Sep 18 2007

Where are the Books and Shows for Filipino Children?

Published by Toe at 4:20 pm under Books, Memoirs, Philippines

Update:  Zarah Grace of School Librarian in Action posted a very enlightening post in reply to this question.  She says that children’s literature in the country is very young (my age… does that make me young?  ;) ).  She gives an excellent assessment of the state of children’s literature as well as recommendations for my search for children’s books.  Read about it here.

When I was a little girl in the seventies, I was inundated with books, TV shows, and movies from the west. I was quite a bookworm then and swallowed all the children’s classics: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum, etc.. One of my favorite authors was Enid Blyton and I had a complete collection of the Famous Five series, the Adventure series, the Willow Farm series, and so on. I also devoured whole the Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and Bobbsey Twins series. And of course, I immersed myself in all the fairy tales by the Grimm Brothers and Hans Christian Andersen.

On TV, I watched Sesame Street, The Electric Company, Little House on a Prairie, The Mickey Mouse Club, and others. In the movies, I loved The Sound of Music, Oliver, Annie, all the Disney film classics like Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, and even the new ones at that time like The Rescuers.

I guess that most people would think that these are excellent books to read and movies to watch. They’re wholesome, classic, educational, and all that namby-pamby. But as a Filipino, I see something quite wrong with this picture.

I’ve read about oak trees, willow trees, maple trees, and apple trees, when until now, I don’t even know what these trees look like. For all around me are banana trees, coconut trees, mango trees, and ipil-ipil

I read about geraniums, lilacs, tulips, edelweiss, and dandelions when in my Lola’s garden are suntans, gumamelas, sampaguitas, and jasmines.

I dreamt to have blond hair and blue eyes like Nancy Drew when I and all my sisters and friends had dark hair and brown eyes.

I dreamt of castles with turrets hidden deep in the forests when I can’t even think of a single castle in the Philippines.

I wanted to wear floral dresses with aprons and boots like Laura Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie but my Mom dressed me in dusters (sundresses) and chinelas (slippers).

I wanted to be a mouseketeer and sing and dance around in a mouse ear’s hat, but Ikabod Bubwit did not have such a club.

I’ve imagined and visualized fairies, pixies, and mermaids but have no idea what kapres, tiyanaks, and manananggals look like.

I craved to build a snowman with a hat and a carrot for a nose but shapeless sandcastles in Matabungkay are all I could muster.

Of course there is absolutely nothing wrong with these books and shows… but it sure made me confused about my identity. I was an American or British little girl trapped in the body of an almond-shaped eyed Filipina living in Kamuning. Where are the books and shows for Filipino children which should have offered me my heroines and my native princesses?

Sure, there’s Batibot, the Filipino version of Sesame Street. But I quit watching that when they made their version of Sammy, the Snake. In the Sesame Street version, an animated Sammy, the Snake, would shape himself to an S and hiss, “Ssssss…. ssssssnake.” In the Batibot version, Sammy would hiss, “Ssssss….. ahassssss.” Even at ten years old, I was annoyed at the ludicrousness of it.

Perhaps, I just didn’t search well enough in the bookstores or surf extensively enough on TV. Maybe there are good books and shows for Filipino children, with which they could relate with and identify. If there are, could you recommend them to me?

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44 responses so far

44 Responses to “Where are the Books and Shows for Filipino Children?”

  1. # aueeon 18 Sep 2007 at 4:58 pm

    Nice one… Though in my case I didn’t get to read those books at all. But I did devour the TV shows you mentioned. BUT I remember “Lola Basyang” and “Kulit Bulilit”. I wished a number of times to be one of the kids in the audience, but we live in the province.

    Before we got our TV I had the transistor radio where I listened to “Prinsipe Simatar” and I’d copy “Eng-eng’s” laughter that goes “ihihihi-ihihihi”
    :-P
    Friday nights were reserved for “Gabi ng Lagim”, when the rustling of the banana leaves would keep me awake all night! I’d be too scared to leave our bed & Nanay would scold me every time I force her to get our “arinola”
    :-)

    Then I have neighbours who’d delight us kids with horror stories about the Kapre at our neighbour’s camachile tree. I can go on and on… ahh brings a smile to lips.

  2. # jo_cstdon 18 Sep 2007 at 5:59 pm

    For books, how about trying “Young Blood.” It’s a collection of articles written by young Filipinos.

