An Annotated Bibliography of Filipiniana for Children

This is my term project for my graduate course, LIS 261 - Information Analysis at the Institute of Library and Information Science. I have enitled it as An Annotated Bibliography of Filipiniana for Children. Read on further to know more about the bibliography.

I. Rationale

There is a steady, if not rapid, growth of Filipiniana books for children published every year. Most of these books were written for readers in the preschool and elementary grades. A good number of these books carry relevant themes that address developmental needs and support curricular offerings. Furthermore, these books promote Filipino values, culture and heritage. Indeed, books, particularly the ones written for them, are essential to children’s learning and improvement.

While foreign children’s books abound in the market and are, likewise, widely used by teachers for instruction, Filipiniana children’s books are marginalized. Teachers have yet to discover the potentials of these resources for instructional use given their aesthetic, literary and cultural values.

School libraries for their part are responsible for developing, organizing and maintaining a collection that is suitable for children and the appropriate pedagogy. Manual and online catalogs exist, however, tools like indexes and bibliographies are helpful tools for teachers who have specific needs for books that can enrich instruction. Since the school library provides opportunities for resource-based learning, such catalogs are not enough to lead teachers to a wide array of relevant learning resources. Time is also a factor to consider in their search for materials because preparation in planning a lesson is another time consuming task.

Thus, this annotated bibliography of Filipiniana Children’s Books.

Lastly, this bibliography may serve as springboard for promotional activities that school librarians and other advocates of literacy.

II. Relevance

On a larger scale, this shall initially serve as guide for parents who are keen on developing in their children a genuine love for books and reading through Filipiniana materials. Writers of children’s stories may find this bibliography a useful directory of published materials that inform them of the themes and subjects already written about. It can be a valuable reference source for researchers on Philipine Children’s Literature who are developing scholastic writings on the subject. Guidance counselors in need of titles for bibliotherapy shall benefit from this likewise.