For National Disaster Resilience Month, Let's Read the Disaster Ready Kids Series!

 

My 2025 Writing Life: Disaster Ready Kids Series (DRK): Flood, Fire, Earthquake, and Volcanic Eruption (1/4)

As 2025 draws to a close, I look back at a writerly year. I am mighty proud to have launched and presented seven titles of books: 1 series and 3 stand-alone illustrated storybooks for children with @lamparabooks @tuttlepublishing and @thebookmarkinc

First of seven is the Disaster Ready Kids Series (DRK): Flood, Fire, Earthquake, and Volcanic Eruption. @juno_abreu and I were interviewed at the Philippine Book Festival last March 2025, and though we were not in the Bologna Book Fair and the Frankfurt Buchmesse, our series was present. At the MIBF in September, we showed up for meet-and-greet sessions. There were author visits in between, where I had the pleasure of sharing my creative process with young readers and it was a joy to talk about the DRK Series with teachers and literacy experts at the Reading Association of the Philippines’ annual conference last November.

As I end this year, I do so with gratitude. For editors who believed, illustrators who brought heart to the page, publishers who took risks, teachers and librarians who carried these books into classrooms, and children who listened, asked questions, and saw themselves in the stories. Writing, I am reminded, is never solitary. It is sustained by community, trust, and grace. I step into the coming year thankful, grounded and ready to keep telling stories that serve, prepare, and hold.

#writinglife #phchildrensbook

Illustrator of the Month: Juno Abreu

The Bologna Children's Book fair is on going as I type this feature article in my blog. Our book series, the Disaster Kids Series: Earthquake, Flood, Fire and Volcanic Eruption (Gagatiga and Abreu, 2025 Lampara Books) is on display right now at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. Of the 120 books selected in the rights catalog, our series made it. How timely that Juno Abreu, architect and illustrator of children's books sent over his answers to my questions for a blog interview.

And so, a few weeks after the successful launching of the Disaster Ready Kids Series at the Philippine Book Festival, Juno shares his creative process more extensively in this blog interview.

1. Each book in the Disaster-Ready Kids series tackles a different kind of calamity, yet your illustrations maintain a cohesive visual identity. How did you develop the overall look and emotional tone for the series?

I started by researching the target age group and the types of disasters that would be covered in the series. I wanted to create a visual identity that would be both engaging and reassuring for young readers. I experimented with different styles, I tried doing them traditionally with watercolors but I guess the look doesn’t exactly work on the series, so I tried doing them digitally and found a new style for the overall look, this is actually the first time I did the illustrations in this kind of style and I really liked how it turned out and found a cohesive look that would work across various disaster scenarios. I settled on a warm, inviting color palette to create a sense of depth and texture. Throughout the series, I aimed to maintain a consistent  emotional tone that would help children feel empowered and prepared, rather than scared or overwhelmed.

2. Your characters show such expressive faces– from fear to courage to relief. What’s your process in capturing the emotions of children in high-stress or emergency situations?

Capturing the emotions of children in high-stress or emergency situations requires a thoughtful and empathetic approach. To get into the right mindset, I try to imagine how a child might feel in a given situation - whether it’s fear, anxiety, or courage. I remembered feeling a bit anxious while doing the illustrations for putting and imagining myself in these scenarios. Hehe.

Also, this is kinda embarrassing to admit, I’m not sure if other artists do this too, what I do is, I put a mirror on my work desk and do the facial expressions myself and use it as reference. Haha! 

When illustrating a scene, I try to tap into the emotional tone of the story and convey it through the characters’ faces and body language. I believe that by showing a range of emotions, we can help children understand that it’s okay to feel scared or overwhelmed, but also that they have the power to stay safe and take action.

3. From fire to flood, you’ve illustrated a wide range of disasters. Were there particular scenes or scenarios that challenged you the most as an artist?

    One of the most challenging scenes and also my favorite spread was the volcanic eruption. I had to research and accurately depict the safety measures and precautions that people would take in such a situation, also, the details were much harder to do in terms of illustrating. 

