12 Days of Bookbed Recs: ‘The Baby-sitters Club’ series by Ann M. Martin

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by KB Meniado The Baby-sitters Club was the first book series I collected growing up, and so every reread takes me back to childhood. I rediscover Kristy Thomas’s can-do attitude and her single mom-led household; Claudia Kishi’s passion for art and her addiction to sweets; Stacey McGill’s city-girl sophistication and her daily life with diabetes; Mary Anne Spier’s thoughtfulness and stellar organizational skills; Dawn Schafer’s individualism and her healthier options to life; Mallory Pike’s writer dream and big family dynamics; Jessi Ramsey’s love for ballet and her strong determination in life. I loved them so much to the point I actually…

12 Days of Bookbed Recs: Children’s Books #12daysofBookbedRecs

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by Nove Patangan Plenty of my nephews and nieces are drowning in toys they no longer use, and buying them more stuff can feel like a gratuitous waste of precious house space (and money). Books then is a great alternative. I’m one of the typical titas who would rather spend a penny for a book that I feel my pamangkins would love to read. So when the Big Bad Wolf arrived in Davao, I thought this was the perfect time to stock up for the kid’s library. Since I can’t bring all of them here in the city since they live…

12 Readers Share Their Favorite Books from Childhood

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by KB Meniado We all remember our first loves. Here are 12 more readers and the books they adored as a kid! (Related: “8 Books from My Childhood You’ve Also Probably Read and Loved“) “Skinnybones by Barbara Park—witty, underdog story, hilarious; The Three Investigators by Robert Arthur—something like the Hardy Boys, but smarter; and Many Moons by James Thurber—whimsical children’s fantasy. Funny too.” —Reev Robledo “Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie and Superfudge by Judy Blume!” —Glorypearl Dy “The Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine and the Sweet Valley series by Francine Pascal when I was in grade school. Soon after, I…

8 Books from My Childhood You’ve Also Probably Read and Loved

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by KB Meniado This may be a little late for National Children’s Book Day, but since we’re still celebrating Bookbed’s eight year (join our giveaway here), here are eight books I loved as a kid. I can still remember the first time I picked up each one of these (and all those times I dog-eared them), and I am so thankful for having had the privilege to start the reading habit at an early age. Reading has helped shape me as a person—and I’d like to believe I turned out okay—so if you have the access or can provide opportunities to…

Bookbed reviews ‘Si Dru at ang Kwento ng Limang Kaharian’ ni Clara Ng

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ni KB Meniado Ang huling nabasa kong Aklat ng Salin mula sa Adarna House ay Si Tito Libro At Ako (Book Uncle and Me) ni Uma Krishnaswami. Nagustuhan ko iyon at kaya nama’y walang pagdadalawang isip na pinulot ko ang librong ito mula sa istante noong nakaraang Manila International Book Fair. ANG KWENTO Isang palaaway na batang babae ang napadpad sa mundo ng limang malulungkot na hari. Isang makapangyarihang puno ang magsisilbing daan para siya ay makauwi. Samahan si Dru sa kaniyang pakikipagsapalaran sa limang mahiwagang kaharian. (A feisty young girl finds herself lost in a world of five sad kings. A powerful tree will…

Bookbed reviews: ‘Malong: The Magic Cloth’ by Mary Ann Ordinario-Floresta

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by KB Meniado It’s a great time for book lovers and readers alike today: more diverse books are being released, and they’re more accessible and affordable now more than ever. There are stories in different languages and of distinct cultures, and if one tries hard enough, they’ll find one that’s exactly about them. Let’s say you’re from Mindanao, and you’ve been looking for reading materials that hit close to home. A quick search online will lead to multiple publishers, both mainstream and indie, providing titles that speak of home. To name a few, there’s Sari-Sari Storybooks, Swito Digital Storytelling Philippines, Cotabato Literary Journal….

Bookbed reviews: ‘The Love of Lam-ang,’ ‘A Boy Named Ibrahim’

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byKB Meniado It’s always a delight reading children’s books. In between their story lines are secrets, magic and a whole bunch of life lessons applicable at any age. When I’m on a reading rut, they are the most reliable. I pick up a few, and my eagerness to read more returns. Here, I share two recent reads, which are from my book haul at the 37th Manila International Book Fair. The first one is about the legendary Lam-ang, and the other about a Muslim child. Both are illustrated so stunningly it would be a shame not to appreciate. THE STORY…

Storiesnap Time: ‘I Don’t Like to Eat’ by Excel Dyquiangco and Marcus Nada

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Welcome to Storiesnap Time, in which we feature books with illustrations in snaps and clips. For our first book, we chose I Don’t Like To Eat by Excel Dyquiangco and Marcus Nada. It is a wordless story about a little boy who eats only junk food, a recommended read for ages six and above. Watch the video below to check out a few pages, and if you enjoyed this, let us know in the comments below. We also welcome requests so feel free to send titles our way! ☁ This book is available on the Adarna House website. This post is not sponsored.

Bookbed reviews: ‘Detective Boys of Masangkay: Ang Mangkukulam’ by Bernalyn Hapin Sastrillo

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by Nicai de Guzman THE STORY Nawawala ang alagang pusa ni Ate Lotlot at ang alagang tuta ni Junjun. Ninakaw ang mga sinampay ni Aling Cora. Pinatay ang mga panabong na manok ni Mang Jimmy. Na-kidnap ang sikat na Shino Kid. May isang mangkukulam. May isang dalagitang bagong lipat. May tatlong binatilyong fans ni Detective Conan. Sila ang lulutas sa lahat ng misteryong bumabalot sa Barangay Masangkay. Read reviews: Goodreads WHAT I LIKED The story is set in the 90’s at the height of the anime craze among Pinoy children and teens. Filipino 90’s kids will definitely love the references made…

Bookbed reviews: ‘What Things Mean’ by Sophia N. Lee

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by Nicai de Guzman THE STORY Olive is your typical teenage girl with growing pains. She has weird taste in food, she knows nothing about makeup and she feels she doesn’t belong in her family. This is aggravated by her physical appearance that couldn’t have come any farther from her mom’s and her extended family’s. Olive has dark skin, curly hair that can’t be tamed, and is taller than most girls her age. On top of all these, a dark cloud looms over Olive’s everyday life—she has never met her father and her mother refuses to talk about him. As Olive…