Celebrate Books and Reading at the Philippine Book Festival 2024!

In Memoriam: Ruben "Totet" De Jesus (1961-2023)

May interbyu ako kay Totet sa blog. Taong 2016 ito. Na-publish na ang aklat naming “Big Sister” ng Lampara House.

Taong 2016 din ng mapiling finalist ang “Big Sister” sa NCBA Kids Choice Award. Hindi namin iyon inasahan. Isang sorpresa!

Maraming salamat, Totet. Nagkaroon ng kabuluhan ang kuwento ni Ate dahil sa mga drawings mo!

Tulad ni Dianne at ni Bernie, hindi ka lamang isang kaibigan. Ikaw ay kakampi; kapatid; kasanga sa pakikipaglaban para sa pag-unlad ng pambatang panitikan.

Isang payapang paglalakbay, Totet!

Ruben de Jesus (1961-2023)

@djahjumma

Padayon, Totet!

♬ Beautiful Memories - Lux-Inspira

Our Four Books in the FRCA 2022

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A Young Reader Reads Big Sister

 

International Women's Day 2017

To every woman out there who plays the role of mother and sister in families, friendships and communities, I salute you!

Dear Nanay is a poem in verse about a girl who misses her mother who is an Overseas Filipino Worker in Singapore.

Big Sister is a story of all sisters, big and small, who annoy us but love us just the same.

Aklat Awards 2016: Most Favorite Writer (Lampara Books)

Vote for your favorite writer!

This is a shameless plug and campaign for votes!

I am nominated as one of ten writers for the Most Favorite Writer award in the Aklat Awards 2016 of Lampara Books. Go to the Aklat Awards 2016 Survey Form to vote for me, or for your favorite writer of picture books and story books for children. The survey closes on November 8, 2016. I wouldn't really mind if you vote for another writer, but I am campaigning not just for me but for my friends who are in the list too.

Over in Facebook, the reception I received on the Aklat Awards 2016 Most Favorite Writer has been mixed. Many agree and are game on this ala-beauty pageant cum popularity contest approach to recognising writers and their body works. There are those who find it inappropriate for writers to be pitted against each other in such a fashion. Those who have fans and who are actively visible in social media have the edge over the ones whose works can only speak for themselves. While this is true and may seem unbalanced and yes, not a very good measure of a writer's works, a past experience taught me that writers are brands too.

I was told by a top sales manager of one of the international distributor of children's books in the country that I am a hard sell. I am small, dusky, unfashionable and, at the time, I was FAT. My surname is non-commercial.  On face value, the sales manager did not find anything interesting to sell about me or on the work that I do. That was in 2010. I have published academic papers already; done workshops abroad; was the PBBY president; consultant to a number of NGOs on literacy training and school library development; and one of the few school librarian bloggers in the Philippines with a blog that has a strong readership. And yet, this sales manager was outright in saying that I am not "sellable". As a writer and public speaker, the sales manager did not think that he could market my expertise as a brand that people will buy.

Of course, I was offended. To this day, I have nothing to offer but my genuine love for books, reading and telling stories. I have lost weight because of a medical and health issue, but I remain small, dusky and unfashionable.

My body of work as a writer reflect my own personal struggles and issues as a daughter, sister, wife and mother. My first book, Tales From the 7,000: Filipino Folk Stories (Libraries Unlimited, 2011), co-written with Dianne de Las Casas is my homage to my mother land. It won us an award in 2015 as a World Storytelling Resource in Tennessee, USA. Big Sister, my book with Ruben Totet de Jesus as a top ten Kids Choice Finalist in the National Children's Book Award of 2016. It's been a good run, really!

I think I pretty much know where my heart is and where my head should be.

But this popularity contest is something I am taking a bite out of the marketing game of book selling. I still want to know if that sales manager, coming from a very commercial context, is still right about me.

I may not win here, and that's alright. I will go on doing what I love and what I know I do best.

Illustrator of the Month: Ruben "Totet" de Jesus (Part 2 of 2)

Totet has a funny bone: Totetious Pandakusorious

Did you like part 1 of the interview with Mr. Ruben "Totet" de Jesus? You can recall the interview by clicking the highlighted link. 

Here now is part 2 of the interview where Totet shared his approach in illustrating Big Sister. We will run a workshop on writing and illustrating children's stories during the Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) at SMX, MOA Pasay City. Abangan ang press release!

4. Ano ang feeling na mapili sa Kids' Choice Top Ten?

Masaya siyempreng mapasama sa sa Top Ten ng Kids’ Choice sa katatapos na National Children’s Book Awards. Sa totoo lang, malaki ang pakiramdam ko na mapapasama sa shortlist ang Big Sister dahil sa simpleng charm ng kuwentong ito, ang prosesong tinahak ko para mabuo ang mga ilustrations ko, at ang mga positibong feedback na natatanggap ko para dito.

Ang tema ay napakasimple pero madaling maka-relate ang mga bata (at ang mga hindi na masyadong bata) sa ugnayan ng mga karakter sa kuwento. Kung ikaw ang mas batang kapatid, alam mong hindi parating nakakatuwa ang iyong ate. Kung ikaw ang mas nakatatanda, minsan masarap kulitin ang bata mong kapatid. Pero, kahit hindi perpekto ang ugnayan ng magkapatid, mangingibabaw pa rin ang pagmamahalan sa isa’t isa. Nagkakaroon pa rin ng pagkakataong makita ang kabutihan ng kalooban sa iyong kapatid.

