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#30: Where the Wild Things Are

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Genre: Modern Fantasy

Subgenre: Talking Animals

Author and Illustrator: Maurice Sendak

Publisher, Place, Date of Publication: Harper Collins Publishers, United States, 1991

No. of Pages: 42

Award: Caldecott Medal for the Most Distinguished Picture Book of the Year

Recommended for Ages: 4-9

I saved this for last because this is the book I enjoyed the most. I’ve wanted to read this ever since I encountered on the Internet the quote, “We’ll eat you up, we love you so.” I fell in love with that line. I mean, yes, it came from the beasts as they beg the young boy to not go back to his reality and just stay with them in their island, living happily in their wild ways. I love the idea of a child finding a secret island that indulges his carefree and adventurous disposition. But I have to say that his going back to his reality, with his parents showing love and care for him, puts the cherry on top of a fantastic story. I don’t just imagine kids right enjoying this book, but my future kids as well. I definitely see myself reading this to them, and maybe telling them from time to time that, “I’ll eat them up, I love them so.”

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#29: Ender’s Game

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Genre: Science Fiction

Subgenre: Young Adult

Author: Orson Scott Card

Publisher, Place, Date of Publication: Tor Books, United States, 1985

No. of Pages: 324

Awards: Nebula Award for Best Novel, Hugo Award for Best Novel, Margaret A. Edwards Award

Recommended for Ages: 10-18

Set into the future, the Earth is once again anticipating an alien attack so everyone was called to prepare for battle. Even the children were being trained through very difficult games. But through these games, Ender Wiggin discovers his true powerful capabilities and rises up to the challenge to save the Earth. As I am not much of a science fiction reader, it is obviously rare for me to like a book from that genre. But Ender’s Game is one of the exceptions, for its story is told in such a rich, detailed way—it’s just an amazing book. Truth be told, it’s not a favorite, but I still really liked it.

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#28: The Maze Runner

Rating: ❤️❤️

Genre: Science Fiction

Subgenre: Young Adult

Author: James Dashner

Publisher, Place, Date of Publication: Delacorte Press, United States, 2009

No. of Pages: 384

Recommended for Ages: 10-18

It is about a group of teenage boys stuck inside a place they call, “the Glade” and together, they work to survive and get past the ever-changing maze beyond the walls. It is about camaraderie, responsibility and survival. I’ve read this as a kid before and to be honest, I don’t remember much from it. I’ve never been a keen reader of science fiction but I do remember being really interested in this book series. And although the real world is not yet as messed up as presented in this dystopian novel, I think readers will still be able to identify with the characters, root for them and learn a lot from them.

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#27: The Book Thief

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Genre: Historical Fiction

Subgenre: Young Adult

Author: Markus Zusak

Illustrator: Trudy White

Publisher, Place, Date of Publication: Picador, Australia, 2005

No. of Pages: 584

Awards: Michael L. Printz Honor Book, School Library Journal Book of the Year, Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of the Year, National Jewish Book Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature

Recommended for Ages: 12-18

This is one of the best stories I know about the Nazi regime. Liesel, a young girl plagued by the horrors of her country, finds refuge in the written word and embarks on the journey of saving as much books as she can. It is as if the soul of Anne Frank lives in her, and I love that idea. It’s not my favorite Zusak novel (sorry, but I am the Messenger is just closer to my heart) but The Book Thief is very special as well. It tells its readers that death is everywhere but that doesn’t make us weaker or make our lives less important, and that love holds agency for redemption and freedom.

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#26: Dancing in Cloud Gate

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Genre: Biography

Author: Fran Ng

Illustrator: Anthony Erazo Santos

Publisher, Place, Date of Publication: The Bookmark, Inc., Makati City, Philippines, 2006

No. of Pages: 15

Award: Ramon Magsaysay Award for Children’s Literature

Recommended for Ages: 7-12

After an overwhelming read of, Of Rubber Shoes and the Saddest Baby, this book brought my spirit up. It is such a nice story of Lin Hwai-Min, a Taiwanese man who essentially brought light again to the theatre in his country. But what I liked most in this story is that it tells children that art is just as important as everything else, and that devoting their lives to art enriches other lives—which is, I believe, one of the greatest things a person can do.

