Herras.
“Penlab has a few titles that are for high school kids or grade 7—‘Spirit Sprints’ (by Bernie Mercado, Nina Torralba, Hansel Dimapilis), ‘Knights of the Wandering Castle’ (by Luny), and ‘Desmond and Claire’ (by Dom Neola). Kawangis Komiks is educational comics—they do historical, mythology… Kwentoon has Filipino manga.”He added, “For parents, you could tell from the cover the genre, the art style, and if it’s age-appropriate.”
12. Check out Guhit Pambata, an exhibit highlighting the creations of some of the country’s best children’s book illustrators. This would be a good way to find picture books your kids might be interested in and also a source of inspiration for children who love to draw.
13. Sign up for a tour. Aquino-Tugade said, “We give group tours and that’s for free. You’ll get a briefer, a tour of the rare books exhibit, you’ll get to see all the different realms, and meet some authors as well.”
14. If you’re feeling extra, you and your kids can come dressed as your favorite Filipino literary characters. Or you can just check out Cosplay Filipiniana, the cosplay competition happening April 28, 2 to 4 p.m., on the Main Stage.
Visit www.philippinebookfest.com.