Isang challenge para sa akin ang iguhit ang kuwentong ito. Paano ko gagawing mas interesante ang karakter ng ate kahit na sa umpisa ay parang hindi nakatutuwa ang asal niya sa kanyang mas batang kapatid? Ang naging solusyon ko ay gawing multi-faceted ang karakter ni ate. Marami siyang talento at kakayahan. Pinakita ko ang versatility ni ate. Nagba-ballet, nagka-karate, nagbe-bake, kumakanta, nagba-bike at mahilig magbasa.

Paano ko gagawing interesante ang paraan ng pagpapakita ng bata ng kanyang pagpapahalaga sa kanyang ate? Dito ko pinalabas ang kakayahan ng batang lumikha ng kakaiba at malikhaing paraan para ipakita ang kanyang pagmamahal sa kanyang ate.

5. Saan ka kumuha ng inspirasyon para maiguhit at mailarawan ang Big Sister?

Meron akong dalawang ate. Sila ang una kong pinaghugutan para umpisahan ang paglikha ng karakter ni ate.

Mahalaga ring balikan ang simpleng pagpapakita ng mga emosyon sa pagguhit ng tuwa at inis, takot at payapa, saya at lungkot sa mga sitwasyon ng kuwento.

Pero ang unang biswal na tumatak kaagad sa isip ko ay ang yung nasa cover – yung agawan ng dalawa sa remote control ng TV. Alam ko kaagad na ito ang magiging biswal ko para sa cover.

6.  Anong medium ka pinakakomportable sa paglikha at paguhit?

Watercolor, color pencil at fine-point pens.

Illustrator of the Month: Ruben "Totet" de Jesus

With Totet, under a shower of books! 

This month's featured illustrator is none other Ruben "Totet" de Jesus. Totet and I worked on a book project two years ago. He illustrated my story, Bis Sister (Lampara House, 2015). Our book was chosen by kid judges in the Kids' Choice Award (2015-2016) as one of the top ten books, a finalist among the many books published from 2014 to 2015.

It did not win first place, but we are honored to be recognized by the readers we write for. Salamat, mga bata!

Here now is part 1 of an interview that Totet so generously accepted for the blog. Many regard him as "Sir Totet" in the UP College of Fine Arts. Being one of the "manongs" (older brother) in Ang INK (Illustrador ng Kabataan) he has points to tell the aspiring illustrator. But, he is a lifelong learner who looks back at the artists whom he has learned much from. Read about Totet's insights about the artist's life and his heroes in the industry. 

1. Ano ang top three life lessons na nakuha mo bilang illustrador ng mga kabataan?

Una, makulay ang buhay. Pero ang bawat kulay ay nakikipag-ugnay sa iba para mabuo ang eksena.

Ikalawa, ang bawat linya ay mahalaga – manipis man o makapal, diretso man o baku-bako, mahaba man o maigsi. Ang bawat linya, kung matyagang gawin at tapusin, ay nakakabuo ng iba-ibang anyo at hugis.

Ikatlo, huwag maliitin ang kakayanan ng batang umunawa, makiramdam at magbigay ng kahulugan sa bawat detalyeng nakikita niya. Marami tayong matutunan sa mga bata. Hindi natin dapat isantabi ang bata sa ating mga sarili.

One of my favorite spreads in Big Sister is the five loving ways of "Ate".

2.    Sino ang iyong idol illustrator at bakit?

Larry Alcala – simpleng line drawings pero naipakita ang tunay na karakter ng mga Pinoy sa nakakatuwang paraan. Isang karangalan para sa akin na iisang kolehiyo ang aming pinagmulan bilang mag-aaral at guro ng Visual Communication. Pareho rin kaming naging bahagi ng Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY).

Albert Gamos at Ibarra Crisostomo – malawak ang kakayahan nila bilang ilustrador. Sila ang unang mga ilustrador na aking nakatrabaho noong nag-Practicum ako sa Adarna.

Maurice Sendak - hindi ko siya nakatrabaho pero sana (hehehe). Kahit simple ang mga eksena at hindi sumisigaw ang mga kulay, parating may magic sa mga biswal at may pino at maayos na mga detalye.

Maraming mga mahuhusay na miyembro sa Ilustrador ng Kabataan. Saludo ako at natututo rin sa kanila.

Our certificate. This makes it legit.

3.   Saan pa kaya patutungo ang mga Pinoy illustrador ng kabataan?

Marami pang maihahandog ang mga Pinoy na ilustrador para sa mga kabataan. Kahit walang kasiguraduhan ang takbo ng mundo, lalo ng ating bayan, sana marami pang mga kuwentong maisulat na makakatulong sa mga batang humarap at maging positibo ang pananaw sa buhay. Ang mga ilustrador ay patuloy na magbibigay ng kulay at anyo sa mga karakter at kuwentong may kabuluhan para sa kabataang Pinoy.

Part 2 will be posted sometime within the week. It is there where Totet shared his approach in illustrating Big Sister. We will run a workshop on writing and illustrating children's stories during the Manila International Book Fair at SMX, MOA Pasay City.