Fifteen Days to Go

Gulp. October 16 is the deadline for the 2007 PBBY-Salanga Prize. If you want to submit an entry, click here for more details.
Write, Nikki... WRITE!!!

Tree Heaven

This post will have nothing to do with paperclips... but a lot to do with trees. I started a new blog today to share my favorite snapshots. I thought my first post is a good way to remember all the trees in Tree Heaven after the super typhoon Milenyo hit last Thursday. May all of you - including of course, the 61 people who lost their lives - rest in peace.

Adarna House Launches 2006 Titles

Hope to see you on Saturday! Adarna House launches its 2006 titles and it'll be a good afternoon of books, writers... and halo-halo!

Every year, Adarna House launches a new batch of children’s books to both educate and entertain the Filipino child. This year, 7 new titles will be available at the fun-filled launch on October 7, 2006, Saturday, from 2-5pm, at the Activity Area of Citywalk 2, Eastwood City. Adarna’s authors and illustrators will be present for book signing. There will be storytelling, face painting, arts and crafts, fun games, and freebies for everyone! Admission is absolutely free. For inquiries, call 372-35-48 loc 110 and look for Vanessa. This event is made possible through Animal House, Chocolate Kiss, and National Book Store.

PS. A big thank you to Adarna house for deciding to do a second printing for The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots! Yahooo! They removed the flap (I think it looks better!) and added the space to "purplespots" (whew!).

The Yellow Paperclip and Two Great Men

What does a yellow paperclip have in common with a Pakistani community developer and a Japanese missionary doctor based in Afghanistan?

It is a great honor to write stories about two of Asia's great men - two men the RMAF has recognized with the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Awards. The Foundation has initiated a project to create children's books on the lives of these great men and women of Asia to inspire us with their life stories. Prior to this project, I have never heard about Shoaib Sultan Khan or Tetsu Nakamura; now, after reading their biographies and several write-ups, and spending weeks writing, editing and re-writing 1,000-word stories, I wish I could meet them in person and see what they're like up-close-and-personal.

To a Teacher of Everything and The Lucky Doctor, I do hope my stories give justice to the amazing work you've done in Pakistan and Afghanistan. More importantly, I hope your stories inspire kids to aspire to become great men and women when they grow up.

Thanks to Tita Gang and Tita Emily for inviting me to be part of this incredible project!

My Love Story with the Color Purple

PURPLE has been tagged as a "Nikki-color" by those closest to me. Even before I wrote The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots, I have always been into anything and everything purple. Let me tell you my love story with this funky color. It actually has a lot to do with my life... and with love.

In 8th grade, my middle school boyfriend and I had matching purple t-shirts. Nothing fancy, just plain, round-necked purple t-shirts. We were 15, happily on Cloud 9 and purple was "our" color. We came as twins for our Middle School's Twin Day with our matching shirts and khaki shorts. We'd laugh and credit our shared brainwaves whenever we'd wear our shirts on the same day. We were both in purple when we first hugged on the morning after I dropped the bad news that I was leaving for another country. We have several photos in our purple shirts. It's now 13 years later: my purple t-shirt is worn-out (and goes well with my Spongebob pajamas) but it still brings back a flood of happy memories every time I wear it and drift off to dreamclouds.

In high school, I played for the basketball team in my purple Chucks. I wore purple socks to add a little color to our dull white-and-gray school uniform. I remember buying a lot of purple envelopes, sign pens and fancy papers. I must have thrown out my worn-out Chucks (since I can't find them... sob!) but after seeing how well yellow paperclips go with them (check out Ada's purple chucks here), I'm thinking of getting another pair. Or should I get purple Crocs instead? (Update: I got a pair of gold mary jane Crocs but bought a purple star jibbitz!)

In college, I headed a team for the Ateneo Student Trainers (STrains) called The Euphoric Eggplants and purple became our official team color. One team member started by giving everyone purple ballpens. Another sent all his emails in purple font. I gave out purple folders and made funky purple stickers of happy dancing eggplants. We called each other "Eggplant Jon" or "Eggplant Ericka" or "Eggplant Nats" (who came to the last book signing at Powerbooks!). The Euphoric Eggplants is one of my most favorite and memorable teams I worked with.

