The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong launched a series of bilingual children’s books last Sunday to commemorate Philippine Literature Month, aiming to promote literacy and cultural exchange.
This remarkable collection comprises 12 books, published by Room To Read Hong Kong, including eight titles in bilingual Filipino and Chinese editions, as well as six in Hindi-Chinese and Urdu-Chinese bilingual formats. The collection was unveiled at a formal event at the Consulate, which included a captivating book reading session attended by parents and their children.
Consul General Germinia V. Aguilar-Usudan eloquently stated, “The art of creative writing that we celebrate this month is one of the vehicles for people to express their innermost thoughts and feelings in ways that contribute beauty to the world.”
Furthermore, in her keynote speech, the Consul General highlighted, “We have chosen to feature the work of our very own Ms. Corazon ‘Azon’ Amaya Canete, a media veteran in the Philippines and in Hong Kong, and one of the distinguished members of the Filipino community. Her book is entitled ‘Maraming Nanay Sa Hong Kong’ or ‘There Are Many Mothers in Hong Kong’.”
During the reading session that followed the book launch event, “Maraming Nanay Sa Hong Kong” was read aloud to the children by the Consul General herself in Filipino, while Canete’s son Gabriel narrated the Chinese version.
Aguilar-Usudan hailed this initiative as a celebration of Philippine literature and a bridge to different cultures in the multinational hub of Hong Kong. The event reinforced the Consulate’s role in sharing the richness of Filipino art and language abroad.
Bonnie Wong, the development manager at Room To Read Hong Kong, the nonprofit publisher of the children’s books, emphasized, “World change starts with educated children.” The organization generously gave away complimentary sets of the eight Filipino-Chinese books.
Room To Read Hong Kong has been a champion of children’s literacy across Asia and Africa for over two decades through publishing and educational projects. The bilingual books aim to nurture reading habits while highlighting diverse cultural narratives.
The 8 books in bilingual Filipino and Chinese are the following:
- “Ang Laro nina Rona at POWA” written by Becky Gerodias and illustrated by Joanne Wong
- “Ang mga Kulay ng Hong Kong” written by May Lee and illustrated by Libby Lam
- “Ang Malungkot na Lungsod ni Sam” written by Cristine S. Belen and illustrated by Rain Haze
- “Ang Sumasayaw na Chopsticks” written by Mary Ann Ordinario and illustrated by Ivan Reverente
- “Kaya ba ni Maya” written by Eny Bawse and illustrated by Maia Hermosa
- “Kokak” written by Maloi Malibiran-Salumbides and illustrated by Dione King
- “Maraming Nanay sa Hong Kong” written by Corazon Amaya-Canete and illustrated by Evelyn Ghozalli
- “Sorpresang Bertdey ni Tin-Tin” written by Rhande Garlitos and illustrated by Marcus Nada
And these are the books written in bilingual Hindi and Urdu with Chinese:
- “Beyond the Clouds” written and illustrated by Samidha Gunjal
- “Emil’s Treasure Box” written by Yna Reyes and illustrated by Felix Mago Miguel
- “Wait Don Don” written by Joshene Bersales and illustrated by Coco Choi
- “Quest for Bindi” written by Purnima Solapurkar and illustrated by Daud Nugraha
