Book Review: What’s New on Our Library’s Bookshelves?

New Titles: Stories Across Worlds

From Syria to Japan to imagined empires, these new arrivals open windows into cultures, histories, and epic journeys.

The Essential Akutagawa by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

This collection gathers twenty-two masterful short stories by one of Japan’s most influential literary voices. Known for psychological depth and moral ambiguity, Akutagawa’s stories probe truth, illusion, and the human condition. A compelling introduction to modern Japanese literature.

The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon

In a storm-torn empire ruled by magic and ambition, a fierce rebel and a powerful prince are bound together in a dangerous alliance. This epic fantasy blends political intrigue, elemental magic, and slow-burn romance. Perfect for readers who love high-stakes fantasy with emotional depth.

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

A sweeping and intimate novel set during the Syrian uprising, this story follows a young pharmacist torn between survival, love, and resistance. Lyrical and heartbreaking, it explores what hope means when a country is at war—and what it takes to stay. A powerful read about courage, memory, and choosing to live.

The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki Shikibu

Often called the world’s first novel, this timeless classic follows the life and loves of Prince Genji in Japan’s Heian court. Rich in emotion, aesthetics, and courtly intrigue, it offers a window into a refined and complex world. A foundational work of world literature.

Full list of new titles, click here: 2026 February New Acquisitions

https://library.beaconacademy.ph/.../koha/opac-shelves.pl...

Writing Children’s Stories: Voice, Structure, Care A Live, Guided Online Workshop for Adults (18 years old and above) with Zarah Gagatiga

 

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Reading Aloud As Service (1 of 3)

 READING ALOUD AS SERVICE

PART 1 (2 hours): Why We Read Aloud — Reading as Care & Connection

Purpose:

To ground volunteers in the why of reading aloud: not performance, but human connection and literacy access.

Key Ideas:

- Reading aloud builds emotional safety, language exposure, listening stamina, and shared meaning.

- Volunteers are co-readers, not performers.

- A good read-aloud is about attunement, not accents or acting.

STORYTELLING & READ ALOUD TECHNIQUES

* What is storytelling

* Why tell stories

* Storytelling and the Four Macro Skills in Communication Arts

* The Many Ways to Tell Stories

* The Storytelling Program

* Open Forum

Assignment/Task: Watch this video of a Read Aloud

Read Aloud video: My Daddy My One and Only

Guide questions: 

1. What is the framework used in the read aloud experience? 

2. What activities were used in the pre-reading, during reading and post reading stages? 

3. How were you affected by the activities and the read aloud experience overall?

Book Review: A Boy Named Ibrahim

 

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Book Reviews and Recommended Reads: Light, Love and Revolution in Children's Literature (1 of 3)

 

Book Review: Ang Laro nina Rona at Powa

Dahil nalalapit na ang Lunar New Year, narito ang aking rebyu ng aklat pambata ni Becky Gerodias at Joanne Wong, Ang Laro nina Rona at Powa.

Ang Laro nina Rona at Powa 

Manunulat: Becky Gerodias

Illustrador: Joanne Wong

Maikling Rebyu (para sa mga guro, magulang, at tagapagbasa):

Sa gitna ng pagdiriwang ng Lunar New Year, inilalatag ng kuwento ang isang karaniwang damdamin ng bata: inggit. Nakita ni Rona ang bagong laruan ni Powa—at sa halip na manatili sa pagkukumpara, natuto siyang i-channel ang damdaming ito tungo sa paglikha. Dito pumapasok ang mahalagang mensahe ng aklat: agency at self-confidence na nagmumula sa sariling kakayahan.

Mga Lakas ng Aklat

1. Emosyonal na literasiya

Hindi dinidemonisa ang inggit. Sa halip, ipinapakita na maaari itong maging panimulang damdamin para sa pagkatuto at paglikha. Mainam itong lunsaran ng pag-uusap sa mga bata tungkol sa:

• Ano ang nararamdaman ko?

• Ano ang maaari kong gawin sa damdaming ito?

