Off the Bookshelf: Mister Beetle’s Many Rooms

November 26, 2013 by

Remember the bookstore trip where Jakei chose books written by Filipino authors?   Here’s the other book that he chose, Mister Beetle’s Many Rooms.

Mister Beetle's Many Rooms

With the colorful illustrations created by the author Robert Magnuson, Mister Beetle’s Many Rooms easily captures the attention of young readers. The story is about a beetle who chose a tiny plant with five leaves (rooms) to live in.  Mister Beetle soon finds more and more insects living in his plant and set off to discover where all the new leaves are coming from.  Unable to stop the plant from growing into a tree, he set off to find another home where he can live peacefully by himself.  He had a change of heart though when his “neighbors” threw a surprise party for him to show their appreciation for his founding their home.

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The book is a great springboard for discussions on relating with other people, appreciating your neighbors, and caring for the environment.  At the end of the story is a one-page feature of how plants grow.  The kids were studying plants in school when we bought this, so it was the perfect supplement for their lesson in school.

The book also comes in two languages, English and Filipino.  If your child is still struggling with his Filipino subject, this and other Adarna books would be of great help in developing their skills in Pagbasa.  It is recommended for children ages 10 and above, but, as with May Higante sa Aming Bahay, even younger children would enjoy reading the story.

Filed Under: BookWorms, Kids At Work Tagged With: ,

Book Review: May Higante Sa Aming Bahay

November 17, 2013 by

On one of our trips to the bookstore, I was pleasantly surprised when my little Jakei chose two Adarna books instead of the usual movie-based books he loves to read.  His two choices, May Higante sa Aming Bahay and Mister Beetles Many Rooms, are written by Filipino authors in both the English and Filipino Languages. Both books have wonderful illustrations by Filipino artists as well.

May Higante sa Aming Bahay is written by Rhandee Garlitos who has won various awards for his poems and stories for children.  The illustrations are done by PBBY Illustrator’s Prize awardee Ferdinand Guevara.

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The story is about how anxious a little boy was about the coming of a higante(giant) in the house.  Fearful as he was, Matt-Matt couldn’t understand why his mother and siblings were all excitedly looking forward to the giant’s homecoming.  Many children of Overseas Filipino Workers, especially those who were still very young when their parents left to work abroad, can relate to this story.

I think my little Jakei took this book off the shelf when he read the word “higante” thinking it was a story of adventure.  Nonetheless, he loves reading the book both in English and in Filipino.  Somehow at his tender age, he has learned also to appreciate that he sees his Papa everyday.

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May Higante sa Aming Bahay is recommend for children age 8 and above but my kids (age 4 & 5) can appreciate the story already so I would still recommend it to even younger kids.  If you are an OFW family, this book would be a great addition to your children’s bookshelf.

Filed Under: BookWorms, Kids At Work Tagged With: ,

Jade in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory

October 15, 2013 by

Lookie!  Little girl just entered the world of Willy Wonka!

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Why did we choose Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for her first chapter book?  Well, aside from this Mama being an avid fan of Roald Dahl, she has seen the movie based on that book several times this month and totally loves it.   I also think that the characters in the books would be a great springboard to discuss behaviors that are unacceptable.

She’s in Chapter 10 but would probably have read more had I not limited her reading time.  The book is suggested for ages 8 up and she’s only five years old. Instead of allowing her to read from cover to cover, I ask her to read only two to three chapters a day.  Each chapter is followed by a short comprehension check and a brief discussion. This way, I’m also able to check if she really does understand what she’s reading or if she’s merely reading the words.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is among the recommended books for school age children.  This book is always among top 100 children’s books list so do add this to your kids’ must-read book list.

Next on our list is Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator and The BFG.  Then perhaps, some E.B. White books after that.

Filed Under: BookWorms, Kids At Work Tagged With: , ,

Stories by Quirky Jakei

August 24, 2013 by

Ate Jade has been writing stories left and right. A couple of nights ago, I read some of them to Jakei and the little boy was inspired to write his own stories as well.  He can’t spell words apart from a few CVC words so dear Mama did all the typing as storyteller Jakei narrated.

STORMY DAY(I’m guessing this was inspired by Codley and the Big Storm)

Once upon a time, there was a thunder with an octopus and a water. And then a big storm came. And it was very dark in the octopus house. And the children were going to the octopus’ house. And the octopus was very angry. And then the children were scared of the octopus. And then the octopus was chasing the children. And then, poopoo came(Jakei snickers). And then next, the storm came again. And there were monsters and the octopus was still in his house.  And then, the octopus heard the monsters and then the monsters heard the octopus. And then next, the monsters were going in the water. And the octopus scared the monsters. And the monsters ran away. And the monsters scared the octopus. And the octopus ran away. The End.

