Miguel is a young boy and just like any other boy, his world revolves around play. So focused is Miguel about play that he forgets to take a bath. He goes to sleep as a filthy boy, with no worries about going to bed covered in dirt and grime.
He woke up one day with mung bean seedlings growing out of his ears! Imagine all that dirt inside those ears that made those seedlings sprout! Continue reading“Recommended Read: Just Add Dirt”
“Tuko, the Tenor Wannabe” is a story that defines expectation versus reality. 
Author Nemah Hermosa gave us Tuko, who badly wants to be a singer. He went to music school and dreamed of being in the opera. But he just not cut out for it because… he does not have the beautiful voice to boot. To be blunt, he is off key and annoying to listen to. But he is persistent and stubborn refusing to listen to anyone, even his mother.
With fun illustrations by artist Ruben de Jesus, this story takes us into the amusing journey of Tuko — and how he realized that he just have to give up singing so he can keep his friends.
This is a story that I first encountered nine years ago during an Inquirer Read-along session. I did not like it at first. I cannot quite remember why. Maybe because I was 23 years old then with little knowledge about what storybooks are appropriate for children. I saw a copy of this again in 2017 when I was browsing through the shelves of National Bookstore, in search for a unique storybook. I found this book, read it, and loved it! This is a perfect material to use to teach children the value of humility; to accept their weaknesses and choosing to channel their energies into other endeavors.
Starting with this edition of our Book Reviews in this site, I decided to record myself (audio or video, whichever works) reading the story along with a copy of the book. For this edition, I have my daughter, Antoinette, help me out. She can now read sight words and four-letter to five-letter words so I am using this book to help her improve her reading skills as well.
If you have any storybook suggestions, feel free to send us a message through our Facebook page or write a comment below.
Thanks for reading and watching!
The best thing about Book Sale, the shop for pre-loved books here in the Philippines, is finding rare treasures to share to my children.
Our latest adventure is about going back to the basics, which include learning how to send letters through the post office.Continue reading“Book Recommendation: Where does it come from? (Letter)”
I really need to write this.
There are storybooks that are so delicious to read to a group of children; and there are those that are just better read to a child.
You see the difference?
Reading to a big group of children — “big” being a relative word — entails careful selection of a story in which the text are not long and verbose. The story needs to be entertaining with the pace fast enough to render the children excited, but slow enough to entice them to listen. Continue reading“Recommended Read – Anita: The Duckling Diva”
Too many nights we have read “Goodnight Moon” and “Where the Wild Things Are” and it gets pretty boring.
I have been reading these books to my children since they were inside my belly and have practically memorized them and can recite the texts in my sleep.Continue reading“Book Reco/Review: Wow! Said the Owl (by Tim Hopgood)”
Managing a multi-lingual household means reading books in different languages. Storybooks in the Binisayang Sugbuanon language are mainstays in our bookshelves at home. One of my favorites is the big book version of “Ikaw Ba Ang Akong Inahan?” This is the Binisayang Sugbuanon version of “Kayo Ba Ang Nanay Ko?” that is written by …
Toddler Storytime kicked off last April 2018 in time for the 99th anniversary of the Cebu City Public Library. Since then, I have been on a trial-and-error mode in trying to figure out which songs and dances to perform and which books to read to an audience composed of toddlers …
It has been a while, two months to be exact, since the last post was published on this page. I apologize for my laziness. My life has been filled with so much professional and personal responsibilities, most of which are self inflicted, so I had to take a back step …
I have never read this version of “The Gingerbread Man” by Jim Aylesworth until last April 21 during the Summer Saturday Storytime session at the Children’s Corner of the Cebu City Public Library (CCPL). Aylesworth’s take on the classic story is a rhythmic masterpiece that is best enjoyed by children …