2. Pagpapahalaga sa kakayahan at pagkamalikhain

Sa paggawa ni Rona ng sarili niyang laruan, naipapakita ang growth mindset. Hindi kailangang magkaroon agad ng “bago” para maging masaya; maaari kang lumikha.

3. Reciprocal na pagkakaibigan

Ang pagbabago ni Rona ang naging tulay para kay Powa na magbahagi. Hindi ito sermon tungkol sa “dapat mag-share.” Ito ay ipinapakitang bunga ng kumpiyansa at seguridad sa sarili ang pagbabahagi.

4. Cultural grounding

Ang konteksto ng Chinese/Lunar New Year ay hindi lamang dekorasyon. Maaari itong magsilbing:

• Pagpapakilala sa mga simbolo ng pagdiriwang (kulay pula, mga palamuti, pamilya)

• Pagbubukas ng usapan sa cultural diversity sa Pilipinas at sa mga impluwensiya ng bansang China at Hong Kong sa mundo.

Mga Tanong sa Pagpapalalim (para sa read-aloud o classroom use)

• Kailan ka nakaramdam ng inggit? Ano ang ginawa mo?

• Ano ang kaya mong gawin gamit ang sarili mong talento?

• Paano nagbago ang kilos ni Powa dahil sa ginawa ni Rona?

• Ano ang kahulugan ng pagbabahagi kung pareho kayong may tiwala sa sarili?

Marami pang mga aklat pambata na puwedeng mabasa at basahin online. Ito ay libre. Pumunta lang sa Room to Read para makapili ng mga kuwento.

Bangtan Hermana Notes: From Connections to Love Songs: Installation Art and Art in Public Spaces in BTS’s Narrative of Kinship

In 2020, when BTS launched CONNECT, BTS under the curatorial direction of Daehyung Lee, I remember thinking: this is unusual. A Kpop group funding global contemporary art, stepping back so other artists could take the space. It asked what connection looks like when it is built, not performed.

CONNECT unfolded during Map of the Soul: 7, an era about shadow and integration. Outwardly, they were practicing what the album suggested inwardly: plurality.

They decentralized themselves. They shifted attention from idol to collective. It felt less like branding and more like bridge-building.

Now, buildings in Seongsu wrapped in red and white tape ask: What is your love song? The question interrupts the street. It slows the body. In the context of Arirang, a folk song carried across generations, that question becomes communal. A love song is not owned. It is remembered, passed on, sung again.

If CONNECT was about network, Arirang feels like root. CONNECT moved through art institutions. Arirang moves through the public space. Gwhanghwamun Square. This is a shift from curated space to common space, from vertical strucyures to horizontal chorus. Not kingship. Kinship.

I return to CONNECT because I see the arc. From building connections across cities to asking ordinary people what song holds them together. From infrastructure to inheritance. Perhaps this is the deeper work: not just releasing music, but rehearsing community until we realize we were never outside the song. We, ARMY, most especially, were always part and participants of the story of BTS.

Apobangpo! Purple and true!

Connect ebook: https://www.scribd.com/.../501858075/Connect-Bts-E-book-en

Connect Video Compilation: https://youtube.com/playlist...

#BTSComeback2026 #BTS_ARIRANG

Silver Linings with Ms. Zee: Hand Building Pottery Workshop at Papemelroti

It was my dream to run a workshop at Papemelroti. Robert and I had a brief chat about it on Messenger during the pandemic. As it happened, he passed on, and those touched by his legacy and love continue. Yesterday, that dream materialized.

I held a Hand-Building Pottery Workshop at the main branch of Papemelroti, where five students played with clay in shared breathwork. My small circle of students was led by Cris Tanjutco. We go a long way back to our reading and literacy advocacy days. Meeting her husband, Galvin, and her son, Asher, felt like coming full circle. It was a family affair. With them were her brother, Mark, and his spouse, PL—both natural at hand-building.

From this workshop, I carry learning experiences too. I need a bigger trolley, that’s for sure. Always make room for student choice and agency. I have yet to master the business side of this endeavor. For now, I hold on to the non-monetary returns of the experience.

Till next clay-ventures!

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