About the NCBA Kids' Choice Award

Around mid-August, I received some questions from Ms. Neni Sta. Romana Cruz on the awarding of the Kids Choice Awards last July. Here is our brief exchange on the awards. If anything there is plenty to talk about the KCA which I hope to do with our school library people soon!

Why is it important to have a Kids' Choice? 

For children to be able to make choices on books and reading materials is an act of freedom. It is empowering to exercise this choice. When kids read the book of their choice, they have agency. Of course, the selections come from an industry who love children and whose passion for books and reading is genuine. As a literacy coach and teacher, I have observed how engaged my students are in learning challenging comprehension skills when they read a text of their choice.

How were the child judges chosen? 

This year, PBBY and NBDB partnered with Teach for the Philippines in choosing kid judges. 

What are their ages?  

They are children in the elementary grades. The first criterion in selecting kid judges is that they must be readers.

Don't their titles coincide with Best Reads?

No. And I am glad :-) So much to learn from children!

National Children's Book Day is Children's Day

A friend from work, Mayen Lopez sent me a photo of a newspaper clipping from the Inquirer circa 2006. It is an article written by Neni Sta. Romana Cruz on the 2006 National Children's Book Day (NCBD). 

The article narrates the program of the NCBD that year as spearheded by the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY). As far back as I can remember, children are always given the time to shine during NCBD. Back then, we had children perform songs, dances and storytelling presenttaions or excerpts from school musicals. Mayen's daughter, Amy Nayve beloned to a group of grade school students from St, Scholastica's College who perfomed an excerpt of the musical May Alaga Akong Puno at the NCBD that year. 

At the time, I was the librarian in Xavier School and nurturing a writing career with the help of friends and fellows in KUTING. Who would have thought that years later, Mayen and I would cross paths in the Beacon Academy without the knowledge of being at one place in one event years ago? The discovery of the article clipping is proof. This is history and it is not chismis. What a pleasant surprise!

Now here's the more amazing news. Amy Nayve is now all grown up and is a professional artist and paper engineer. I interviewed her in the blog. Read about her paper craft and paper engineering projects in School Librarian In Action.

Over the years, the PBBY has pursued the cause for literacy, development of children's books and the right of each and every child to read and have access to books and reading materials. One program to make this a reality is the Kids' Choice Award. Children read books that were published in a period of two years and they pick the best among the rest. 

This year, the PBBY in partenrship with the National Book Development Board (NBDB) will be awarding the Kids Choice Award and the National Children's Book Award on National Children's Book Day, Tuesday, July 19, 2022. 

I am excited to be this year's emcee and witness to the awarding of winners!