  3. # snglguyon 18 Sep 2007 at 6:54 pm

    Except for The Wizard of Oz, the Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys teen novels and of course, Little Women, the rest of the books in your list were unknown to me, then. Because while every kid in my school was leafing through their mystery and adventure novels, I was devouring every copy of The Reader’s Digest… ;-)

  4. # Wilon 18 Sep 2007 at 8:56 pm

    Books or TV shows for Filipino children? hmmm…. the only literature I read as a kid was FUnny Komiks, which had protagonists like Kalatao (half carabao/half human) and his carabao father, Muhammad Ali. Does that count? hehe. There’s also the anime craze that kids are into. Definitely no Pinoy characters there. So, I guess I agree with you. No Pinoy shows/books for kids. Pity.

  5. # noemion 18 Sep 2007 at 9:01 pm

    I bought “Alamat” and the “lola basyang”. They were published by Bookmark. They had a number of series on Filipino culture. During the late 1980s, there were already some children books published by our local writers.

  6. # bwon 18 Sep 2007 at 11:54 pm

    LOL on that father carabao named Mohammad Ali hahaha :)

    I’ve been away for a long time now and it would be a sacrilege if I even mentioned Pepe and Pilar :) But I do see Pinoy shows for kids on TFC ( The Filipino Channel) whenever we drop by a Pinoy restaurant here that has a widescreen TV running TFC the whole day :)

  7. # Teeon 19 Sep 2007 at 12:50 am

    I think it’s sad when children around the world are raised on what we have here in the United States. It isn’t fair, really. Every culture is different and children should have something they can identify with.

    Maybe you can start a movement of sorts? Encourage Filipinos to create more books, toys, movies and TV programs geared specifically for Filipinos.

    (And anyone from any culture can do this, too.)

    Before the internet was invented it would be much harder, but I think these days it should be easier to find these things?

    http://www.filipinobooks.com/childrens_tagalog.htm
    http://www.amazon.com/Filipino-Childrens-Favorite-Stories-Romulo/dp/962593765X

    I can only search in English, perhaps you will have better luck searching Google in Tagalog?

    Good luck!

  8. # hazeon 19 Sep 2007 at 3:07 am

    I am not a bookworm but a TV addict ! Halatang mag kasing bata tayo Toe we are wathing the same series :) ! But I wished to be a wonder woman one day co’z she was so sexy, powerful and have beautiful blue eyes ! I dream to have blue eyes not for me but for my babies ! Kaso hubby’s eyes are greyish green, hindi rin nila nakuha ! Kaya eto lahat mata ko!

    Somehow, I know a lot of stories about kapres, tiyanaks, and manananggals kasi sa Quezon panakot nila sa amin yan !

  9. # Sheffon 19 Sep 2007 at 11:56 am

    I can relate. My parents who now watch my daughter are trying very hard to not speak Visayan in front of her. I have no problem with them speaking dialect, but I worry about how my daughter will feel. As an adult, I don’t ‘feel’ Filipino enough. How much more for my daughter who is half and going to grow up not knowing much about her heritage. I don’t think it will bother her that much, but it bothers me.

  10. # tin-tinon 19 Sep 2007 at 2:54 pm

    may ahas sa batibot? di ko ata napanood yun. si ikabod… kilala ko din siya.

    ummm…. wala akong maisip kung anong pwede irecommend syo

  11. # Toeon 19 Sep 2007 at 3:10 pm

    Auee, me naman, I don’t remember Lola Basyang. But I do remember Kulit Bulilit with Maricel Soriano, Dranreb, etc… hehe… they’re funny. I think that the successors of Kulit Bulilit are Ang TV and Going Bulilit. :)

    Oh, great memories of the kapre and the shows on your transistor radio. :) Hey, great blog material for you. :)

  12. # Toeon 19 Sep 2007 at 3:10 pm

    jo_cstd, thanks for the tip. I suppose that this is a collection of the Young Blood column the Philippine Inquirer?

  13. # Toeon 19 Sep 2007 at 3:14 pm

    Snglguy, I used to read Reader’s Digest too. :) But now that I’m earning my own money, I couldn’t seem to afford a subscription to it… hehe! :)

  14. # Toeon 19 Sep 2007 at 3:22 pm

    Wil, mwahahahahaha… that is sooooo funny… Kalatao and his carabao father. :) Now, where could I get a copy of that komiks, I wonder? Now, I feel that I’ve had a deprived childhood. :)

    I don’t get that anime at all.

  15. # Toeon 19 Sep 2007 at 3:23 pm

    Noemi, thanks for those tips… will surely check them out in the bookstore when I go home to the Philippines. I just hope that Filipino children read those books. Sana, they’re also sold abroad… for those kids who live in other countries.

  16. # Toeon 19 Sep 2007 at 3:26 pm

    BW, yes there are some Filipino shows on TFC. We’re lucky here in Cambodia because we get TFC for free right in our own homes. There’s Kulit Bulilit (it’s funny, but not educational)… and other educational stuff. But some of them are silly like that Apol/Epol show.

