Rebyu sa TALIPAPÂ: Antolohíya ng mga Tulâng Pambatà
FOREWORD
How do children see the world?
We were all children once and our childhood experiences vary depending on our family orientation, social status, dialects, linguistic communities, and diverse cultural backgrounds among others. But all of these boil down to one thing, innocence, and purity.
And so, to write something children’s literature requires looking back and tracing the earliest consciousness to understand the world and people in it. A children’s literature writer must transcend the innermost fragility of the human soul.
Literary writing designed for children reflects that enigmatic spirit that is pure, innocent, and pristine. Every word must intend to lift up their young mind and lofty heart. To read and comprehend something which is complex and complicated might hurt them emotionally and give them a wrong signal about life. Hence, children’s book with its fragility requires, care, nourishment and nurturing.
For the children to be amused and entertained, life must be described as pleasurable and desirable. They must see the world beyond its deceiving characteristics, they must see the realities of life which emphasize life values and pure intentions. To weave dreams and contrast them with reality is beyond comprehension. Hence, they need to feel, with its breadth and width, from between and beyond the lines that they are being embraced by their loved ones, the community people, and the totality of society as well. In every corner of their humanity is a face of earnestness ready to assimilate knowledge and discoveries about life. Introducing them to the universal emotions which highlight love, happiness, joy, playfulness, selflessness, smiles and laughter, and carefree and high-spirited life with the ray of sun. All these that permeate their innocence are more than enough to define who they are.
Further, the children must feel the ever-infinite care, guidance, and protection of the sovereign God as reflected in their parents’ lives, the benevolence and the generosity of their neighbors in the community, and the bursts of resonated laughter of their chums and friends near and far from their abodes.
Moreover, the children must feel the summer breeze as it touches their skin with lingering fondness. They can play, hop and jump in the puddles unmindful of the muddy ground, they may climb trees with precision not to fall from them, they can chase their tall shadows under the sun, they can whistle without melody and without shame, and even finds beauty when they being insulted by their playmates. They can do almost everything with an unsaturated passion that gives them astounding pleasure.
In the real world, children might be portrayed as vulnerable, susceptible, and hopeless. But this book will show in contrast with their fragility- they show strength, sturdiness, and agility. They are the reasons why their loved ones are inspired, facing life to the fullest, motivating them to go on, and facing the world with courage. Hence this book shall be an illumination of a portion of humankind experiencing life that is magnified and totally whole.
In this book, the readers will see the wonders and awesome world of the children with all of its simplicity and modesty. The thirst for self-introspection will be felt by asking for more as wonderful memories about being children will be unfolded. The pristine pleasure of children will permeate into the readers’ soul even into the hardened hearts to consummate themselves into the world of the young and the little ones!
The various literary genres which will unravel the children’s idiosyncrasies will come alive effortlessly as the energy of the words will dance with the human spirit. Certainly, the children’s emotionality will align with the universality of pureness and flawlessness that secures the soft spot in the heart of even the most disheartened and miserable being in this world called life!
It is my prayer that this tiny children's book shall cause an immensity of change to the readers. A literary gem with the contributions of various writers with different orientations, perspectives, and aspirations shall guide us to achieve that ultimate goal of pleasurable reading where the children are the lead characters. This precious literary anthology of poems and short stories shall inspire and ignite the spirit to conquer the consciousness of whoever will read it. To impart this ultimate goal is to share the wisdom of God through stewardship- using the God-given talents to cause change to the unmindful and malevolent. With the candid presentation of children’s pure, innocent, and modest life experiences from this literary material, the readers will be awed and euphoric. Be inspired.
Dr. Ruth C. Alfonso
Dean, Institute of Teacher Education
Manuel V. Gallego Foundation Colleges
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