Children's Book Summit: Prospects and Directions in Philippine Children's Literature (4 of 4)

After knowing the Top Ten Awesome and Amazing Events in Philippine Children's Literature and the children's book industry, it can be concluded that prospects for its growth and development is an on-going process that is already beyond the borders of Metro Manila. We are discovering publishing houses, book shops and organizations of book creators in the regions. Government agencies like the DepEd and the National Library of the Philippines are supportive of book development efforts and book projects by teachers and NGOs. The continuous building and the development of public libraries in the provinces is another venue of distribution. Though, the acquisition process of books is another story to discuss all together. The traditional means and ways of book production remain but new models are being made and this infuse excitement and vigor to the book and reading communities.

We have heard writers, authors and artists talk about the state and situation of the industry. I am grateful, as a librarian, to be given this chance to speak about book development from our perspective. Content creation as process and product is already a stable system, though it needs to be constantly open to possibilities and the great "what if".  Economics is always an issue, but I believe that creativity knows no boundaries nor walls. Since libraries operate and conduct services and programs for young people, the process of creation extends outside the confines of the classrooms.

We also need to listen more to our readers and welcome new voices. What do they offer? What can we learn from them? How is media playing a role in the exchange of information? There is research to do and to make use of apart from the surveys and interviews we regularly conduct. Instead of asking what attracts readers to books, ask why are readers reading and how do they read.

Lastly, we need to recognize that reading is a personal experience. And yet, it is a social one too. Enough of the statement that Filipinos do not read. The Filipino reads. Even this statement begs to be pared and dissected from a social and anthropological view.  The Igorot child is reading a different story from that of Lumad in the fields of Mindanao. The teenager from Binan, Laguna who goes to an high end senior high school has so many reading materials at her disposal compared to the young adult living in Baseco, Tondo who only reads required textbooks and his exposure to social media and afternoon variety shows happens every day.

We are a country with diverse peoples and diverse needs. Do our systems of thinking, learning and content creation celebrate and support this diversity?

Children's Book Summit: Prospects and Directions in Philippine Children's Literature (3 of 4)

Children's Book Summit: Prospects and Directions in Philippine Children's Literature (2 of 4)

Ang Top Ten Bonggang Ganap sa PH Kids Lit (2009 to present)

Prospects and Directions in Philippine Children’s Literature

Zarah C. Gagatiga, Teacher Librarian and Board Member PBBY

Children’s Book Summit 2019

To dream and to remember

So while we are here this afternoon, prospecting for mineral deposits in the Children’s Book industry, mapping places where potential customers or clients are still yet to be found, looking at possible investments where we can grow not just our products, but to develop platforms where the talents and skills of people are enhanced and strengthened too, it is good to keep in mind the purpose of creating, developing and distributing books for children.

Children’s literature is a genre by its audience, and its categories read very much like the categories of adult literature (Paterno, 2018) except for the picture book and the young adult (YA) novel. This is what makes it unique and special. National hero Jose Rizal wrote and translated folk stories for the purpose of sharing them to his nieces and nephews. These stories were his gifts to the young people in his family. First, he made the journals by hand. Then he wrote on them the stories, perhaps The Monkey and the Turtle, The Ugly Duckling and William Tell. These journals, that became books, were wrapped and sent to the Philippines from Europe. I can only imagine the reaction of Rizal’s nephews and nieces upon receipt of the packages. If I were to put myself in their place, I definitely will feel valued and loved.

What can we glean from this story? Rizal the writer wrote for himself. Rizal the writer intended to leave a legacy. Rizal hoped that with stories and books as gifts, young people will continue the act of creation. By coding, writing and illustrating, since Rizal drew as well, the stories have found a place where it can be kept for remembrance and for continuity. From this experience of Rizal, we can also see the process of creating a book and its distribution in its simplest form. I believe that this model and the principles behind it remain the same centuries later. However, what changes the game for content creators, distributors and consumers of books, information and literature are the advancements in technology. We create the technology and in turn, it shapes our thinking and changes our ways of knowing ourselves and the world. Information and communications technology has greatly opened up windows of opportunities for the avid reader, creators and distributors of children’s books.

Long ago, a book, once published will have shelf space in a bookstore or in a library. Today, that book has an electronic counterpart. There is a YouTube channel or a social media account by the author or the publisher where he or she could post additional content in another media format.   Young readers and their parents are exposed to a variety of learning materials. The different agencies where they can access them by mobile technology are a plenty. Accessibility to books, information and literature is made easier with the internet. Teaching and learning new literacy skills, as well as life skills, is needed more than ever. However, there are places where technological infrastructure is otherwise dependable. Besides, there are stories from the provinces and in the regions that we need to hear and know more about when we speak and discuss book development and literature for children. It is inevitable to reflect, take stock, make calculated risks, set priorities, examine criteria or the measurement of quality of our children’s books and challenge traditional publishing models and practices.

Children's Book Summit: Prospects and Directions in Philippine Children's Literature (1 of 4)

Ang Top Ten Bonggang Ganap sa PH Kids Lit (2009 to present)

Prospects and Directions in Philippine Children’s Literature

Zarah C. Gagatiga, Teacher Librarian and Board Member PBBY

Children’s Book Summit 2019

Anong Ganap? Ang Bonnga!

For my talk this afternoon, I listed down ten bonggang ganap in Philippine children’s literature from 2009 to present. By children’s literature I included distribution of children’s books, readership and documentation in my presentation. I used the slang words Bongga and Ganap because I like using them. Bongga came about in the late 70s and the early 80s which means fancy, stylish, outlandish (in a good way) and extravagant. Ganap on the other hand is a recent invention coming around in 2017 pertaining to a happening, an occurrence that is truly eventful or a role and a performance of great relevance. There have been movements and developments in Philippine Children’s Literature in the past decade that are indeed relevant and fanciful, in a good way.

I based my selection of these top ten amazing, notable and worthy of reckoning events and developments in Philippine Children’s Literature from 2009 to present on my participation in projects organized by the PBBY with its partners; my professional practice as librarian; and by reading research and news, articles and essays on the state and status of children’s literature in the country. It is my hope that from this list, I could discuss implications, present facts, share inspiring stories and identify prospects and directions of the book industry, especially, children’s books.

Back in July 2016, I attended a summer workshop on Book History. It was organized by the National Book Development Board (NBDB) in partnership with the Book Development Association of the Philippines (BDAP).  It was facilitated by Ramon Sunico, teacher, poet and wide eyed wanderer. The participants of the workshop were mainly content creators, book distributors and book lovers. Mr. Sunico set the tone of the workshop by laying down the very reason why we create books. We make them because we want to dream and we want to remember.

The 2019 Children's Book Summit