In DDI, I was esctatic when Pittsburgh HQ decided to have purple, specifically Pantone 260, as a primary corporate color. We had official DDI folders, notebooks and pens in purple. Our corporate brochure and PowerPoint template came in shades of purple. I asked everyone to wear purple for our marketing events. I was purple from head to toe (accompanied by 100+ purple items) for our Christmas Crayola Box Party two years ago. I always knew I was meant to work at DDI, but all that purple was just too good to be true. (Just last year, we shifted into a more formal and corporate look though. Dark blue and copper are now the primary colors, but it's all good because we still use Pantone 260 for all selection and assessment services!)

In other quirky Nikki-ways, purple has completely invaded every part of my life. I've bought a couple more purple items for my wardrobe. I'm often seen with my trusty purple wallet, purple knapsack or purple purse. I've spotted so many interesting purple things: wildflowers (this photo was taken at the Sacred Heart Novitiate in Novaliches last Easter), kiping at the Pahiyas festival, even firetrucks in downtown Manila. I delight in anything purple; family and friends now find it easy to give me gifts! Google took me to some pretty cool purple sites: the pointlessly but purposefully Purple.com (make sure you click on the FAQs!), the history and variations of purple on Wikipedia, and most importantly, The Purple Crayon, a site for writing, illustrating and publishing children's books!

In this paperclip adventure, this funky color has really been a bright spot. A good friend suggested that I add the purple spots and the story took on a whole new dimension. I was wearing my purple sweater when Ani called to tell me I won the PBBY-Salanga Grand Prize. I sign books in purple ink. As cheesy as it is, I try to wear purple whenever there's an event or celebration featuring the book (even if it's my underwear! Hee-hee...).

Most people associate purple with royalty and luxury or Lent. I see purple as a significant color of my life: without a question, I am a bright purple spot, inside and out.

I'm also very yellow... but that love story is for another post!

One Blue Paperclip = One Big Fight!

I saw a bright blue paperclip in the parking lot today and the Blue Eagles came to mind. I don't know how paperclips can be linked to basketball... except that I like both. Tee-hee. I've yet to watch a live game this season but I turn into a TV junkie every time it's the UAAP season. I hope I can be there when we become the champions again! PS. Thanks to my cousin for the cool photo.
Go, Ateneo! ONE BIG FIGHT!

*SNIFF*

Two people have told me that their friends have shed a tear (or two?) after reading my story. I couldn't believe it. Ada, the storyteller I met at the Book Fair, said her officemate got all emotional when she read the last line: Where will you take me? Vanessa of Adarna House just sent me this email:

I sent your book to a close friend who moved to California a year ago and wrote "for the paperclip whose trail i want to follow" on the title page. Umiyak, hahaha. Lagot tayo. PS. She officially loves the book now. Sayang, I wasn't able to have you and May Ann sign it.

Yikes! The next time you read The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots, you may just need a sheet (or a box!) of Kleenex!

The (Not-so-Shy) Yellow Paperclip Shares Stories at the Booktalk

The SCBWI Booktalk last night was a good way to spend a Monday evening. There were just five of us at Figaro Greenbelt but I think I can speak for the others when I say we all enjoyed ourselves. Beaulah and Nikki of SCBWI, plus Patrice, Steve and I, talked non-stop for a couple of hours about the books we brought. My last Booktalk was in February when there were 30+ people to listen to a talk on poetry for children by Lara Saguisag. Apparently, Patrice and Steve were also there... but we never got to meet. I've always liked smaller groups and so this Booktalk was much better as it allowed us to exchange thoughts and ideas more intimately.

Beaulah asked me to bring my Yellow Paperclip and since we're not supposed to talk about the book's plot, I shared the stories-behind-the-story: how Becca helped me develop the story, how the characters are real people in my life, how the themes are so close to my heart, and of course, how Glenn fits in with the whole adventure. It was the first time I shared so much about my story to a group. It was a bit of a "psychological striptease" (as my good friend Gang would often say about writing) - embarrassing yet somewhat liberating. I'm just happy they all listened and seemed to enjoy the inside stories. This story is the story of my life... that is, if you can read between the lines!

Meeting Patrice, who teaches at ISM, was definitely a highlight. She said she'll invite me to share my story with her students! How exciting! I think (and hope) fellow TCKs can relate to the Yellow Paperclip on a different level. I can't wait...

