Book Review: Let Them by Mel Robbins

 

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Writing Workshop: Children's Story Writing

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Reading for Care: Taking Perspective with Wild Geese

Inspired by our continuing practice of attention, today we turn to a poem that widens the frame gently. All you need is a copy of the poem, a pen and 10-20 minutes quiet time.

A Gentle Note Before You Begin

This space is for reading and reflection. It is not therapy. You are free to pause or step away at any time. Take what feels steady and leave the rest.

Arrival

Before reading, look up from your screen. Notice something beyond you: the sky, ceiling, window light, a plant, a distant sound. Take three slow breaths. Inhale. Exhale. Let your shoulders drop.

Encounter the Poem

Read Wild Geese slowly once. Read it again, even more slowly. Let the words move through you without trying to agree or disagree.

Wild Geese, by Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting—

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

When Literature Widens the Frame

Journal Prompts

1. What line felt like it was speaking directly to you?

2. Where does the poem shift your perspective: from self-judgment to belonging, from isolation to connection?

3. What image in the poem makes you feel part of something larger than yourself?

4. Is there a sentence you might carry with you today?

Write gently. You do not need to explain.

Perspective Practice

Mary Oliver does not solve anything in this poem. She simply reminds us.

Notice:

• Where does the poem soften your inner voice?

• Where does it enlarge your sense of place?

Taking perspective does not mean dismissing your feelings. It means seeing them within a wider sky.

Extending the Experience (Optional)

If you wish:

• Step outside for five minutes and look up.

• Write one sentence beginning with: You do not have to…

• Send the poem to someone who may need its steadiness.

May you remember that you belong to the family of things.

 

Remember Kian and what we have lost as community and as a nation.

 

Book Review: What’s New on Our Library’s Bookshelves?

New Titles: Stories Across Worlds

From Syria to Japan to imagined empires, these new arrivals open windows into cultures, histories, and epic journeys.

The Essential Akutagawa by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

This collection gathers twenty-two masterful short stories by one of Japan’s most influential literary voices. Known for psychological depth and moral ambiguity, Akutagawa’s stories probe truth, illusion, and the human condition. A compelling introduction to modern Japanese literature.

The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon

In a storm-torn empire ruled by magic and ambition, a fierce rebel and a powerful prince are bound together in a dangerous alliance. This epic fantasy blends political intrigue, elemental magic, and slow-burn romance. Perfect for readers who love high-stakes fantasy with emotional depth.

As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

A sweeping and intimate novel set during the Syrian uprising, this story follows a young pharmacist torn between survival, love, and resistance. Lyrical and heartbreaking, it explores what hope means when a country is at war—and what it takes to stay. A powerful read about courage, memory, and choosing to live.

The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki Shikibu

Often called the world’s first novel, this timeless classic follows the life and loves of Prince Genji in Japan’s Heian court. Rich in emotion, aesthetics, and courtly intrigue, it offers a window into a refined and complex world. A foundational work of world literature.

Full list of new titles, click here: 2026 February New Acquisitions

https://library.beaconacademy.ph/.../koha/opac-shelves.pl...

Writing Children’s Stories: Voice, Structure, Care A Live, Guided Online Workshop for Adults (18 years old and above) with Zarah Gagatiga

 

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Reading Aloud As Service (1 of 3)

 READING ALOUD AS SERVICE

PART 1 (2 hours): Why We Read Aloud — Reading as Care & Connection

Purpose:

To ground volunteers in the why of reading aloud: not performance, but human connection and literacy access.

Key Ideas:

- Reading aloud builds emotional safety, language exposure, listening stamina, and shared meaning.

- Volunteers are co-readers, not performers.

- A good read-aloud is about attunement, not accents or acting.

STORYTELLING & READ ALOUD TECHNIQUES

* What is storytelling

* Why tell stories

* Storytelling and the Four Macro Skills in Communication Arts

* The Many Ways to Tell Stories

* The Storytelling Program

* Open Forum

Assignment/Task: Watch this video of a Read Aloud

Read Aloud video: My Daddy My One and Only

Guide questions: 

1. What is the framework used in the read aloud experience? 

2. What activities were used in the pre-reading, during reading and post reading stages? 

3. How were you affected by the activities and the read aloud experience overall?

Book Review: A Boy Named Ibrahim

 

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Book Reviews and Recommended Reads: Light, Love and Revolution in Children's Literature (1 of 3)

February is a such happening month. We celebrate Valentine’s Day, National Arts Month, and the anniversary of People Power. All are reminders that love is not only personal, but creative and civic.

In these five Filipino children’s books, love appears as art made by hand, imagination set free, stories shared in libraries, light held in protest, and people gathered in peaceful unity. This month invites us to see that love can be expressed in creation, in memory, and in collective action and that even our youngest readers are part of that ongoing story.

Sayaw ng mga Ilaw (Dance of the Lights) by Cheeno Marlo Sayuno

Illustrated by Aaron Asis

The story centers on a child’s quest for hope and healing as it references the need to honor history. The narrative connects light with civic memory.

Ang Aklatang Pusa (The Cat Library) by Eugene Evasco

Illustrated by Jared Yokte

A cat works in a library and watches over books and readers. The story highlights the role of libraries as safe and shared spaces. It celebrates reading as a communal experience.

