Story by May Tobias-Papa
Illustrations by Isabel Roxas
2010 Best Reads for Children, 1st National Children’s Book Awards
I’m coming with Nanay! We’re going to the market. What would we see there? Who would I meet? Come, join us! Today is market day!
Sasama ako kay Nanay! Pupunta kami sa palengke. Ano-ano kaya ang makikita namin doon? Sino-sino kaya ang makikilala ko? Tara, sama ka. Ngayon ay araw ng palengke!
Available in big book format
as an app from the App Store and Google Play
ISBN: 978-971-508-317-1
Published: 2008
Language: Filipino (Tagalog) with English translation
Age Recommendation: 5+
32 pages | 100 grams | 7 by 9 inches
Citation from the 2010 National Children's Book Awards:
“Makinig ka nang mabuti,” her mother tells her. “Humawak ka sa akin nang mahigpit, ha? Para hindi ka mawala. At hindi puwedeng magturo ng ipabibili.” And so the story begins with a promise: “Opo, Nanay, pangako po.”
Early one morning, a little girl accompanies her mother to the market. They take readers with them. The market is hot and noisy, smelly and muddy, but it’s also fascinating and colorful, because it’s seen from a point of view that’s only about three feet tall. When they arrive home, and our little girl unpacks the bayong to find a surprise wrapped in newspaper at the bottom, it’s her joy we feel in the little dance that she does.
Araw sa Palengke is a true marriage of text and visual image. The story by May Tobias-Papa is gentle and straightforward, and the illustrations by Isabel Roxas are charming and finely detailed. The result is a lighthearted picture book that is nuanced, controlled, and thoroughly engaging. A really good read.