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#25: Of Rubber Shoes and the Saddest Baby

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Genre: Biography

Author: Lin Acacio Flores

Illustrator: Jomike Tejido

Publisher, Place, Date of Publication: The Bookmark, Inc., Makati City, Philippines, 2006

No. of Pages: 15

Award: Ramon Magsaysay Award for Children’s Literature

Recommended for Ages: 7-12

Honestly, this is the only book in this list that moved me to (near) tears. There is something about Ditah Indah Sari’s story. She was just a normal girl who was on her way to become a lawyer. But then everything changed for her when she realized how unfair factory workers in Indonesia are being treated by the government. So she helped them fight for their rights—for which she was tortured and imprisoned for. I guess the reason why this story evoked strong emotions from me is that I see this is as a possibility. With the current administration, I honestly am scared to death that things would go back to the way they were, that Martial Law can happen again, and people like Ditah will be punished for doing the right thing. But still, I admire her story and it’s going to be one of those stories that I always carry in me.

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#24: The Poor Man’s Van

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️

Genre: Biography

Author: Gidget Roceles Jimenez

Illustrator: Mark Ramsel Salvatus III

Publisher, Place, Date of Publication: The Bookmark, Inc., Makati City, Philippines, 2007

No. of Pages: 15

Recommended for Ages: 7-12

This is the story of married couple, Abdul Sattar Edhi and Bilqis Edhi and their quest in giving medical care to as many Muslims as they can. They advocated helping people above all else, not even accepting money from anyone, just volunteers and donations. Personally, I really enjoyed this series of biographies of Ramon Magsaysay Award recipients—which includes Khan: a Teacher of Everything. I loved that notion that children will get to know these great people and will be inspired to live by them.

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#23: What Kids Should Know About Andres and the Katipunan

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Genre: Informational

Author: Weng D. Cahiles

Illustrator: Isa N. Natividad

Publisher, Place, Date of Publication: Adarna House, Quezon City, Philipines, 2013

No. of Pages: 47

Recommended for Ages: 10-18

This book is from the same series as What Kids Should Know About Philippine Architecture. It is about, as the title states, Andres Bonifacio and the Katipunan. Kids learn about them in school, more often than not, in some stuffy classroom and being taught by a history teacher that makes them wish that the class is part of the days past. But this book is just so different from others. It makes it fun to learn about one of our heroes. If I had this book as a kid, I would have been interested in this part of history way before I started high school.

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#22: Anita: the Duckling Diva

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️

Genre: Modern Fantasy

Subgenre: Talking Animals

Author: Anne Curtis-Smith

Illustrator: James Abalos

Publisher, Place, Date of Publication: UNICEF, Makati City, Philippines, 2015

No. of Pages: 41

Recommended for Ages: 4-9

In a nutshell, this book is about a young female duck who was initially embarrassed, brought down by insecurities, but later on shined and able to establish her talents and garner admiration and support from fellow ducks. It is such a cute story and I admire Anne Curtis for that, for people hardly write stories like this one anymore. It is a cliché, yes, but the touching quality of it, I think, will always be timeless. This is a kind of story that can be told again and again and children—including the future generations—will also enjoy.

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#21: Edsa

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Genre: Informational

Subgenre: Picture Book

Author: Russel Molina

Illustrator: Sergio Bumatay III

Publisher, Place, Date of Publication: Adarna House, Quezon City, Philippines, 2013

No. of Pages: 29

Recommended for Ages: 4-18

This book is filled of pictures of things that relate to the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution. It shows real things, from the nuns who prayed their way through EDSA, to the tanks that attacked Filipinos. It is such a momentous event in our history so I find it heartwarming that they have this book for children of all ages can peruse, so that they will get to understand that part of history in their own way. The illustrations in this book is truly extraordinary; its dark beauty encapsulates the pain and sorrow that Filipinos have experienced in martial law and the courage and nationalism that they exhibited. Books like this ensure that our real stories will continue to touch each and every Filipino, children or adult. 