MIKE AND SULLY

Once upon a time, there was two monsters named Sully and Mike. And then Sully and Mike went to their house. And then, the poopoo came to Mike and Sully’s face because Monsters Inc was broken. All the snow was going to their pwet-pwets. And then a storm came. And then Mike and Sully were scared of the storm. And then, the sun arrived to the Monster Inc city and one monster came and that monster was bad. And it was an octopus monster. And the little girl came and the little girl was scared of the monsters. The little girl looked for her mama. Tapos, a hair came. And then Mike and Sully said “What is this?”

Believe it or not but my little boy always tells weird stories based on what he has read or seen. Notice also how he still finds humor in the word ‘poopoo’.  🙂  His stories may not have coherence or even a sensible plot but I do love that he’s able to imagine all these things and put them into words.

Filed Under: BookWorms, Busy Bees, Kids At Work

SUPERBOOK Reimagined for the NOW Generation!

May 30, 2013 by

superbook launch

Here’s something to look forward to this weekend – the pilot episode of the new SUPERBOOK!  Make sure you tune in to GMA 7 at 7:30 am this Saturday, June 1, for the airing of the first Superbook episode, In the Beginning. After watching one of the episodes of the reimagined SuperBook last Saturday, my kids and I are eagerly looking forward to this weekend’s episode.

The new Superbook is for the NOW generation.
– Icko Gonzalez –

My family and I were blessed to have received an invitation to a special preview of the Superbook which has been improved for the kids of this generation giving us a relived, reinvented, and reimagined Superbook. Our little girl was down with colds though so only my 3-year-old son and I were able to attend the event. As always, he was quite a handful so forgive me if I don’t have decent pictures of the launch. It was actually quite a challenge for me to make him sit still while waiting for the program to start and even while Icko Gonzalez, Superbook Project Head, was giving us a brief of Superbook Reimagined. Thankfully, he sat still when the Superbook episode “Let My People Go!” was shown on the big screen. And watch he did! He was still and his eyes fixed on the screen all throughout the half hour show.

superbook journey back to time

To the kids of my generation who grew up watching Superbook and Flying House, we’ll still see Chris, Joy, and Gizmo albeit with a whole new look. The animation of the new Superbook is awesome! I’m telling you, the graphics and the quality of the digitally rendered images are spectacular. Although I myself like the Chris, Joy, and Gizmo of the ‘80s, the reinvented characters of the new Superbook are more this generation’s type and would surely catch their hearts – they’ve already caught my kids’ hearts and we only saw previews. The graphics and animation may look much more modern but the stories are the same ones we loved watching when we were kids. Definitely, we’re going to relive the greatest adventures; the stories are, after all, still from the greatest book ever written.

While watching the preview of three Superbook episodes at home, my two kids were asking questions and interjecting comments here and there.

Watching the trailer of “In the Beginning”

“That angel looks like Superman but he’s not Superman.”
“That one is the bad angel. He’ll be sent out of heaven.”
“Mama, is Jesus inside that Church (referring to the gates of Heaven )?”

superbook archangel michael

Watching the trailer of “A Giant Adventure”

“I’m small, Mama. But I’ll not be afraid because God is with me.”

 

Through the dozen times they have asked to watch the trailers (in less than a week!), I was also right there with them to answer questions and to discuss their observations. You also can make watching Superbook part of your weekly family activity. After each episode, follow up story themes and lessons by going to the Superbook Kids Website to download the Family Discussion Guide. These devotionals would make family bonding time not only fun but also much more meaningful.

My sisters and I all grew up watching Superbook and Flying House and are all glad that our children now would be able to watch it as well. Television shows that are child-focused and that impart good values are so few nowadays so make sure that you and your children tune in to the new Superbook on GMA 7 at 7:30am every Saturday. Superbook Classic, the one we grew up watching, will also be shown on GMA 7 at 7:30am every Sunday. Remember – 7:30am, Saturday and Sunday, GMA 7 – Watch SUPERBOOK and spread the news! And don’t miss the first episode this weekend!

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Superbook Logo

Know more about SUPERBOOK Reimagined by liking Batang Superbook on Facebook, following @BatangSuperbook on Twitter, and visiting the Superbook Website.

Filed Under: BookWorms, Busy Bees, Events, Family Fun, for the KIDS, Kids At Work, Mom's Corner, Mommy Talk Tagged With: , ,
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