    Yeah, Wil was funny… I didn’t know about that carabao. I don’t know Pepe and Pilar that well either. :)

  17. # Toeon 19 Sep 2007 at 3:30 pm

    Oh, thanks for those links Tee, this is a big help. :) I will definitely check them out and find again my inner child. :)

  18. # Toeon 19 Sep 2007 at 3:33 pm

    Haze, until now, I watch Justice League on the cartoon channel. I also love Wonder Woman. :) Your children are beautiful… no matter what color their eyes are. :)

    Magkababayan kayo ng asawa ko… I’ll ask him if he also has stories about kapres and manananggals. :)

  19. # Toeon 19 Sep 2007 at 3:39 pm

    Sheff, I think this is a problem with a lot of Filipino children, especially now, with so many Filipino families establishing themselves abroad. I do believe that because of this, the importance of culture and heritage should be instilled more in this children so that they will have a true sense of identity. We really need to promote Filipino literature, books, culture, etc. more. Mejo mahirap nga lang.

  20. # Toeon 19 Sep 2007 at 3:44 pm

    Tin-Tin, ang hirap mag-isip no? Si Sammy, hindi siya puppet… parang isang cartoon segment lang. Baka hindi na nila inulit, kasi mejo masagwa talaga yung “Ssssss… ahaassssss.” :)

  21. # jo_cstdon 19 Sep 2007 at 5:30 pm

    jo_cstd, thanks for the tip. I suppose that this is a collection of the Young Blood column the Philippine Inquirer?

    Yes, it is. :)

  22. # Wilon 20 Sep 2007 at 2:41 am

    Last I heard, Pilipino Funny Komiks went out of circulation in the ’90s. I lost the ones I had at our house in Baguio. They’re nowhere to be found. Artkitekto Rey mentioned in his blog that he has a few copies and he also looked for some copies in ebay but to no avail. It’s too bad b/c they really do bring back memories. So if anybody out there has some copies of FUnny Komiks circa early ’80s…..hehehe

  23. # ipanemaon 20 Sep 2007 at 4:15 am

    I’m a big fan of “Little House on the Prairie”. Nasaan na sila? :) I recommend those children’s books as well. Roald Dahl is one of my children’s favourite. I love his books. :)

  24. # melaion 20 Sep 2007 at 9:42 am

    hindi mo yata nabasa yung mga libro na ginawa ng Adarna Publication…… maraming mga manunulat noon at ngayon doon nagsimula sa pag gawa ng mga kwento para sa kabataang pinoy…..

    pero ako hindi ko alam lahat yang mga yan..nalaman ko lang nung lumaki ako … di ko alam kung nasan ako noong mga panahon na yun at kung bakit wala yata akong alam.

  25. # Toeon 20 Sep 2007 at 2:17 pm

    jo_cstd, thanks again! :)

  26. # Toeon 20 Sep 2007 at 2:23 pm

    Will, oh that’s too bad that it’s out of circulation now. The remaining copies would probably fetch a high price.

    I only read Archie comics in the 70s and 80s. I also have a complete collection of Asterix and Tintin comics… again Western. :)

  27. # Toeon 20 Sep 2007 at 2:25 pm

    Ipanema, oh yes… I used to love Roald Dahl… Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Matilda. I haven’t read James and the Giant Peach though. I wonder what happened na nga to Melissa Sue Anderson… I think she married Rob Lowe in the 80s. :)

  28. # Toeon 20 Sep 2007 at 2:27 pm

    Melai, nakakapagbasa yata ako dati ng mga Adarna books… pero wala akong naaalala. :(

    Lahat naman tayo, we have so much to learn in this world. And one who think that he or she knows a lot is the one who is ignorant.

  29. # Zherwinon 20 Sep 2007 at 2:34 pm

    not much of a bookworm, but i was a komiksworm (ansagwa atang pakinggan hehe), after school, i always frequent my cousin’s sari-sari store to read all the komiks that i can read (i am a Holiday komiks fan, also of funny and silangan). remember devil car? or sida? hehehe

    laking batibot din ako pero di ko natatandaan yung ahasssss, i can still sing “alin, alin, alin ang naiba…” or imitate manang bola’s “perlas na bilog, wag tutulog-tulog…” or pong pagong’s laughter (similar to eng-eng’s ihihihihihi).

    nasa topic na rin lang ng puppets, me limited run ang Avenue Q dito sa manila at lumalabo na ang chance na mapanuod ko. haay, me full puppet nudity pa naman yun hehehe.

