My 2025 Writing Life: Disaster Ready Kids Series (DRK): Flood, Fire, Earthquake, and Volcanic Eruption (1/4)

As 2025 draws to a close, I look back at a writerly year. I am mighty proud to have launched and presented seven titles of books: 1 series and 3 stand-alone illustrated storybooks for children with @lamparabooks @tuttlepublishing and @thebookmarkinc

First of seven is the Disaster Ready Kids Series (DRK): Flood, Fire, Earthquake, and Volcanic Eruption. @juno_abreu and I were interviewed at the Philippine Book Festival last March 2025, and though we were not in the Bologna Book Fair and the Frankfurt Buchmesse, our series was present. At the MIBF in September, we showed up for meet-and-greet sessions. There were author visits in between, where I had the pleasure of sharing my creative process with young readers and it was a joy to talk about the DRK Series with teachers and literacy experts at the Reading Association of the Philippines’ annual conference last November.

As I end this year, I do so with gratitude. For editors who believed, illustrators who brought heart to the page, publishers who took risks, teachers and librarians who carried these books into classrooms, and children who listened, asked questions, and saw themselves in the stories. Writing, I am reminded, is never solitary. It is sustained by community, trust, and grace. I step into the coming year thankful, grounded and ready to keep telling stories that serve, prepare, and hold.

#writinglife #phchildrensbook

Merry Christmas!

 

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Bangtan Hermana Notes: Let's Be Nicer

Filipino Children’s Books on Disability, Neurodiversity & Aging (3/3)

These Filipino children’s books clearly center disability and neurodiversity, helping young readers recognize difference not as deficit, but as part of human diversity.

1. Made Perfect in Weakness

by Didith Rodrigo

This is the story of Rosel Ambubuyog who triumphs despite being blind. Grounded in faith and perseverance, the book affirms that disability does not diminish worth or potential, and that strength can emerge through vulnerability.

2. Kiko Kitikiti

by Lauren Macaraeg

Kiko is a boy with ADHD whose hyperactive body becomes a source of help rather than trouble. The story reframes movement, energy, and impulsivity as strengths when guided with understanding and compassion.

3. Tara na, Itok

by Cora Dandan Albano

Itok is a fish with half a tail, navigating the world differently from others. Through gentle metaphor, the book speaks about physical disability, self-belief, and the courage to keep moving forward.

4. There’s a Dwende in My Brother’s Soup

by Lara Saguisag

A child uses folklore and imagination to explain a sibling’s autism. Beneath the playful premise is a thoughtful portrayal of confusion, fear, and growing empathy within a family learning to understand neurodivergence.

5. Federico by Eugene Evasco

A poetic and tender story about living with a sibling who has Down syndrome. Federico focuses on relationship and care, inviting readers to slow down and recognize beauty in difference and interdependence.

These stories do something powerful:

They name disability openly, without reducing children to it. They invite understanding, not pity. They make space for care, dignity, and belonging.

From Sowoozoo to Chanel: A Tattoo Reveal That Became Cultural Narrative (Part 2)

From Sowoozoo to Chanel: A Tattoo Reveal That Became Cultural Narrative (Part 1 of 2)

 

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Pottery in Progress

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Bangtan Herman Notes: Kim Namjoon and the Grace in an Apology

 

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Filipino Children’s Books on Disability, Neurodiversity & Aging (2/2)

Here is part 2 of my growing list of inclusive Filipino reads. These titles open gentle, meaningful conversations about emotions, different ways of thinking, and the realities of aging. Perfect for homes, classrooms, and libraries.

1. Pitong Tsinelas (Seven Slippers) by Divine Gil Reyes & Benjor Catindig

A playful, bilingual story where each slipper represents a feeling. A wonderful tool for social-emotional learning and for supporting children who express emotions in diverse or nonverbal ways.

2. Inside Daniel’s Head by Joji Reynes-Santos

A tender peek into the inner world of a child who processes thoughts, sensations, and interests differently. A powerful starting point for conversations about neurodiversity, perspective-taking, and acceptance.

3. Sixty Six (Book 1 & 2) by Russell Molina, Ian Sta. Maria & Mikey Marchan

A graphic novel series that reframes aging and physical limitation through humor, heart, and heroism. Not a children’s book, but a meaningful addition to discussions on inclusion—showing that age is part of our diversity story too.

These stories remind us that every mind, body, and journey matters.

Let’s keep building bookshelves that reflect empathy, dignity, and the many ways we move through the world.

