Children's Book Summit: Prospects and Directions in Philippine Children's Literature (2 of 4)

Ang Top Ten Bonggang Ganap sa PH Kids Lit (2009 to present)

Prospects and Directions in Philippine Children’s Literature

Zarah C. Gagatiga, Teacher Librarian and Board Member PBBY

Children’s Book Summit 2019

To dream and to remember

So while we are here this afternoon, prospecting for mineral deposits in the Children’s Book industry, mapping places where potential customers or clients are still yet to be found, looking at possible investments where we can grow not just our products, but to develop platforms where the talents and skills of people are enhanced and strengthened too, it is good to keep in mind the purpose of creating, developing and distributing books for children.

Children’s literature is a genre by its audience, and its categories read very much like the categories of adult literature (Paterno, 2018) except for the picture book and the young adult (YA) novel. This is what makes it unique and special. National hero Jose Rizal wrote and translated folk stories for the purpose of sharing them to his nieces and nephews. These stories were his gifts to the young people in his family. First, he made the journals by hand. Then he wrote on them the stories, perhaps The Monkey and the Turtle, The Ugly Duckling and William Tell. These journals, that became books, were wrapped and sent to the Philippines from Europe. I can only imagine the reaction of Rizal’s nephews and nieces upon receipt of the packages. If I were to put myself in their place, I definitely will feel valued and loved.

What can we glean from this story? Rizal the writer wrote for himself. Rizal the writer intended to leave a legacy. Rizal hoped that with stories and books as gifts, young people will continue the act of creation. By coding, writing and illustrating, since Rizal drew as well, the stories have found a place where it can be kept for remembrance and for continuity. From this experience of Rizal, we can also see the process of creating a book and its distribution in its simplest form. I believe that this model and the principles behind it remain the same centuries later. However, what changes the game for content creators, distributors and consumers of books, information and literature are the advancements in technology. We create the technology and in turn, it shapes our thinking and changes our ways of knowing ourselves and the world. Information and communications technology has greatly opened up windows of opportunities for the avid reader, creators and distributors of children’s books.

Long ago, a book, once published will have shelf space in a bookstore or in a library. Today, that book has an electronic counterpart. There is a YouTube channel or a social media account by the author or the publisher where he or she could post additional content in another media format.   Young readers and their parents are exposed to a variety of learning materials. The different agencies where they can access them by mobile technology are a plenty. Accessibility to books, information and literature is made easier with the internet. Teaching and learning new literacy skills, as well as life skills, is needed more than ever. However, there are places where technological infrastructure is otherwise dependable. Besides, there are stories from the provinces and in the regions that we need to hear and know more about when we speak and discuss book development and literature for children. It is inevitable to reflect, take stock, make calculated risks, set priorities, examine criteria or the measurement of quality of our children’s books and challenge traditional publishing models and practices.