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#20: Khan: a Teacher of Everything

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Genre: Biography

Author: Nikki Dy-Liacco

Illustrator: Quix P. Maiquez

Publisher, Place, Date of Publication: The Bookmark, Inc., Makati City, Philippines, 2006

No. of Pages: 15

Award: Ramon Magsaysay Award for Children’s Literature

Recommended for Ages: 7-12

Shoaib Sultan Kahn didn’t get his Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership for nothing. This book will tell children about how he built villages for the poor communities in Pakistan. It will inspire children to participate in projects like Kahn’s, to help people. It will basically tell them that problems such as poverty can be reduced—if not solved—if people just work together. Moreover, I personally loved the illustration because it is reminiscent of the Pakistan culture and I think children will marvel at it as well.

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#19: Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️

Genre: Traditional

Author: Severino Reyes

Illustrator: Felix Mago Miguel

Publisher, Place, Date of Publication: Tahanan Books, Makati City, Philippines, 2012

No. of Pages: 187

Recommended for Ages: 7-14

I’d say that if the West has Hans Christian Anderson or the Grimm Brothers, then here in the Philippines, we have Lola Basyang. The stories from the infamous grandmother were some of the things I’ve heard growing up and reading them again was very nostalgic for me. Similar to the A Treasury of Fairy Tales, these stories ought to be kept alive so that the children in the future would be able to appreciate them as well, since the whole collection of short stories is an epitome of the Filipino culture of the days past.

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#18: ABC Rhymes

Rating: ❤️❤️

Genre: Poetry

Editor: Mark Haseldon

Illustrator: Margaret Chamberlain

Publisher, Place, Date of Publication: Ladybird Books, England, 1988

No. of Pages: 40

Recommended for Ages: 4-7

Each letter of the alphabet features a key object such A for apples. That contains a catchy poem. I understand that this book is from England and therefore written under the influence of the English culture, but I think that Filipino children should still read this because it gives them a taste of a different and interesting culture. I myself enjoyed it very much because I recognize some specks of the English life that I’ve read in other novels. I found it refreshing to see them in a lighter and more entertaining way, especially with the rhymes.

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#17: Always My Grandpa: a Story for Children about Alzheimer’s Disease

Rating: ❤️❤️

Genre: Contemporary Realist Fiction

Author: Linda Scacco

Illustrator: Linda Wong

Publisher, Place, Date of Publication: Magination Press, Washington, D.C., 2006

No. of Pages: 45

Recommended for Ages: 7-12

Much like May mga Lihim Kami ni Ingkong, this is a story that helps children understand sickness, especially in this family. This book, specifically, gently prepares students to the changes of Alzheimer’s disease. A boy struggles to understand the shifting personality of his beloved grandfather. The story is heartwarming in essence, and I imagine that children won’t just enjoy this but also treasure this.

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#16: May Mga Lihim Kami ni Ingkong

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Genre: Contemporary Realist Fiction

Author: Luis P. Gatmaitan, M.D.

Illustrator: Beth Parrocha-Doctolero

Publisher, Place, Date of Publication: OMF Literature, Inc., Mandaluyong City, Philippines, 2001

No. of Pages: 38

Award received: 2nd Prize for Palanca Award

Recommended for Ages: 7-12

Probably one of the saddest and sweetest story here, it’s about a young boy who’s coming to terms with his grandfather’s old age, especially when said grandfather started forgetting who the boy is. It was heartbreaking because the boy and grandfather had such a wonderful relationship, and it’s almost cruel to end that for the boy. But then again, a story like this one helps child readers come to terms with the concepts of sickness and death. It’s one of the stories that really teach children about life.

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#15: Araw sa Palengke

Rating: ❤️❤️

Genre: Contemporary Realist Fiction

Author: May Tobias-Papa

Illustrator: Isabel Roxas

Publisher, Place, Date of Publication: Adarna House, Quezon City, Philippines, 2008

No. of Pages: 26

Recommended for Ages: 4-7

The child protagonist goes to the market with her mother for the first time and she spends it as a spectator of that new and exciting place. She particularly marvels at this palayok and her mother secretly buys it for her. Much similar to Hating Kapatid, this is a cute and simple story so I imagine young kids will like this one.