Another challenging scenario was illustrating the earthquake scene. I had to balance the need to convey the danger and urgency of the situation with the need to avoid scaring or traumatizing young readers.

Overall, the biggest challenge was finding ways to depict potentially frightening or disturbing scenarios in a way that was both accurate and accessible to young readers.

4. What was it like working on  a series where your art could help children understand danger but also feel empowered and safe? What message did you hope your illustrations would carry?

Working on the Disaster-Ready Kids series was a rewarding and challenging experience. I hoped that my illustrations would carry a message of empowerment and resilience, showing children that they have the power to stay safe and take action in emergency situations. I hope that the Disaster-Ready Kids series will inspire young readers to take an active role in their own safety and well-being, and to develop a lifelong commitment to preparedness and resilience.

Visit Lampara Book's FB Page and IG account for updates on our books' availability. We can't wait to meet you again for book signing and photo ops!

Philippine Book Festival 2025: A Book Experience Indeed!

Now that the dust has settled over the success of the 2025 Philippine Book Festival (PBF 2025), I look back with much fondness on the experience of my 2-day visit and participation.

On Day 2 of the PBF 2025, I had the pleasure of meeting new people and reconnecting with old friends at the Lampara Booth. I have new books out in the market in September 2025 and the scoping session by the DepEd was an opportune time to talk to teachers and librarian friends about our new titles.

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A post shared by Zarah Gagatiga (@zarahgeeh)

  

After lunch, I joined the team of Indie Collab PH for a panel on Inclusion and Inclusive Library Services. There I discovered Lean Borlongan's moving poetry. As to the course of our discussion in the panel, I'm reserving a separate post for that -- so, stay tuned!

Day 3 was our moment -- the Lampara Team who helped me and Juno Abreu work on our new book series, the Disaster Ready Kids, as we took the main stage to share our creative process and back stories. I spent the rest of the day buying select books, visiting booths in the Booktopia, Kids Lit and Aklat Aral realms, as well as the PBBY and IBBY booth that featured award winning books by our writers and illustrators.

The Philippine Book Festival was indeed an experience! However, we need a bigger and roomier venue next year.

My deepest gratitude to the incredible team at Lampara Books and to Jun Matias, whose resilience and dedication made the Disaster Kids Series a reality. Heartfelt thanks as well to the National Book Development Board - Philippines for giving us a space on the Main Stage to launch this important series and share what truly matters to us—why we write, why we love stories the way we do, and the dreams that keep us moving forward.

In times as chaotic and uncertain as these, stories remain our anchor. They connect us, challenge us to think critically, and nurture empathy. More than ever, we need narratives that empower young minds, equip them with knowledge, and remind them of their strength and resilience. This passion fuels us, and we’ll keep going—creating, sharing, and believing in the power of stories to make a difference.

#PhilippineBookFestival2025 #DisasterKidsSeries #LamparaBooks #BatangLampara

#StorytellingMatters #BooksThatEmpower

Rey Bufi salamat!

Book Launch: 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘿𝙄𝙎𝘼𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙍-𝙍𝙀𝘼𝘿𝙔 𝙆𝙄𝘿𝙎 𝘼𝙍𝙀 𝙊𝙉 𝙏𝙃𝙀𝙄𝙍 𝙒𝘼𝙔

 

Book Review: Nina Inocente

 

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Isang post na ibinahagi ni Zarah Gagatiga (@zarah815)

Illustrator Interview: Juno Abreu (2 of 2)

Narito naman ang ikalawang bahagi ng interbyu kay Juno Abreu, illustrador ng Papa Teyo (Baquiran, Aklat Alamid 2019). Ang Papa Teyo ay isang malambing na kuwento ng maglolo na nakasulat sa wikang Ibanag.

Magbigay ng 5 aklat na mairerekomenda mo sa isang artist o illustrador na nagsisimula pa lang sa piniling karera.