I look forward to Nikki's post about the Booktalk on the SCBWI Philippines blog. If you find yourself free and looking for something different to do on the first Monday evening of the month, join us. New Books + New Friends + Good Coffee + Good Conversation = A Good Evening. Hope to see you on October 9!

Happy Grandparents Day!

Grandparents Day falls on the first Sunday after the American Labor Day celebration. This year, we celebrate Grandparents Day tomorrow, Sunday, September 10. Click here for more info on this special day.

The Yellow Paperclip celebrates my grandparents in a unique way. Here's a bit of trivia: Grandma Remy is my Lola Meding (her real name was Remedios) and Grandpa Neil is my Lolo Eliong (his real name was Cornelio). Just like in the story, Lola Meding had the most beautiful silver hair and loved sitting in her rocking chair. I don't think he ever collected newspaper clippings but Lolo did die of cancer. Grandparents Day is extra special because it was our last family reunion together with both of them before Lola Meding passed away in November 1998.

I also want to share this artwork of Grandma Remy, painstakingly and lovingly made by Don Gonzales who sent me an email and posted the Yellow Paperclip on his blog. I have not met him - a "husband to Joy, father to Belle and Ivan, creative writer, illustrator, musician, film enthusiast and God-worshipper" - but any friend of the Yellow Paperclip is a friend of mine.

Don, salamat sa iyong pagbigay-buhay kay Lola Meding.

An Invitation to a BOOKTALK on Children's Books

Beaulah and Nikki, thanks for the plug! See you on Monday!

The next SCBWI Booktalk will be on Monday, September 11. You or someone you know might want to come.

* * *

Are you someone who has a keen interest in children's literature? Perhaps you're already a writer or illustrator of children's books? Or maybe someone who's aspiring to become one? If that's the case, come and join us!

* * *

What : Booktalk about children's and young adult books

When : Monday, September 11, 2006 from 6 to 9 pm

Where : Figaro, 3rd level Greenbelt 3, Makati

Bring : Any children's or young adult book to talk about

Example: The most recent National Book Award winner "The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots" by Nikki Dy-Liacco, illustrated by May Ann Licudine. The 1948 Newberry Award-winning "The 21 Balloons" by by William Pene du Bois . "The Three Little Pigs" retold and illustrated by Jean Claverie. The high school edition in English of "Noli Me Tangere" by Dr. Jose Rizal. "The Hunt" by Diane-Elizabeth Napier, one of 26 books in the Rainbow Readers series distributed by the National Literacy Association in the UK. "Catcher in the Rye" by JD Salinger. Or whatever children's or young adult book you bring that you want to bring and talk about!

For : Writers, illustrators, book designers, publishers, editors, translators, storytellers, counselors, librarians, booksellers, collectors, educators, teachers, parents, and other kinds of creators, advocates and passionate lovers of children's literature

Fee : P170 (includes one drink), SCBWI members P120

Host : Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI)

Everyone is welcome - members, non-members, friends. Interested? More details below.

* * *

How : Depending on the size of the group, we give each person anywhere from one to three minutes to speak. We then have a round-table discussion - about the books that we brought, and whatever other topics these books suggest. You can also do any or all of these - listen to the others, examine the books, ask questions, express an opinion, share an insight or relevant information, talk about your plans or projects. As long as it's related to books for children and young adults. It's usually inspiring, fun, enlightening, sometimes dismaying or even disturbing, always stimulating and thought-provoking.

Booktalk guidelines : We actually have very few rules, and one of them, we decided, is that when you booktalk, please DO NOT give us a summary of the book. Two or three sentences telling us what the story is about is fine. The rest of your booktalk should tell us what else you considered worth noting about the book - the writer's writing style, the writer's other books maybe, the writer's life and careeer, the the price of the book (not a small thing!), the state of the book (worn and tattered and obviously well used, perhaps), the quality or type of illustrations, the book design, the life and career of the illustrator, the book's production quality, the beautiful (or pitiful) paper for the inside pages, a profile of the book's publisher, the reason why you chose to bring this particular book, what is it about this book that makes you feel inspired, enlightened, happy, comforted, dismayed, disturbed, sad, calm, agitated, etc. Is it a book you read and liked in childhood? Is it a book you continue to read and like in adulthood? Is it a book you would love other children to read? Is it a book you wish you wrote? Or illustrated? Is it a book you think should be given to all children? Or a book you think should be given carefully and selectively? Etc., etc. (Now you know why some of us have to be told we talked beyond the time limit!)

