Рецепт Nanay Kolokoy Picks: Adarna House Books
Even before Zayne was born, my husband and I agreed that we would train her to speak both in English and Filipino. Sabi ko kay Boyet, ako na ang bahala sa English! Bwahahaha!
I don’t want to be the kind of Filipino parent who brags that my kids don’t know how to speak in Filipino. It’s not like a badge that I would be proud to wear. Why? First, gone are the days when English proficiency is the measure of a person’s intelligence. It might be true that those who speak fluently in English may have an edge than those who don’t, but there are many other factors that can determine a person’s success. I have been in the corporate world for more than a decade, and I have managed to interview and work with different kinds of people. A person may have grabbed a prestigious job because he did well in the interview, but English proficiency alone will not guarantee that he can keep that job forever. And second, my child is a Filipino! She needs English to succeed in life, but she needs the Filipino language to survive! E kung maligaw siya tapos hindi marunong mag-English ‘yung natanungan niya ng directions? O kaya paano siya bibili sa tindahan? Hihihi!
Aside from conversing both in English and Filipino, I also try to expose Zayne to Filipino books. It does not only help her train speak fluently in both languages, it will also help her be exposed in Filipino literature. Being a bookworm myself, I have discovered through the years that there are a lot of talented Filipino authors! To start Zayne young, I bought her some books from Adarna House. I discovered Adarna House from my long-time friend and mommy batchmate, Dianne. Incidentally, Adarna House had a promo last December so I got all of these board books to join the other books that I bought before Zayne was born!
Ok, so why do I love the books from Adarna House?
First, their books are very affordable! Some of these board books only cost PHP99. You can already build a library without straining your pockets.
Second, some of their books are written both in English and Filipino. It’s a brilliant way to get the kids acquainted in learning both languages.
Third, their books make me nostalgic. Hihi! Kids nowadays are so accustomed to Baby TV and Disney Junior. It makes me think whether they still know Bahay Kubo and Sampung Mga Daliri. By the way, these two are Zayne’s favorites! (My personal favorites are Dumaan si Butiki and Maghapon namin ni Nanay.)
And lastly, it’s my way of supporting our local industry. I’ve read a blog post written by a local author. She said that we have a lot of talented authors and illustrators, but they are not getting their needed breaks because of the lack of support from the Filipino buyers. She said that Filipinos still carry the stigma that local books are jologs, baduy and cheap. Trust me, it’s far from the truth!
Adarna House
Website: http://adarna.com.ph/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adarnahouseonline/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adarnahouse/
All opinions expressed here are my own. Just because something worked for me does not necessarily mean that it will work for you too, the same way that I don’t post selfies just because everybody else is doing it. Everything on this blog, unless otherwise stated, belongs to me. Plagiarism is stealing. And the Bible made it clear that thou shalt not steal. =)