Lakas and the Manilatown Fish/Si Lakas at ang Isdang Manilatown [Hardcover]

Anthony D. Robles (Author), Carl Angel (Author), Magdalena Guzman (Author), Eloisa D. de Jesus (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Can a fish talk? Can it jump and play and run -- especially run -- just like a small boy? When Lakas and his dad go shopping, they meet a very special fish that can do all these things and more! But this fish won't stay put in its fish tank. Once it leaps out, a cast of unusual Manilatown characters chases it down Kearny Street and all the way to San Francisco Bay. Hoy, hoy! Will Lakas and his friends ever catch this sly and charming fish? Lakas and the Manilatown Fish/Si Lakas at ang Isdang Manilatown is the first-ever bilingual English-Tagalog story set in the U.S., reflecting the historical heart of the Filipino community.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-A Filipino boy has a dream about a fish that can talk and jump and play. The next morning, Lakas looks into a tank at the Happy Fish Market in Manilatown and is soon eye to eye with a talking fish. Just as the shop owner tries to catch him, the fish leaps out of the water, kisses the man, and runs away. Lakas, his father, and the Happy Fish man (who has fallen "dizzy in love") run after the creature. So begins a merry chase through the streets of San Francisco, with each of the fish's kisses adding another besotted character to the cast. The fun lasts all the way to the bay, where the fish pulls his pursuers from the water after they follow him in. The last page shows the boy and his new friend sharing a bath. The colorful, full-page illustrations accentuate the excitement and provide a focus for this lengthy tale. The book begins with an introduction for adults and ends with a brief history of Filipinos in San Francisco. The tale is told in Tagalog on the left page and English on the right, so events in the story aren't always exactly matched to those depicted in the art. This layout is confusing and makes the pages incredibly text heavy. Still, there are some fun moments, and libraries that serve Filipino communities will want this title.
Tali Balas, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Anthony D. Robles was born in San Francisco, Ca. His poetry has appeared in numerous journals and magazines, including DisOrient Journalzine, Pinoy Poetics, The Asian Pacific American Journal, and the anthology Seven-Card Stud with Seven Manangs Wild. Lakas and the Manilatown Fish, which was originally a bedtime story he told his own son Lakas, is his first children’s book.

Carl Angel is a painter and illustrator whose work is exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. He was born in Bainbridge, Maryland, in 1968, raised in Hawaii, and now lives in Oakland, California. He is the illustrator of the books Mga Kuwentong Bayan: Folk Stories from the Philippines and Willie Wins, and has contributed to the anthology, Honoring Our Ancestors.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Children's Book Press; Bilingual edition (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892391820
• ISBN-13: 978-0892391820
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 11.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #190,796 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #79 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Fish
  • #82 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Multicultural Stories > Asian & Asian American

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HO, HOY!!! FUN, VIBRANT STORY!, November 4, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Lakas and the Manilatown Fish/Si Lakas at ang Isdang Manilatown (Hardcover)

WOW! Did you know that Filipino fish could KISS??? Muuuuua! My nieces are in love with this bilingual (Filipino/English) story. It takes them through Manilatown following a singing fish. The illustrations are vibrant and alive. Makes you want to go out and find a kissing fish!

We own almost every book by Children's Book Press. They suddenly jumped from storytales to FUN books. Another bilingual (Spanish/English) book that I highly recommend from this press that just came out is DRUM, CHAVI, DRUM!/TOCA, CHAVI, TOCA! The little girl character is feisty and funny. It is set in Little Havana's Calle Ocho Festival. I commend Children's Book Press for being the first to publish books that are the first of their kind. An applause for this outstanding filipino book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun family read, December 21, 2004

By 

Mom of 2 (SF Bay Area) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lakas and the Manilatown Fish/Si Lakas at ang Isdang Manilatown (Hardcover)

We attended a reading of this book by the author at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. My kids (3 & 5) enjoy the story very much and often request it for bedtime. I disagree with one of the reviews above that the English/Tagalog format creates confusion with the illustrations...it makes perfect sense to me, and I think the illustrations are very well done. The Manilatown references in and out of the story add a degree of poignancy and make it a must have for every comtemporary American family of Filipino descent.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LAKAS' historical relevance, August 6, 2004

By 

sister_samsara (Oakland, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lakas and the Manilatown Fish/Si Lakas at ang Isdang Manilatown (Hardcover)

There are so few books about Filipino American kids, and even fewer Tagalog-English bilingual books, so LAKAS AND THE MANILATOWN FISH is a very important contribution. I love this book because it is very entertaining and visually exciting, but also because it's deeply rooted in community history and seeks to educate others about lost Filipino American history. Read LAKAS to share the adventures of a young Pinoy and his zany fish friend, but also to learn about what happened to Manilatown in San Francisco.