Hindi ako nagkaroon ng proper training sa pag-illustrate para sa mga librong pambata, natutunan ko lang din siya dahil sa appreciation ko sa mga illustrations ng mga binabasa ko, so kung may mairerekomenda ako para sa mga nagsisimula pa lang sa karerang ‘to ang una kong mairerekomenda ay ang Sinemadyika na isinulat ni Lauren Macaraeg at iginuhit ni Aldy Aguirre, pangalawa ay ang Isang Harding Papel na isinulat ni Augie Rivera at iginuhit ni Rommel Joson, sunod naman ay ang Shelah Goes to a Da-ngah na isunulat ni Padma Perez at iginuhit ni Mika Song, The Little Girl in a Box ni Felinda V. Vargas at iginuhit ulit ni Aldy Aguirre, ang huli naman ay ang Mga Uring Panlipunan na isinulat ni Equipo Plantel at iginuhit ni Joan Negrescolor. Mga paborito kong librong pambata at mga paborito ko ring illustrations, siguro sila din ang naging influence ko nung nagsisimula pa ako bilang isang ilustrador. 

Ano pa ang gustong makamit at magawa ni Juno Abreu?


Sa totoo lang okay na ako’t nakapag-illustrate na ako ng librong pambata. Ha-ha! Wala na akong gustong makamit pa, siguro gusto ko lang na ipagpatuloy pa ang pag-guhit sa mga makabuluhang kwento para sa mga bata.


Ang Papa Teyo ay maaring mabili online sa page ng Aklat Alamid at website at page ng Pumplepie Books & Happiness.

Illustrator Interview: Juno Abreu (1 of 2)

Ang Papa Teyo (Aklat Alamid, 2019) ay isang aklat pambata na sinulat ni Mia Baquiran sa wikang Ingles at sinalin sa Ibanag. Si Juno Abreu naman ang illustrador ng aklat. Sa pagkaktaong ito, si Juno Abreu naman ang nagbigay ng interbyu tungkol sa paglikha ng Papa Teyo. Narito ang kanyang interbyu.

1. Ano ang iyong proseso sa paglikha ng aklat na Papa Teyo?

Bago ko simulan yung proseso syempre binabasa ko nang ilang beses yung manuscript, mga tatlong beses. Medyo di ko pa nagegets sa una eh. Ha-ha! Sobrang effective nun para sa akin kasi habang binabasa ko, unti-unti ko na rin nabubuo sa isip ko yung mga possible kong gawing na illustrations at kung paano yung magiging layout ng isang spread

Sunod kong gagawin ay yung character designs, masaya ‘tong proseso na ‘to kasi nabibigyan ko na ng buhay at itsura yung mga characters ng author, medyo nadalian ako sa istoryang ‘to kasi yung characters mismo ay hango sa mga totoong tao. Kaya meron na akong basehan sa itsura ng characters.

Siguro ang huli kong pinag-iisipan ay kung ano ang pinakamabisang paraan para mabigyang kahulugan yung bawat pahina ng kwento, doon ko na rin isinaalang-alang yung mga espasyo, mga kulay, at emosyon ng mga karakter at kung ano yung gustong iparating ng author sa mga mambabasa.

2. Bilang illustrador ng mga aklat at kuwentong pambata, ano-ano ang proyekto na nagbigay sa iyo ng pinakamalaking hamon at bakit?

Isang proyekto na nagbigay sa akin ng pinakamalaking hamon ay ang pag guhit para sa isang segment sa Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho. Naging malaking hamon sa akin ‘to kasi yung segment mismo ay hindi pambata! Yung segment ay tungkol sa online child trafficking dito sa Pilipinas!

Naisipan nilang gawin na kuwentong pambata yung segment para hindi masyadong mabigat sa mga manonood, naging malaking hamon siya kasi nahirapan akong gumuhit ng pambata para sa isang topic na hindi komportable, isa sa mga kinailangan kong gawin ay gawing komportable ang topic para sa mga manonood, mahirap pero tinuloy ko pa rin kasi mahalagang topic siya at kailangang i-acknowledge na meron talagang nangyayaring ganun dito sa atin.