I’ve just returned to urban Manila after 10 days with the blue skies and sun-drenched (read: HOT) cliffs of Batanes (a cluster of small islands near Taiwan). Batanes is the most remote northern corner of the Philippines. It was a gathering of loose ends for the Ivatan children’s story, including the long-awaited illustrations. They are simply beautiful. Below is a cover detail of the Ivatan children’s story, “Melo the Umang-Boy.” Umang is the Ivatan word […]
melo
Melo the Umang-Boy: an Ivatan Tale Bilingual: English and Ivatan. Themes: ocean biodiversity, shyness, leadership, community, migration, respect for elders. Story by Alyssa Sarimiento-Co and Christina Newhard, illustrations by Jaypee Portez, translation by Criselda Vinalay Melo is a painfully shy little boy living with his grandmother and uncle. One day he visits a magical, busy city on the bottom of the ocean, filled with talking sea creatures. Disaster strikes the city, and he must overcome […]
Mindanao Storytime: Amina and the City of Flowers May 12 (Sat), noon-2 pm Revolution Books NYC 437 Malcolm X Blvd, at 132nd Street, Harlem, NYC Celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage month through children’s story! Join us for a very special reading of “Amina and the City of Flowers” in Harlem with Sari-Sari Storybooks and Sining Kapuluan, co-sponsored by Revolution Books New York. Amina, a young Yakan weaver, is homesick for Basilan, but she finds inspiration for her loom […]
A gathering of supporters came together for the launch of the Sari-Sari Storybooks Kickstarter at Bliss on Bliss Art Projects, in Queens, on Oct 4. There was pancit, readings of the Cebuano story “Kalipay and the Tiniest Tiktik” and the Chavacano story “Amina and the City of Flowers,” and good company.
This is a thrill. I’ve been invited to speak about Sari-Sari Storybooks at the June 8 Meetup for the Society of Children’s Book Writers + Illustrators, Manila chapter. I’ll talk about the project, it’s structure, and why I think it’s vital to support Filipino languages via children’s books. Alyssa Sarmiento, co-author of “Melo the Umang-Boy,” will also share some of her process in developing the Ivatan story in Batanes. If you are an illustrator, writer, […]