Filipino Children's Favorite Stories (Hardcover)

~ Liana Elena Romulo (Author), Joanne de Leon (Author) "A long time ago, in a fishpond not far from the rice fields, there lived a giant crab named Maga..." (more)
Key Phrases: old sheriff

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-A compilation of 13 short folktales, many of them classics of the Filipino culture. Many of the themes are universal in nature. Tales of greed and laziness and their consequences, nature's ways, family love and loyalty, and humorous trickster tales are all included. Many of the selections have counterparts from other cultures. "The Deer and the Snail" is a "Tortoise and the Hare" variant, and children will recognize "The Prince's Bride" as "Beauty and the Beast" with a twist. Others are quite different, such as "Why Mosquitoes Buzz Around Our Ears," which is surprisingly unlike the well-known African tale. "The Battle of the Sea and Sky" is a particularly nice telling of the creation of the Philippine Islands. Each story is accompanied by de Leon's ink-and-watercolor illustrations. The artist has subtly paid tribute to the diversity of the islands by using a variety of styles in the costume, suggestive of the different regions. A lovely addition to folklore collections.

Roxanne Burg, Thousand Oaks Library, CA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

From "The Prince's Bride" to "The Magic Lake" to "The Deer and the Snail", the classic Filipino children's stories have amused, inspired, and taught millions of children throughout the centuries with poignant, universal life lessons. Now they're gathered together-many for the first time-in this gorgeous volume. Selected and retold by Liana Elena Romulo, augmented with whimsical watercolor illustrations by award-winning artist Joanne De Leon, this precious collection of adored Filipino myths and stories is sure to become a Western classic.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Periplus Editions (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 962593765X
• ISBN-13: 978-9625937656
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #222,932 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming and Humorous Addition for your child's library, April 19, 2004

By A Customer

I was randomly looking for a children's book on the Philippines for my young son, who is half Filipino on his mother's side. I wanted something suitable for a young child, and that would also provide a positive view of Filipino culture and people. I can say unequivocably I found what I wanted in this book. There are charming stories, beautiful illustrations, and a refreshinly positive perspective on an Asian society that is so often viewed for only its economic problems.

After the first story "why mosquitso buzz around our ears", I was captivated by the humor and the small cultural bits within the story. Other stories, like "Alunsina" are majestic creation stories, and shed some insight on pre-Christian beliefs. The themes within the stories are universal (good vs. evil, honest vs. dishonest, lazy vs. diligent, etc.) but it is refreshing to get the lessons from a non-western tradition. There are some cruel incidents (like the giant pulling off the wing of a kindly dragonfly), but less so than in the standard Brothers Grimm.

In short, this is a wonderful instructive book filled with beautiful watercolor illustrations that I would recommend for all parents of young childern, and others interested in cross cultural exposure.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better than nothing, July 21, 2004

By	A Reader (MD,US) - See all my reviews

Beautiful illustrations! My 3 year old enjoys looking at the pictures. But, I'm disappointed with the storytelling. I've read many of these stories as a child and wanted to share them with my son. But, I found the style long on words and a bit tedious. Older versions of these tales told in a straight-forward manner made for livelier story-telling. Many of these stories are half as long in older translations than what appears here. I would not recommend this were it not the ONLY easily available book on Filipino stories for children.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic, September 30, 2005

By	E. Beckmann "Em" (Missouri) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Having grown up in the Philippines, I had wonderful memories of reading folk stories in grade school. Though I cannot find our text book that sparked my imagination, this was the best thing I can find. I sometimes even use it as a Sunday school supplement to teach values like honesty, sharing, friendships, and so forth. I always have a captive audience!