#Bibliotherapy #readingmatters #phchildrensliterature #InternationalDayofPersonswithDisabilities

Remembering Queena

Author, educator, and advocate of proactive parenting, Dr. Queena Lee-Chua leaves a legacy of research-based guidance through her books. I first knew her simply as a parent during my Xavier School era; she would often drop by the library because her son Scott was a voracious reader. Even then, she already had a knack for understanding people and community.

As the years went on, she would send me current research on literacy, especially on math, technology, and reading, as well as updates on her latest books with Anvil Publishing. One of them, “Growing Up Wired: Raising Pinoy Kids in the Digital Age”, became a nonfiction favorite and a trusted reference for my talks and library projects. Published in 2013, it challenges popular beliefs and conventional wisdom on technology use, grounding its insights in research, case studies, and sound pedagogy. Interestingly, the book opens with a prayer by Fr. Alberto Ampil, SJ, a gentle reminder that discernment, intention, and critical thinking are essential in navigating the digital world.

Seasons came and went, and I gradually lost track of her more recent work, though Scott’s occasional updates on Facebook helped me keep connected from afar. Still, it was a sad day when he posted about his mother’s passing.

Thank you, Queena. Today, I read your book.

Bangtan Herman Notes: He Ain't Heavy, He's Namjoon's Hyung!

 

Poetry: What I Know About Cats

this is what i know about cats

they are quiet geniuses,

masters of sleep, seemingly lazy,

unbothered by the rush

of people and the world.

but they see beyond the edges

of what we notice,

and so we let them be

loving them gently,

softly,

steadily like the moon rise

because when they sense

your heart needs a place to rest,

they will come,

and they will stay.

zarahG 12.07.2025

Kuwencena: Story Writing Workshop with DepEd Lucena

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Bangtan Hermana Notes: Plurality in Fandom

 RM once said during Map of the Soul ON:E:

“Our first march started with a very small dream of seven little boys… Along the way, we met many people who were like us. Anyone can join us. BTS is not just a story of seven people.”

I find myself going back to this quote of Namjoon a year after I wrote about ARMY multistans and multistaning. It comes at the wake of Jin losing the Daesang at the MAMA 2025. Threads is ripe with discussions on fandom identity, solidarity, belonging and evolution besides.

I face this conflict once again: the tension between plurality and loyalty.

RM’s words are true. The march did grow. ARMY is no longer the single, roaring purple wave we once were. We have become an ocean with many currents: multistans, old fans, casual listeners, new joiners, soft stans, tired stans, nostalgic stans, hopeful stans. Different hearts. Different histories. Different ways of loving.

This plurality is not failure. It is the natural evolution of a fandom that has lived, changed, and endured for twelve years. It is the proof that BTS’ love has made room for many forms of belonging.

But if I am honest, plurality also carries consequences, especially in spaces that demand focus, unity, and numbers: streaming, voting, charting, award shows.

It was painful to see votes split. To see playlists divided.

To watch Jin lose a Daesang not because he lacked impact, but because ARMY today walks many roads at once. And for a moment, I felt torn:

How do I embrace plurality without abandoning my own sense of devotion?

How do I honor different journeys while grieving the effects of divided participation?

The answer that found me was simple, gentle, and grounding: Plurality explains how fandoms evolve. Loyalty explains how I choose to love.

I can now acknowledge the multiplicity of ARMY with kindness without erasing the clarity of my own devotion.

I can now understand why multistans exist, why priorities shift, why the ocean no longer moves as one and still firmly choose my lane: My votes are for BTS. My streams are for BTS. My energy, intention, and love remain with BTS alone.

Not out of hostility toward other groups. Not out of disdain for multistans. Simply because this is where my heart has chosen to stay.

This is the distinction I needed: a boundary that is honest, not bitter; clear, not harsh; kind, not compromising.

RM said “anyone can join us,” and I believe that. Everyone’s way of loving BTS is valid.

But my own way is focused shaped by twelve years of sincerity, memory, and a bond that has never asked me to look elsewhere. Plurality and loyalty are not enemies. They simply live in different chambers of the same heart.

So as Jin’s birthday approaches, and my favorite album by RM celebrates its 3rd year, I return to what has always been true for me: We show up because the heart remembers.

I stream and vote for BTS because their story is the one I walk.

I honor plurality with kindness, but I stand with BTS with clarity.

And in this, I find peace. Not the peace of uniformity, or belonging to a clique or an exclusive group, but the peace of knowing who I am as a fan, and with joy of who I am marching beside.

Apobangpo! Purple and true!

Filipino Children’s Books that Celebrate Disability & Inclusion (1/3)

Making Zines with Teens

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