November was also my author and literary month.
Picture Book Month 2017
I carried on with Picture Book Month through the help of Heidi Hafner, web designer, and the founders of Picture Book Month (PBM) Katie Davis, Marcie Colleen, Wendy Martin, Elizabeth Dulemba and Joyce Wan. PBM had an impressive list of Champions this year. Each essay carries weight as to the importance of Picture books, however, here are links to my favorite posts.
Edna Cabcabin-Moran is a surprising discovery for me. While this year's list of PBM Champions' essays oozed with diversity and messages of empathy and inclusion, to me, it was Ms. Cabcabin-Moran's voice that amplified these themes.
Greg Pizzoli's essay is a wonderful read as he stumbled into the industry with a burst of imagination and creativity. In the end, his purpose to create picture books is simply to recognise and mirror emotions that make us all humans.
Arthur Levine talked about the technicalities of producing picture books. Of course. Coming from a publisher's point of view, Mr. Levine emphasised the relevance of picture books as making meaning and that the reader has the power to make it so.
Peter McCleery discovered picture books through Mo Willems and this led him to the library where he learned of the magic weavers in the industry. There was no turning back for Mr. McCleery. How many of us, authors and creatives, fell in love with picture books through authors who showed us how? I definitely know this experience as I had been touched by fairy godparents of the industry that I wanted to make one, and two and many more?!
Eric Ode gave importance to picture books and the adults who make them for children to grow up as keepers of this tradition.
Elizabeth O. Dulemba drummed up the many literacies that picture books develop in a learning child.
If you haven't been there, visit the Picture Book Month website now. And if you're feeling bleak these days, the essays of the Champions will restore you and your faith in humanity.
Bulilit Books at the Rizal Library International Conference
In case you missed it, I presented our paper in the 7th Rizal Library International Conference about the book history of the Bulillit Books of the 70s and the revised editions which we called PROJECT LEARN. Here are the links from last month's posts.
The 7th Rizal Library International Conference
PPT: PROJECT LEARN Revisiting History and Creating New Narratives for Young Filipino Readers
PROJECT LEARN Full Paper
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| Interview via SKYPE |
The hardworking couple, Michael and Bernadette Wolf, managed to set up a SKYPE video conference with me and the Mindoro Press Corps. I was interviewed about the things I love: books, reading, storytelling and libraries!
In addition, I explained how picture books and children's literature can represent diversity. We need more books and stories with characters from our Indigenous Peoples. Mindoro is home to the Mangyans. This part of the interview raised awareness of its importance among the media people present in the conference.
Bernadette and I were also able to promote our books, The Start Right Reading Series and A Tale of Two Dreams, both are published by Lampara Books. The local DepEd Officials were also present that day and they received this news of our books with great interest.
Joe Leuterio, the leader of the pack, was amazed at how technology can work for us. The SKYPE interview was the first video conferencing the Press Corps had with a guest resource speaker.
