Kuwentong Musmos Author Interview: Kora Dandan Albano

Si Kora, Ara at si Itok!

Isang karangalan ang ma-interview si Kora Dandan Albano. Hindi lamang siya isang batikang illustrador, isa din siyang premyadong manunulat ng mga aklat pambata. Ang kanyang aklat na may pamagat Tara, Itok! ay ginuhit ni Ara Villena at nilathala ng Adarna House sa ilalim ng proyektong Kuwentong Musmos ng Room to Read. 

1. Bakit ka nagsusulat para sa mga bata/kabataan? 

Hindi ko ito pinag-iisipan... Basta nagsusulat lang. 

2. Paano ka nagsimula sa pagsusulat ng mga kuwentong pambata? Ano ang iyong origin story?

Dumalo ako sa poetry clinic ng LIRA (Linangan  sa Imagen, Retorika at Anyo) summer ng 1993. Si Rio Alma ang mentor at ginaganap ang palihan tuwing Sabado sa Adarna House. Noon ko lang nalaman na may Adarna books pala. Kalaunan, nalaman ni Sir Rio na FA graduate ako at nakaguhit na ng isang libro, Ang Paglalakbay ni Butirik (OMF, 1993) kaya tinanong niya kung interesado akong gumawa ng character study para sa librong Si Pilandok at ang mga Buwaya.  

Fast forward sa 2018, bukod sa 10 libro sa Adarna House na naiguhit ko – 8 doon ay isinulat ni Sir Rio at  5 sa kanila ay Pilandok series -  inilathala ng Adarna House ang aking tulang pambata na Kung May Dinosaur sa Kamalig ni Lolo. Kaya masasabi ko na I have come full circle. Nabalikan ko ‘yung pagsusulat ng tula: ang orihinal na dahilan kung bakit ako napadpad ng Adarna House noon. 

Sa tingin ko naging malaking salik ang pagguhit ko ng halos 50 mga aklat pambata sa loob ng 25 taon para ako maihanda sa pagsusulat naman ng mga akdang pambata sa ngayon.

3. Magbigay ng tatlong salita upang mailarawan ang karanasan mo bilang isang fellow ng Kuwentong Musmos Workshop?

Natuto. Nahasa. Nagpapasalamat.

4. Anong aklat ang sana ay ikaw ang nagsulat?

Where the Wild Things Are

5. Magbigay ng 5 tips o payo para sa mga gustong magsulat ng kuwentong pambata.

Balikan ang inyong pagkabata.

Makinig, makipag-usap, makipaglaro sa mga bata.

Magbasa nang magbasa ng mga aklat pambata.

Pigilan ang sarili na magdikta, magturo at magsermon sa batang mambabasa.

Mag-enjoy sa iyong sinusulat.

Kora Dandan-Albano is an award winning children’s book author and illustrator. Her picture-poetry book Habulan (Anvil, 2016) is a Best Read winner at the 5^th National Children’s Book Awards in 2018. A graduate of Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from U.P. Diliman, she is the illustrator of over 40 well loved children’s books including All About the Philippines (Tuttle, 2015) which won a Gold at the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards 2016 in the US. Tara, Itok! is Kora’s third book as an author.,  

Zarah Gagatiga's Author Chat and Book Talk with Mr. Augie Rivera

Digital Library Talks: Open Library

 Another session I had with our MYP students last week was the Digital Library Talks. It is a session I give to students and teachers on anything library related that happens in the digital environment. Here is the presentation I put together in accessing free ebooks and audiobooks on Open Library. 

With the help and support of our Communications Associate, these slides were also published in our Newsletter for parents, staff and alumni to know and access as well.

Kuwentong Musmos Author Interview: Kristine Canon

Balik Kuwentong Musmos tayo sa pagpopost sa blog ngayong buwan ng Setyembre! 

Naging abala tayo sa maraming bagay noong mga nakaraang buwan dahil sa COVID-19. Pero, tuloy ang ligaya at patuloy ang munting proyektong ito sa blog. Naway maitulay natin ang impormasyon at kuwento ng mga manunulat at ilustrador na naging bahagi ng Room to Read project sa mga school librarians, guro at magulang na naghahanap ng mga babasahin para sa mga bata at kabataan.

Sa pagbabalik ng Kuwentong Musmos Author Interview, ang Team Adarna naman ang naka-feature sa mga susunod na araw. Buena mano si Kristine "Teacher Tin" Canon sa pangatlong serye ng blog interviews na ito.

Teacher Tin wrote the story Noel! Noel! Leon! Leon! which was illustrated by Nina Patricia C. Martinez and published by Adarna House. Here is a little information about this tandem. Teacher Tin won the Salanga Prize back in 2001 for the story Bakit Matagal Ang Sundo Ko? While Nina won the PBBY Wordless Book Prize in 2019 for her work, Ang Mga Sikreto ng Langit at Dagat.

Teacher Tin with Nina Martinez

 1. Why are you writing for children?

I write for children because as a teacher, I work with them and know them well. I am passionate about teaching children, and find joy in seeing how they learn and grow.

