RAP Demofest 2013 Call for Proposals

The Reading Association of the Philippines (RAP) is pleased to announce its Midyear Demofest 2013 to be held in Cagayan De Oro City on September 12-14, 2013. This demonstration festival is on the theme Culture, Literacy, and Technology: From Local to Global Classrooms. Dr. William Teale, a literacy expert from the International Reading Association (IRA), is this year’s featured speaker. Other speakers are literacy, curriculum, culture/language, and educational technology experts, professors, classroom teachers, researchers, and literacy advocates.

To enrich the experience of participants in this demofest, the RAP enjoins enthusiasts, researchers, academics, practitioners, and teachers of literacy education (in the mother tongue, Filipino, and/or English) to submit proposals for demonstration lessons. Through this, the RAP aims to bring together professionals and advocates from various parts of the country to share their best practices on literacy education in relation to the following strands:

1. Language, Literature, and Culture in Literacy Instruction; 
2. Strategies in Technology-Assisted/Mediated Literacy Teaching; and
4. Using Literature and Technology in Remediating Literacy Difficulties

Proponents of accepted proposals must confirm their attendance and officially register to the RAP Midyear Demofest in order to be part of the actual conference program. Presenters will not pay any registration fee. However, they are responsible for their own transportation and accommodation. Click here for the submission guidelines.

Books for babies and toddlers

A board book is a type of book made especially for infants and toddlers to help them start reading. Board books have sturdy pages, including both front and back covers, which are usually made of carton or paperboard. Below are the reasons why board books are perfect for emergent readers.

1. Board books are durable. Unlike picture books, board books are suitable for small children because the pages are sturdy and bound solidly. Because of this, board books can withstand infants and toddlers’ habits of chewing and throwing anything they can grab hold of.
2. Board books can be handled by small children. Unlike picture books, board books are smaller in size and appropriately made for infants and toddlers’ small hands. Board books, therefore, are a perfect book type to familiarize babies with books. As we teach them how to turn pages, we also improve their fine motor skills and grasping strength.
3. Book boards can serve as children’s access to the world of literature. Besides telling stories to children, board books can serve as an entry point for infants and toddlers to appreciate stories, poems and songs. Plus, board books are especially written according to the reading capacity of small children.
4. Board books can help small children learn basic concepts. A lot of board books are made specifically to teach infants and toddlers basic concepts. Topics usually include sounds, letters of the alphabets, shapes, and the counting numbers. There are also exceptional board books which integrate these concepts in stories, poems and songs.

Adarna House has developed the very first and only available board books for Filipino kids. These board books include the two versions of The World Around Me (Ang Aking Paligid) which introduce readers to things around them; concept books Kulay! and Ang Una Kong Alpabeto; and song books Sampung mga Daliri and Bahay Kubo.

The board books will be available with a discount of 26% at the Back-to-School SALE, down to Php 70.00 each (regularly priced at Php 95.00).  The SALE will happen at our showroom from May 15 to June 15.

Back-to-school SALE starts May 15!

Woohoo, this summer heat is about to bid us goodbye! That means we can all start saying hello to lower prices at our showroom. For a whole month, starting on May 15 (Wednesday), our books will go on sale with our usual 73-peso storybooks going for only Php 55.00! That’s a discount of more than 25%, and other items will be available for as high as 55% off!

Big discounts will only be one of the things we say hello to, as we also welcome a newly-renovated showroom. Be one of the first to enjoy the new look of our new home, and come by our showroom: 109 Scout Fernandez Street, Barangay Sacred Heart, Quezon City. (See map here.) Kitakits!

 

Araw sa Palengke app earns a Kirkus Star!

The Kirkus Star, awarded to books of exceptional merit, is one of the most prestigious designations in the book industry. And one is now attached to our A Day in the Market app!

A Day in the Market is the app for Araw sa Palengke, a National Children’s Book Award recipient written by May Tobias-Papa and illustrated by Isabel Roxas. It is available for free from the App Store!

Founded in 1933, Kirkus has been an authoritative voice in book discovery for 80 years. Read the starred review on A Day in the Market here.

Free minibooks with your favorite ketchup

Buy a 1-kilo bottle of Papa Ketchup and get a free Adarna House mini-storybook! Papa Ketchup, with Vitamin A, is giving another good reason to take care of our eyes: reading!

The cute storybook collectibles are now available through supermarkets and grocery stores. The available minibooks are Ang Mahiyaing Manok (written by Rebecca Añonuevo and illustrated by Ruben de Jesus), Bakit Matagal ang Sundo Ko? (written by Kristine Canon, illustrated by Mariano Ching), and Noong Unang Panahon (written by Rafaelita S. Valera, illustrated by Ghani Madueño).

Collect all three!

Tips on choosing books for the little ones

Though it is good practice to let children choose which books to buy, it is inevitable that adults are the ones tasked to do it most of the time. Knowing how to choose books for your little ones is crucial in developing their love for reading. Assuming that one can freely select which ones to purchase, here are some tips to help you with book shopping for your kids:

1. Create a balance between books that children like and what adults think children like or should read. Determine which books children like by asking them about their favorites or observing their reading habits. On the other hand, online reviews by parents and teachers can be of great help to check which books pass adults’ tastes. (This tip entails preparation before going to the bookstore.)
2. Provide variety with the books you choose. Besides the ones that fulfill tip#1, purchase books that neither you, nor the child you are buying for, will purchase under normal circumstances. Trying something new and unexpected will provide children the opportunity to explore other topics or types of literature. It goes without saying that boxing them in with the same sets of books will limit their taste and knowledge.
3. Check the book cover for some clues. It is, of course, difficult to know what a book really contains given a limited shopping time (and most books are tightly sealed in plastic cases). It is best to read the front and book covers to get useful information to consider before purchasing. Usually placed at the back cover is a description about the book, but there are other ways to see whether the book you are holding will be great for the kids: One, look for the label which tells the age range for which the book is recommended. Bookstores also shelve books by age bracket recommendations. Two, some books put seals of awards, citations, and praises. These can, at least, guarantee you that some people like and recommend a book, and give you a hint as to why these people like the book.  
4. Browse book catalogues. Get a copy of book catalogues regularly released by publishers of children’s books. Most of these are available on the publishers’ websites. Book catalogues provide useful details about all their books in print – from age recommendations to awards, from themes topics to prices. Check out the online Adarna House book catalogue for a sample.

There are many other tips you can use whenever buying books for children, but the best thing to do is to read the books yourself. Your growing familiarity (and enjoyment) with this genre will give you a lot of information to consider next time you are tasked to buy books for kids.

Young Artist from Bulacan wins PBBY-Alcala

The Philippine Board on Books for Young People awards the 2013 PBBY-Alcala Prize to Dominic Agsaway, an illustrator from Bulacan and a member of Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang InK). This is Agsaway’s first time to win the contest.

This year’s PBBY-Alcala Prize called for entries based on the 2013 PBBY-Salanga Prize-winning story, “Ngumiti si Andoy” written by Michael Jude C. Tumamac, a story inspired by the life of Andres Bonifacio.

Honorable Mention in this year’s contest went to artists Sergio Bumatay III and Francin Cruz. Bumatay and Cruz are also members of Ang InK.

Agsaway shall receive Twenty-Five Thousand Pesos, a medal, and an opportunity to be published. Prizes will be awarded in a ceremony to be held during the celebration of National Children’s Book Day at the Cultural Center of the Philippines on July 16, 2013.

For inquiries about the contest, please contact the PBBY Secretariat at telephone number 352-6765 loc. 203 or e-mail pbby[at]adarna.com.ph.