Ang Pambihirang Sombrero by Jose Miguel Tejido

A child discovers a hat that transforms depending on how it is imagined. Each page shows the hat becoming something new through visual interpretation. The book emphasizes imagination as an artistic act.

EDSA: A Counting Book by Russell Molina

Illustrated by Sergio Bumatay III

This counting book introduces children to the events and imagery of the 1986 People Power Revolution. Numbers are paired with scenes of unity and public gathering. It presents history in a format accessible to young readers.

Isang Harding Papel by Augie Rivera

Illustrated by Rommel Joson

A young girl creates a paper garden while scenes of the 1986 People Power movement unfold around her. The story connects personal creativity with a historical moment in the Philippines. It presents art as quiet resistance and remembrance.

#bookreview #phchildrensliterature #artsmonth #valentinesday #peoplepower2026

Book Review: Ang Laro nina Rona at Powa

Dahil nalalapit na ang Lunar New Year, narito ang aking rebyu ng aklat pambata ni Becky Gerodias at Joanne Wong, Ang Laro nina Rona at Powa.

Ang Laro nina Rona at Powa 

Manunulat: Becky Gerodias

Illustrador: Joanne Wong

Maikling Rebyu (para sa mga guro, magulang, at tagapagbasa):

Sa gitna ng pagdiriwang ng Lunar New Year, inilalatag ng kuwento ang isang karaniwang damdamin ng bata: inggit. Nakita ni Rona ang bagong laruan ni Powa—at sa halip na manatili sa pagkukumpara, natuto siyang i-channel ang damdaming ito tungo sa paglikha. Dito pumapasok ang mahalagang mensahe ng aklat: agency at self-confidence na nagmumula sa sariling kakayahan.

Mga Lakas ng Aklat

1. Emosyonal na literasiya

Hindi dinidemonisa ang inggit. Sa halip, ipinapakita na maaari itong maging panimulang damdamin para sa pagkatuto at paglikha. Mainam itong lunsaran ng pag-uusap sa mga bata tungkol sa:

• Ano ang nararamdaman ko?

• Ano ang maaari kong gawin sa damdaming ito?

2. Pagpapahalaga sa kakayahan at pagkamalikhain

Sa paggawa ni Rona ng sarili niyang laruan, naipapakita ang growth mindset. Hindi kailangang magkaroon agad ng “bago” para maging masaya; maaari kang lumikha.

3. Reciprocal na pagkakaibigan

Ang pagbabago ni Rona ang naging tulay para kay Powa na magbahagi. Hindi ito sermon tungkol sa “dapat mag-share.” Ito ay ipinapakitang bunga ng kumpiyansa at seguridad sa sarili ang pagbabahagi.

4. Cultural grounding

Ang konteksto ng Chinese/Lunar New Year ay hindi lamang dekorasyon. Maaari itong magsilbing:

• Pagpapakilala sa mga simbolo ng pagdiriwang (kulay pula, mga palamuti, pamilya)

• Pagbubukas ng usapan sa cultural diversity sa Pilipinas at sa mga impluwensiya ng bansang China at Hong Kong sa mundo.

Mga Tanong sa Pagpapalalim (para sa read-aloud o classroom use)

• Kailan ka nakaramdam ng inggit? Ano ang ginawa mo?

• Ano ang kaya mong gawin gamit ang sarili mong talento?

• Paano nagbago ang kilos ni Powa dahil sa ginawa ni Rona?

• Ano ang kahulugan ng pagbabahagi kung pareho kayong may tiwala sa sarili?

Marami pang mga aklat pambata na puwedeng mabasa at basahin online. Ito ay libre. Pumunta lang sa Room to Read para makapili ng mga kuwento.

Bangtan Hermana Notes: From Connections to Love Songs: Installation Art and Art in Public Spaces in BTS’s Narrative of Kinship

In 2020, when BTS launched CONNECT, BTS under the curatorial direction of Daehyung Lee, I remember thinking: this is unusual. A Kpop group funding global contemporary art, stepping back so other artists could take the space. It asked what connection looks like when it is built, not performed.

CONNECT unfolded during Map of the Soul: 7, an era about shadow and integration. Outwardly, they were practicing what the album suggested inwardly: plurality.

They decentralized themselves. They shifted attention from idol to collective. It felt less like branding and more like bridge-building.

Now, buildings in Seongsu wrapped in red and white tape ask: What is your love song? The question interrupts the street. It slows the body. In the context of Arirang, a folk song carried across generations, that question becomes communal. A love song is not owned. It is remembered, passed on, sung again.

If CONNECT was about network, Arirang feels like root. CONNECT moved through art institutions. Arirang moves through the public space. Gwhanghwamun Square. This is a shift from curated space to common space, from vertical strucyures to horizontal chorus. Not kingship. Kinship.

I return to CONNECT because I see the arc. From building connections across cities to asking ordinary people what song holds them together. From infrastructure to inheritance. Perhaps this is the deeper work: not just releasing music, but rehearsing community until we realize we were never outside the song. We, ARMY, most especially, were always part and participants of the story of BTS.

Apobangpo! Purple and true!

Connect ebook: https://www.scribd.com/.../501858075/Connect-Bts-E-book-en

Connect Video Compilation: https://youtube.com/playlist...

#BTSComeback2026 #BTS_ARIRANG