Not too long ago, when no one was looking, something wonderful began to happen in the field of children’s literature in the Philippines. Suddenly, the publishing of children’s titles seemed to have taken on a new life, and books written and illustrated by Filipino authors and illustrators became available in greater numbers in the market. And yet, as recent as six years ago*, one could count on one hand the individuals responsible for what made up the body of children’s literature in the country. Textbooks, coloring books, and folktales were the only printed materials synonymous with children’s literature. Happily, the landscape has drastically changed, and things are looking up.

The economy may have seen better and brighter times, but surprisingly, 2001 was not a bleak one for children’s literature. More interesting children’s titles were published, and while many businesses suffered financial reverses which forced them to close, children’s books publishers were not as adversely affected. Like other businesses, they may have had to streamline operations and cut costs, and even be conservative in their publishing projects, but the new titles were there for a new generation of readers whose parents nurtured their own reading habits on children’s books from the West. These young parents have become enlightened enough to support homegrown titles for their children. But what factors have allowed children’s literature to flourish in 2001?

Adarna House, founded by poet Virgilio Almario, and now on its 22nd year, is the oldest publishing house of children’s books in the country. Its "Aklat Adarna" series has been responsible for the sustained interest in and promotion of children’s books since the mid-’70, when it began, in partnership with the Nutrition Center of the Philippines, to promote good nutrition through children's stories. It is a tribute to Adarna that it has been consistent and unwavering in its goal of publishing quality literature written by Filipinos for Filipino children. In 2000 it published 16 titles, mostly fiction, but it included an impressive, five-book "Batang Historyador" series on five important eras in Philippine history, a project that was developed in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund. Some of the books carry texts in Filipino and in English, while others just have the original text. While sometimes distracting and encroaching on the art of the illustrator, the translations certainly accommodate a wider readership.

The genres represented by the titles published in 2001 reveal the thrusts Adarna, long considered a trendsetter, continues to explore. There were traditional folktales, contemporary fiction, a new book on the Filipino folk character Pilandok, and three teen novellas, winners of the First Pilar Perez Medallion for Young Adult Literature [this award was discontinued in 2003]. The literary contest is in itself a remarkable development, for it honors a little-known but legendary children’s librarian from Pasig, Pilar Perez, aside from addressing the need for more young adult books. As has been pointed out in reviews about the children’s literature in our country, local publishing has until recently concentrated largely on titles for early readers. What reading fare can we give yesterday’s early readers now that they are in the cusp of their adolescence?

Adarna has also taken the lead in promoting its books through regular storytelling in schools, combined with book fairs and author visits. It has long realized that the marketing of books encompasses more than the sale of books; that it requires a support marketing system to also promotes the love of reading.

Tahanan Books, five-time winner of the National Book Award for Children’s Literature, has been publishing quality titles since 1992, and continues with its line of books which celebrate Philippine culture and history. It aims to prove that these books can stand proud with books from all over the world. Because of the meticulous care with which Tahanan attempts to produce its books, it only has limited releases each year. In 2001,Tahanan launched seven titles, representing books for beginning readers and young adults. Noteworthy among these was 12 Kuwentong Pamasko, a collection of original Christmas stories written by the country’s most accomplished and most significant children’s book writer, Rene O. Villanueva, and illustrated by May M. Tobias.

Hiyas, OMF's children’s book imprint, has also been active in publishing original stories, thereby helping develop Filipino children's literature and promote its authors and illustrators. The imprint is perhaps best known for its "Mga Kuwento ni Tito Dok" series, by pediatrician-writer Luis P. Gatmaitan, a wonderful nonfiction series which invites young readers to discover, through entertaining stories, the wonders of the human body. The series is able to present typically drab textbook information through memorable stories, and echoes the highly successful "The Magic School Bus" Science series in the United States.

If children’s book publishing were not deemed a sunrise industry, why would a publisher of highly marketable adult romance paperbacks decide to establish Lampara Books and embark on 10 new books on its maiden year?

Cacho Publishing, another publisher known for its pioneering efforts in the industry, may not be as active as it was about a decade ago (when it experimented with the then “revolutionary” idea of parallel text editions in Filipino and English), but it has since broken ground by concentrating on the juvenile novel meant for the upper grade or early high school students. O.C.W. by Carla Pacis, the author's third novel published by Cacho, for instance, was Cacho’s fourth book in that category.

