9 Books for Kids & Kids at Heart from the MIBF

I wasn’t really planning to create a post about Manila International Book Fair (MIBF).  To boot, I didn’t bring my camera as I usually would. I didn’t have planned shots in my mind. I didn’t brief my family that I will be covering the event. *Woops. Now you know what goes behind every blog post.* Haha. 😀  I’ve been wanting to go since it opened but I always feared that I might end up buying lots of design books.  It was the first time in such a long time that I was pretty scared of myself.  Last minute, I asked the hubby if we could go. Hahahahaha. I was just so curious.  I also realized I haven’t regretted going to any event lately. When they announced that the MIBF was going to be bigger this year with an entire second floor dedicated to children’s books. I got excited! 😀 I’ve been wanting to buy Riley bilingual and books in Filipino–the mostly board books since he’s only 20 1/2 months old. 😀  Well, if you’re not a parent, these children’s books are actually look into some of these books.  We do have a lot of talented illustrators in the country.  Most of the books I bought were illustrated by fellow artists from Ilustrador ng Kabataan.   I am blogging about this because I’m their internal fan girl. Haha. Related Posts: INKfest 2016 INK Illustration Masterclass at the Ayala Museum INK Fest + Color Pop Fair in Photos INKfest 2015 INK Portrait Session The next time you ever visit a bookstore, I suggest you go to the local children’s books section.  The illustrations will blow your mind. 😉  So next time you’re reading a book to your son / daughter / niece / nephew / grandchild / random stranger, check out these titles and get inspired by the illustrations while treating someone to storytelling session. 😀   Here’s our haul: (And oh, thanks to Anne for suggesting that I do a haul post.  I may not have the courage to go in front of a camera yet and talk to you about these but meanwhile, enjoy!) 😀

1. Kayang-Kaya  Story by: Alyssa Judith Reyes Papercut Illustrations by: Liza Flores Photos by: Jinggo Montenejo Published by: Save the Children & Adarna House It’s the book with shoelaces behind it!  The papercut illustrations by Ms. Liza of INK are adorable and the book talks about children independently doing tasks by themselves. 🙂  I bought this specifically because I want to teach Riley how to tie his laces without having to wash his hands again and again.  He keeps on touching the soles of his shoes.  I let him wear his shoes by himself when we’re going out. 2.  Dumaan si Butiki Book by: Mary Gigi Constantino Illustrated by: Ray Sunga Published by: Save the Children & Adarna House I remember Ray posting this on his Facebook timeline a couple of years ago.  This is a book about directions in Filipino (e.g. kaliwa, kanan, taas, baba).  I do realize the benefits of reading & speaking in English but panicked for a bit while imagining the horrors of Riley & I getting tense in the future while preparing for his tests in Filipino (which is usually the easiest in our generation).  I’m accepting the fact that this is inevitable due to globalization.  I was able to talk to a bunch of guys during our vacation in Iceland and they said they were having the same dilemma too.  Then again, reading Filipino books & speaking to Riley in might just do the trick.