  30. # devad55on 20 Sep 2007 at 4:55 pm

    Tonette,
    Someone (I think it was Celeste) gave me the Lola Basyang series. I was reading it to Toni. I stopped in the middle of the story because the mom tried to kill the dad and got away with it. I gave that book away.

  31. # piningon 20 Sep 2007 at 8:01 pm

    I was into Nancy Drew as well until Agatha Christie grabbed my attention..
    I can’t remember reading Phil fiction except homeworks that has to be absolutely read; I loved reading aliwan komiks and liwayway though as I’m common as a muck :-)

  32. # Toeon 20 Sep 2007 at 9:03 pm

    Zherwin, aba… at ginawa mo pang library ng komiks yung sarisari store ng pinsan mo… hahaha! :) Naku… sori.. Archie komiks lang yung alam ko e. :) I would love to hear your Batibot impressions… haha! :) Ano nga ba yung Avenue Q? Parang everyone knows about it except me.

  33. # Toeon 20 Sep 2007 at 9:05 pm

    Sis, why did you give the book away? E di yung pinagbigyan mo will have to read that silly story!

  34. # Toeon 20 Sep 2007 at 9:08 pm

    Pining… me too… I only read Filipino fiction for school. :) But I think that there are a lot of good ones lately… we just have to look hard enough.

  35. # melaion 21 Sep 2007 at 11:24 am

    buti ka pa nakabasa ako hindi lol!!
    kaya nga nung umuwi ako ang ginawa ko pinasyal ko sa bookstore si Aya ng maranasan nya naman mga hindi ko naranasan dati … yung magbass lol!
    puro komiks kasi atupag ko nun e :)

  36. # careyon 21 Sep 2007 at 9:40 pm

    Uy, we do have Filipino books for children sent via post by our blogsy friend Bea who calls them her ‘babies’.

    You can refer to my sister’s entry here about these Filipino kiddie books she received. Very nice story books with colorful illustrations and they are 100% pinoy. We gave it to my big sis’ kids and to my little cousin. I read one of the story books to my niece (it’s in tagalog) about a diwata who lives in the mountains. meron pang moral lesson in the end. I highly recommended these books. :)

  37. # annamanilaon 22 Sep 2007 at 4:39 pm

    Great post, beautifully written and gives food for thought.

    There are very few pinoy books being written for pinoy children and yet we have a lot of good writers with splendid imaginations. Is it possible the market is not big enough for them.

    Recently, in a family gathering, my nieces and nephews — all grown up — recall that I am ‘famous’ for always giving away books for christmas. Did they that, i asked. They said “not at that time.” But they now appareciate the books i give to their young children.

  38. # carlottaon 23 Sep 2007 at 11:52 am

    i love anne of green gables. my pa bought the whole boxed set for me when i was 11 and until now, i never get tired of reading the books. i only wondered what their food tastes like and how they cooked them, like the jellied chicken and cold tongue. =)

  39. # Toeon 24 Sep 2007 at 11:00 am

    Melai, ay oo… mabuti at natututong magbasa si Aya. :) Ako din naman… mahilig din ako sa komiks… hanggang ngayon. :)

  40. # Toeon 24 Sep 2007 at 11:01 am

    Carey, yes… I do stand corrected. I’m glad to know that there are plenty of children’s books for Filipinos. I got a lot of suggestions and recommendations and Bea’s “babies” are very welcome. :)

  41. # Toeon 24 Sep 2007 at 11:03 am

    Thanks Annamanila. :) And it’s not only your nieces and nephews which you shower with your books… our office too is benefited with your generosity. :)

  42. # Toeon 24 Sep 2007 at 11:07 am

    Carlotta, oh me too… in fact, I just recently read Anne of Green Gables. :) Oh yes… you still remember the cold tongue and jellied chicken. :)

  43. # neahon 24 Oct 2007 at 3:45 pm

    yes, your right… Prolong Absence of Tagalog children-oriented shows affect the behavior as well as the Filipino children’s language… During 1990’s,, both ABS-CBN and GMA have children-oriented shows for Filipino children such as Batibot, Sineskwela, Mathinik, Bayani, etc. I still remember those shows even though I was still four to six years old at those times. But now, I pity this generation because wide anime invasion is occurring in the Philippine television which results to childish behavior of children ranging from age ten years old to sixteen years old. Another thing, parents of the Filipino children today teach their children English language because they can’t find Tagalog speaking shows that are good for their children

  44. # Toeon 29 Oct 2007 at 6:53 pm

    Neah, that is really sad because children nowadays may lose their sense of national identity.

    Thanks for visiting my blog Neah! :)

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