About the Book:
Author: Mae Astrid Tobias, Rommel E. Joson (Illustrator), Renato S. Rastrollo
Date Published: 2012, Adarna House
Available in Goodreads or thru Adarna House.
Who are the indigenous and folk artists of the Philippines? Guardians of Tradition is full of facts about 11 of Philippine master weavers, folk musicians, performing artists, mat weavers and metal smiths whose talents and skills have earned them the title Manlilikha ng Bayan. Designed to help children recognize native Filipino ingenuity and creativity, the book includes fun activities to promote appreciation for culture and arts. Guardians of Tradition has a fun and colorful design that appeals to young readers.
About the Author:
MAE ASTRID TOBIAS (1979-2009) was a Palanca-award winning author of children’s books. In addition to Guardians of Tradition, her books include Blue Bananas (Crucible), Bayong ng Kuting (Lampara Books), My Forest Friends (Haribon), Bakawan (Adarna Books) and two books retelling the Ifugao traditional chant, hudhud. These are Halikpon: A Retelling of an Ancient Ifugao Chant and Pumbakhayon: An Origin Myth of the Ifugao Hudhud. Both are finalists for children’s literature and best design in the 2006 National Book Awards of the Manila Critics Circle.
She also spent several years in the field of children’s television. She served as the Manila Bureau Manager of Kabataan News Network, a project of UNICEF and Probe Media Foundation that trains young people nationwide how to produce their own broadcast quality documentaries. She also also wrote episodes for children shows like Sirit!, and ABS-CBN and Eskuwela ng Bayan, as well as worked for Philippine Junior Inquirer and Shell Foundation. She was a member of Kuwentista ng mga Tsikiting (KUTING), an organization of Filipino writers for children.
About the Illustrator:
ROMMEL JOSON is a painter and an illustrator. He graduated magna cum laude and College Valedictorian from the 
University of Philippines College of Fine Arts. He was also a Merit Scholar and a recipient of the Dean’s Awards for Visual Awards from the Ateneo de Manila University, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management. He worked in the advertising industry for several years before devoting his time fully to painting and illustration. He has received awards and citations for painting, illustration, comics, and design from various organizations such as the Philippine Board of Books for Young People (Honorable Mention), the Shell National Art Competition (3rd Place Oil/Acrylic Category), the Neil Gaiman/Fully Booked Graphic Fiction Competition (3rd Place in the Graphic Fiction category), the Adobo Design Awards (Silver) and the Philippine Araw Awards (Silver in Art Direction) and the Metrobank Art and Design Excellence Competition (Semifinalist in Oil). He is currently an active member of Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang INK).
About the Photographer:
RENATO S. RASTROLLO, is a photographer, graphic artist, book and exhibit designer. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts major in Advertising from the Philippine Women’s University. With over 25 years of experience in the field of documentary photography, his works have appeared in national and international publications. Presently, he is a culture and arts officer at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
My Review:
I was so excited to do a review of Guardians of Tradition because it looked like a book that could really teach valuable lessons on Filipino culture to my two tween girls. It didn’t disappoint.
I had my girls read it and collectively we all think that it’s a very informative book that can be easily read and understood by older kids (mine are 11 and 10 years old). It features 11 Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan awardees, who are all experts of different traditional folk arts. I think that the author was able to give enough information about these talented people and what their contributions are/were to their communities and to Philippine culture without it being boring.
There are two things we love about the book. The first are the really nice and colorful photos and illustrations that I think really helps the kids’ imagination and gives them an idea of what the author was talking about. Having characters like the Filipino kid, Kiko and his Philippine Eagle companion, Banog, serve as tour guides in the book was a great touch. The second thing we love is the Make Your Own sections, which features different activities kids can do to sort of imitate what the Guardians of Traditions do. I think doing these activities with ones kids is a great add on to their learning.
The book also contains a glossary at the back so that it will be easy to find the definition of terms used in the book. Plus, there’s also a page that contains contact information of places you can visit if you want to learn more about the guardians of tradition and Philippine culture in general.
I highly recommend this book for parents to read with their kids, whether they may go to regular school or are being homeschooled. Compared to many school books about Philippine culture, this one is easily understandable and fun to read. Kids will learn a lot! I know I did.
The Giveaway:
For the duration of the Guardians of Tradition Blog Tour, Guardians of Tradition is available at discounted prize at the Adarna showroom in Scout Torillo corner Scout Fernandez Streets, Barangay Sacred Heart, Quezon City 1103 Philippines (Trunkline: (632) 352-6765, Fax: (632) 352-6765 local 125, Email Address: [email protected]).
For international readers and Filipinos abroad, an ebook version is coming soon. To order paperback copies online, visit http://adarna.com.ph/authors/mae-astrid-tobias.html.
However, you can also join the giveaway in order to win a copy and some other goodies. Just follow the Rafflecopter instructions below. Good luck!
Prizes:
- One $25 Amazon Gift Card + signed copy of Guardians of Tradition from Adarna + 1 CD of National Living Treasure Bayan Sumaon Sulaiman from NCCA
- 3 $10 Amazon Gift Card + signed copy of Guardians of Tradition from Adarna + 1 CD of National Living Treasure Bayan Sumaon Sulaiman from NCCA
- 6 signed copies of Guardians of Tradition from Adarna + 6 CDs of National Living Treasure Bayan Sumaon Sulaiman from NCCA