The formal beginnings of children’s literature have been attributed to Jose Rizal, whose now well-loved tale “The Monkey and the Tortoise” was first published in July 1889 in a London publication, Trubner’s Oriental Record. It is acknowledged to be the very first Filipino tale for children. Least known of his many talents is his having dabbled in translation as well. He translated five fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen into Tagalog and mailed them to his nephews and nieces together with his own illustrations. These have been reprinted in the book Rizaliana for Children: Illustrations and Folk Tales, introduced and annotated by the late Alfrredo Navarro Salanga and published by the Children’s Communication Center in 1984.

It is the faithful commemoration of the anniversary of the publication of Rizal’s first folktale, for close to two decades now, that has provided a growing level of public awareness of our country's children’s literature. The third Tuesday in July has been designated National Children’s Book Day (NCBD), with many book-related activities leading up to the occasion–which has withstood both natural disasters and upheavals in the cultural, political, and economic scenes. The NCBD celebrations are organized by The Philippines Board on Book for Young Readers (PBBY), a non-stock, non-profit organization of members committed to the promotion of books and reading for the youth. PBBY is represented on its board by individuals from different sectors involved, directly por indirectly, in the children’s book world: book reviewers, booksellers, researchers, educators, illustrators, librarians, mass media practitioners, publishers, storytellers, and writers. Completing the board are members from four institutions: the Children’s Communication Center, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Museo Pambata, and the National Library of the Philippines.

A traditional feature of Children's Book Day is the awarding by PBBY of the Salanga Writers' Prizeand the Alcala Illustrators' Prize, and the recognition of the authors and artists via an annual reading promotion poster, distributed free of charge to public schools and libraries all over the country.

While it is still difficult for children’s authors and illustrators to live solely on their art—a phenomena not unknown to those in adult literature—the growing opportunities in children’s literature cannot be glossed over. The field also enjoys support from the annual Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Literary Awards for children’s stories in English and in Filipino. The awards are given by the Manila Critics' Circle; and the Junior Inquirer, the children’s weekend supplement of the broadsheet Philippine Daily Inquirer, which features a column of children’s book reviews plus stories by and for children.

Book launches and signings have become regular events in the literary calendar throughout the year, not just during the National Children's Book Day celebrations and the Manila International Book Fair. Rizal Commercial Banking Cooporation's Kuwentong Kalikasan Story Writing Contest also draws a large number of student entries nationwide every year, and is regarded as a valuable outlet for aspiring writers.

While the industry thrives, in a manner of speaking, book sales leave much to be desired. The country which likes to flaunt its high literacy rate has no reading habit to speak of. In the absence of public libraries and in light of the unsatisfactory condition of most school libraries (if they exist at all), where books are safely stored away to "protect" them from wear and tear wrought by young readers, how and where will children discover the joy of reading?

The results of the Filipino Youth Study 2001, commissioned by the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus, the Ateneo de Manila Grade School and the Global Filipino Foundation, reveal that young people aged 7 to 21 number about 25.5 million Filipinos, comprising one third of our national population. If 10 percent of them bought one book a year, children’s books sales could generate millions each year, an amount that should help improve the quality of publishing and allow publishing to thrive happily ever after. But the reality is that only 19 percent of the 1.5 million children of the upper classes read regularly, while only 4-7 percent of the 24 million children of the lower classes do so.

Such statistics running in the millions are staggering but lamentable when held up in contrast to the publishers’ own data. An average print run of any children’s title in fiction or nonfiction that is not a text book runs from a few hundreds to 2,000. The biggest print run for even a bigger publisher like Adarna has been a “record” 10,000 copies. And the promising year that 2001 was yielded only a total of 47 books from eight publishers–-a leap from the previous years, they all say.

With the earning capacity of the typical Filipino family, it is understandable if books are not a priority in the tight family budget and continue to be viewed as an item of luxury. However ,for those have the means, the fact that they choose to buy computer and video games over books dramatizes the lamentably low status of books and reading materials in their hierarchy of needs and wants.

But one must not–should not–despair, for teachers and schools have begun to recognize the ill effects of the lack of literacy in our youth, even if they have been slow in discovering what our country's current children’s publishing offers. Contemporary children’s literature– its array of titles, from the humorous to the poignant, and its artful and courageous manner of treating sensitive issues, remain, for the most part, a "well-kept" secret. Little by little, however, reading is being given renewed emphasis, with local authors, illustrators, and storytellers being invited as guests into schools and libraries, and other reading promotion activities attempted with happy results.

Many doors continue to open for children’s literature, and in the tradition of magic stories, every door opens up to new surprises, new beginnings, new worlds. Much remains to be done. The door to the world of reading needs to be unlocked for all children. Let us not allow our children to continue to be so deprived. As a memorable reading promotion slogan poetically suggests, “Give them books, give them wings.” They deserve nothing less.

Posted October 2009