by KB Meniado
Andres Bonifacio has never been my top answer for whenever somebody asks me who my favorite Filipino hero is. (Don’t worry; it’s not Manny Pacquiao either.) Frankly, there was just too much Jose Rizal in the environment I grew up in, ending up with me having only a shallow grasp of what Bonifacio’s story was. Of course, I knew he was the Supremo, the father of the Philippine revolution, but when I picked up What Kids Should Know About Andres and the Katipunan (written by Weng Cahiles, illustrated by Isa Natividad), I found out, well, how cool he actually was.
THE STORY
Who was Andres Bonifacio? How was Andres as a brother, a husband, and as a revolutionary leader? Here is a handy reference for children on the life of the Supremo and the Katipunan.
Sino si Andres Bonifacio? Paano si Andres umasal bilang kapatid, asawa, at pinuno ng rebolusyon? Narito ang isang madaling sanggunian para sa mga bata tungkol sa buhay ng Supremo at ng Katipunan.
WHAT I LIKED
Written in a tone that would engage any reader at any age, the book talks about the secrets of the Katipunan (or the Kataastaasan Kagalanggalang na Katipunan ng Mga Anak ng Bayan) and also reveals possibly never-before shared details of Bonifacio’s personal life—how he was as a brother, a family man and a leader.
For example, I loved finding out that the Supremo was a reader himself! And that the Katipuneros had secret handshakes they used when meeting in public to distinguish themselves as members of the KKK.
The art was also something I enjoyed a lot that I thought I would *gasp* cut out a couple of them to make into a collage. They complimented the narrative so well it was a breeze to finish the book in an hour.
The bonus? There were also activities for kids after every chapter and even though I’m already almost 25, you bet I still made my own Katipunan flag and cracked that code, Katipunan writing system-style.
tl;dr
Ask me who my new favorite hero is. But you already probably know, thanks to What Kids Should Know About Andres.
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GIVEAWAY!
We have two (2) signed copies waiting for you! Answer the question “Who is your hero and why?” in the comments section below. Winners shall be chosen by the 31st of July. Good luck!
UPDATE: Congratulations to Jesse Aspril and Kathryn Anne Hilario! Email hello@bookbed.org. Thanks to everyone who joined the giveaway. Until the next one!
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