3.  Kara at Play Words by: Lara Saguisag Illustrated by: Jamie Bauza Published by: Adarna House As soon as I opened the book I saw words like dancing, jumping, handstanding.  It was about an active little girl named Kara. I just realized how much Riley can relate to this. He loves to move all the time!  The book is also about the process of falling down, getting hurt & getting back up again.  And as you might have guessed, this is a recurring life theme. 😉 4. Kapitbahay Kubo Papercut Illustrations by: Pergylene Acuña Published by: Adarna House I’ve been singing Bahay Kubo to Riley when trying to put him to sleep at night.  This was my favorite song in Grade 2.  We would even sing it with a second voice in music club. Haha.  Seriously though, I hope he gets to acquaint himself with veggies. 😀 This book has all the veggie names in Filipino and identify them in his meals too.  By the way, the book also has carrots & potatoes.  Have you noticed they’re not in the original song? Hehe. I just hope that someday Riley doesn’t fall asleep when they sing Bahay Kubo in school. 😀 Related Posts: Finding Your Own Art Style Free How-to-Draw Worksheets Make Your Colors Vibrant 5. Kulay! Illustrations by Eli F. Camacho Published by: Adarna House Kulay is a bi-lingual book about colors featuring a carabao! Don’t get me wrong, we also have a lot of books published from outside the country.  However, I realized that Riley easily picks up whatever it is that he sees in real life so I got this book. 😀 6. The World Around Me Published by: Adarna House This is another bi-lingual book has photos of every day objects in a typical Filipino home.  😀 7. Ang Una Kong Alpabeto Illustrated by: Borg Sinaban Published by: Adarna House It’s a Filipino alphabet book with illustrations of objects found in our country: walis (soft broom), isda (fish) & dahon (leaf) which also recognizes our ever-evolving language with words such as carrot, futbol & jaket! 8. Animal Games Poem by: Lara Saguisag Illustrations by: Aaron Asis Published by: Anvil Children Translation to Filipino by: Eugene Y. Evasco The book contains a poem about the playfulness of kids and is meant for an exciting read out loud activity. 😀 The book has wonderful illustrations so I bought it even if it’s still for kids ages 6 and above. 😀 9. Ito Ang Diktadura Idea & Story: Equipo PLantel Illustrated by: Mikel Casal Translated & Reprinted by: Adarna House I was intending to go when this book was launched but I was chasing deadlines then. Huhu.  I saw this book online and I’m pretty happy this was translated & distributed by Adarna House.  ‘This is Dictatorship’ is a well-renowned book in Europe.  The illustrations are kid-friendly but the message is for a lifetime.  We can all really learn something from history. Well, that’s just about our book haul!  We didn’t get to take lots of pictures but we also played with giant Lego, happy to have met friends as well as babies at the MIBF.  😀 The hubby was a happy kid inside while we were going robotics booth hopping.  It’s a really exciting venture too: kids getting into electronics, computer codes, physics, being creative with modules and entrepreneurship!  Well, should we ever get to the day that we start building robots, that will deserve a separate blog post! 😀 To anyone afraid of having kids (this is me talking to myself 5 years ago), it does take a lot of work but the real plus side is, you get to experience the world again through your child’s eyes and it’s wonderful! 😀  Okay, I’m not really out here to convince you to have kids, just a random thought while playing with sock puppet books, taking on different voices while forgetting that I’m in the middle of the crowd. Hehe. Also, another random thought about the MIBF,

Isn’t it amazing? The MIBF. Introverts (like me) happily joining crowds? ??

— Googly Gooeys (@googlygooeys) September 17, 2017

By the way, if you’re bringing your baby to the MIBF, they will exempt you from the long line at the entrance! *Yes!* 😀 Last but not the least, we were super happy to have met the 501st Legion!  We entered SMX, got called by the guard so we don’t have to line up, The Star Wars Soundtrack was playing in all of SMX and people were running to get photos of the Storm Troopers and the Star Wars gang! *Currently ducking because I know ‘Star Wars’ and ‘gang’ shouldn’t be in the same sentence*  These guys walked past us and most of them said hi to Riley! *Oh the benefits of holding a toddler in your arms.* 😀  Seriously though, it’s amazing what they’re doing.   The 501st Legion Philippine Garrison is making rounds in children’s hospitals (especially the critically ill) and working closely together with Make A Wish Foundation Philippines.   The 501st Legion is a group of Star Wars fans devoted to wearing Star Wars Costumes to raise funds for charities around the world. 🙂 You may also book them to your parties by visiting their Facebook page here! Contact them via: command@pinoy501st.com or visit their website Pinoy501st.com. OMG. I’m already at 1406 words (for an unplanned blog post). Anyway, ’til the next book / Star Wars / art / kids’ event! 😀 Speaking of, there will be a  Into the Jungle Baby & Kids Fair from September 27-30, 11am-8pm. This is a great time to buy stuff for kids or even for Christmas gifts! So many brands will be participating: Mothercare (a good chunk of Riley’s baby clothes), Cath Kidston, Cotton On Kids, Baby Bench, Mustela, Philips Avent (mostly Riley’s bottles), Pigeon (Riley’s very practical baby food maker), The Parenting Emporium (for breast pumps), Tiny Buds (we love their bottle cleaner), V-tech & more!  Well, see you at the #BenchBabyFair in a week’s time! 😀 That’s all for now! I have to cut this short as we’re going on a mini roadtrip in a bit. 😀 XOXO, The Googly Family P.S. If you’re a mom or a new parent, here are some posts that you might enjoy! 🙂 5 Lessons from Pregnancy My Younger Self Could Have Used Work-Life Balance & Self-Care Let Love Flow with BabyFlo