 2. How did you break out into the children's book industry?

I officially began writing for children in the year 2000. I was pregnant with my first child and had to go on bedrest, which means I couldn’t teach for a good number of weeks. I wrote Bakit Matagal ang Sundo Ko based on my niece’s “sumbong” about not being fetched on time by my sister and then I remembered my own preschool students who stay with me after school because they are fetched late.  I chanced upon the Salanga Writer’s Prize ad in the newspaper and I decided to enter my story there without knowing anything about the writing and publishing world. Lo and behold, my story won!  Then after that, I started to take writing for children seriously as I respected the award so much.

3. Give three words or phrase to describe your Kuwentong Musmos Workshop experience?

Kuwentong Musmos Workshop experience: nerve-racking, exciting, enlightening!

4. What is the book you wish you had written and why?

There are soooo many books I wish I had written, (some were even written in kuwentong musmos!) but my favorite would be Papel de Liha by Ompong Remigio and Beth Parrocha Doctolero. I absolutely love the sense of sweet and calm you feel in the mother and daughter’s relationship (totally the opposite of my life with 3 boys and 1 girl- na parang boy na rin!) and how it placed so much value in the mother’s role as a servant leader in keeping the home in order physically and psychologically.

5. What are your 5 tips for aspiring children's book writers?

What really helps me write is asking people I trust to read any attempts I have at writing a story. As for tips, keep reading children’s books and spend time with children (if you plan to write for kids).

Teacher Tin is a Founding Director for Creative Learning Paths School, a progressive preschool to Gr. 12 educational institution advocating for inclusion and peace education.  She has more than 20 years teaching experience from preschool to college levels.  She is currently a faculty member of the College of Education at De La Salle University.   She a reading specialist as well as a children’s book writer having authored original Filipino children’s picture books for Adarna House, Anvil and Vibal.   She is also a teacher-trainor and formator for Teach Peace Build Peace Movement, a non-profit and non-partisan organization.  Aside from literacy, her advocacies include peace education and the inclusion of children with special needs.  She is married and has four children, two of which are hearing impaired.

 

Library and Research Skills Instruction: Bibliography and APA Citation Basics

 This month, I had two sessions of library and research skills instruction. 

The first one was with our Grade 10s who are gearing up for Personal Project. I gave a 30 minute talk on bibliography and how the library can help them in their inquiry and research needs. My talk focused more on converting a question, a goal of research and an inquiry into a language of answers.

The second one was with our Grade 9 students who have started working on varied research tasks across subject areas. I had a talk on APA Citation Basics with them during a 30 minute skills session in the Comparative Religions (CRe) or World Religions class. For this group, I focused my talk on the principles behind making a bibliography and the fundamentals of citations. 

Since CRe/World Religions is under the discipline of the social sciences, it is but natural that the World Religions teacher request for a session on APA Citations. Below is the infographic I made for the class.

Online Reading Room: The Room of Rhyme and Reason

 As I am very much fascinated with Online Reading Rooms, here is the third one I made for a Bibliotherapy session in school.

PBBY’S WORDLESS BOOK DEBUT “PAGKATAPOS NG UNOS”: A VISUAL JOURNEY OF LOSS AND RECOVERY

 Philippines, September 11, 2020 — Painted in shades of storm and sunset, Harry Monzon’s first wordless picture book, Pagkatapos ng Unos, is a story of hope and resilience. It is also a powerful reminder of the vital need to replenish our dying planet.

The pictures tell a simple story. After a typhoon strikes his city, a man abandons his home and loads his meager possessions into a small boat. He navigates perilous floodwaters and—while rescuing a dog from the flood—loses everything except for a little plant. Traveling through the dark night, they reach a quiet place where their new life can take root. 

In these uncertain times, where natural disasters can rob anyone of their place in this world, a book like this can plant a seed of hope. It also opens up meaningful discussions about the environment and what is essential for a sustainable life. 

A wordless picture book can offer children greater freedom to use their imagination and build their own meaning into the story. 

Monzon’s storyboard was awarded the very first PBBY Wordless Book Prize in 2018 on the 35th National Children’s Book Day. This contest was established by the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) to encourage the development of this genre in the Philippine children’s book industry. 

Pagkatapos ng Unos is made in the Philippines and published by The Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY). The PBBY is a non-stock, nonprofit organization committed to the promotion not only of literacy, but also of the love for books among the Filipino youth through contests and workshops. Each year, the PBBY sponsors the PBBY-Salanga Prize for children’s writing and the PBBY-Alcala Prize for children’s book illustration. These contests have led to the publication of many memorable Filipino children’s books. 

Printed on Fedrigoni Special Paper, the book may be purchased online in paperback format for the retail price of P150 on adarna.com.ph, pumplepie.com, and tahananbooks.ph. 

About:

Harry Monzon is an illustrator and graphic designer. He studied literature from the University of Sto. Tomas. Harry is a proud member of Ang llustrador ng Kabataan (Ang INK). He offers this book to his father (1954–2019). He is the 2018 PBBY awardee for this wordless book.