How does reading help us understand people who are different from us?

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“𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀: 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗕𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴” at the National Library of the Philippines.

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What music and song can do to expand and deepen a story!

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Bangtan Hermana Notes: When RM of BTS speaks about books, reading and libraries

 

Pahina Hinahon: Every story and every illustration is an act of hope

Award winning children’s author, Irene Sarmiento delivered the keynote at yesterday’s awarding of the Salanga and Alcala Prizes. A ceremony celebrating the 43rd National Children’s Book Day, with the theme, Pahina Hinahon.

I have three take aways.

First, Filipino writers no longer write for Filipino children. We write for children. Period. Good stories cross borders because childhood itself is universal. It is filled with wonder, questions, fears, laughter, and hope.

Second, a writer who reads the works of fellow authors and finds the child within their pages is both humble and wise. Children’s literature is not a competition; it is a conversation that grows richer when we read generously and celebrate one another’s stories.

 Genaro Ruiz Gojo Cruz winner of this year’s Salanga Prize for his story, Tinamaan Ako ng Galing, even recognized this by mentioning writers whose books he read and learned from.

And finally, her curated list of children’s books was, to me, a reader’s joy and a librarian’s delight. It was a reminder that the best way to become a better writer is to remain an eager reader.

As I watched this year’s Salanga and Alcala awardees receive their recognition, I found myself thinking that every story and every illustration is an act of hope. In a world that often feels fractured, children’s books continue to imagine kinder futures, nurture empathy, and remind us that peace and justice are values worth passing on to the next generation.

Congratulations to all the winners. Thank you for giving children and all of us stories that help us become more fully human.

Pahina Hinahon!

Growing Through Stories: The Monkey and the Turtle

 

Pahina Hinahon: When Peace and Justice Remain Ideals Worth Fighting For

Today’s awarding of the PBBY-Salanga and PBBY-Alcala Prizes brings to mind the challenges of creating children’s books in a time of chaos, conflict, and uncertainty, when peace and justice remain ideals worth fighting for.

What stories do we tell children when the world feels fractured? How do we write hope without ignoring suffering? How do we nurture empathy without looking away from injustice?

Perhaps this is why children’s literature matters more than ever. Every story we write, illustrate, publish, recommend, and share becomes an act of faith in the kind of world we want children to inherit. Stories remind us that kindness is not weakness, courage often begins with ordinary people, and even in the darkest moments, compassion can light the way.

Congratulations to this year’s PBBY-Salanga and PBBY-Alcala awardees. Thank you for continuing the work of imagining better futures for Filipino children: one story, one illustration, and one young reader at a time.

May we never stop believing that books can help raise a generation that chooses peace over violence, justice over indifference, and hope over despair.