So come and join us! And please, tell us if you're coming.

Contact : Nikki at 0917-667-1267, nikkigarde@yahoo.com or Beaulah at 0917-787-4956, beaulah.taguiwalo@yahoo.com

The Biggest Housewarming Party, Ever... and The Most Romantic Story Ever Told

While I'm really thrilled to get the Award (and not a house!) for my Yellow Paperclip, I think Kyle beat me with his One Red Paperclip: he not only has a house... but he now has a fiancee! Thanks to Allan's amazing blog, I got the latest scoop on the magical events in Kipling over the housewarming party weekend. Read on and see if you don't get a little lump in your throat.

It was almost biblical: thousands of pilgrims from all over arrived, drawn by the beacon of OneRedPaperclip, bearing house-warming gifts and wishes and all sporting huge smiles irked up by basking in the famous location.

The town of Kipling, SK (usually pop. 1,142) swelled, erected stages, swarmed with international media, brought in extra Royal Canadian Mounted Police and ramped up to for the biggest event this town (and I’d say the province) would ever see.

The ambiance was indescribable. Hugging strangers was normal. Everyone bubbled over with joy at the concerts, fireworks, Hollywood movie castings, balloon rides, Kyle’s open house – in brief, everything. Most of us camped in tents, and thus a huge community formed. Kum-bye-ah, man.

Finally, on the Sunday, the emotion hit a fevered pitch, when the most unbelievable, poignant series of events unfolded.

A big ceremony took place where all the people who had traded with Kyle (aside from three who couldn’t make it, such as Alice Cooper) stood on stage to be recognised and have their stories re-told.

Next Kyle was made Mayor of Kipling for one day, receiving a sachet and a gavel. Among cries from his buddies “Your honour, get me a pardon from the drunk tank!” his honour Kyle was urged to speak. But the biggest surprise, ever, lay in lurk.

Kyle did an impassioned speech, but near the end, he took the original red paperclip he had started it all off with, bent it into a hoop shape, dropped to one knee, and offered it to his long-time girlfriend Dom.

The crowd gasped, cameras snapped in a frenzy, and there was not a dry eye to be seen. I was sitting with Kyle and Dom’s families, and soon found myself in a circle of hugs and tears and utter, genuinely bewildered surprise.



Now that's an amazing (and uber-romantic) adventure for one red paperclip. Don't get me wrong: winning the Award was incredible and it truly is a bright purple spot in my life. But finding Mr. Right (complete with a daggy yet sweet paperclip engagement ring) would be perfect... and the brightest and most purple spot, EVER.

New Books, Friends and Paperclips

I spent the afternoon at the Book Fair today. Let the photos tell you the story of my happy day which started when I made new friends: a little girl who played with imaginary jackstones and Ada the Storyteller.

Ada made her own yellow paperclips with bright purple spots using purple puff paint...

...and we happily played with them...

...and admired them on Ada's cool purple Chucks!

I got to hang out with my colleague Steph at the colorful Adarna House booth...

...while my dad had lunch and took this photo.


I bought five books (with at least a 20% discount on each!): 100 Questions Filipino Kids Ask by Adarna House, Wild About Books written by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Marc Brown, You're Only Old Once! by Dr. Seuss, The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle, and How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci by Michael Gelb.

I guess one afternoon wasn't enough; we dropped by Books For Less in Alabang before going home and I picked up a cool Sesame Street book All About Me. Here's one of my favorite pictures...

Here's to more new books, friends and paperclips!

Flowers and A Song

What a way to end a (fiscal) year! We had a simple but memorable celebration today, starting with a thanksgiving mass (with a Jesuit jazz player... how cool is that?!), a feast of a merienda, and a slideshow of the past year's highlights. I got beautiful yellow-and-purple flowers from my DDI family and heard Noel Cabangon sing and play Coldplay's Yellow, one of my most favorite songs.

Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you,
And everything you do
Yeah, they were all yellow.

I came along,
I wrote a song for you,
And all the things you do,
And it was called "Yellow."

I'll say it once again: I am one happy kid. Here's to yet another amazing year ahead!

A Really Bright Purple Spot!!

May Ann and I are happy and surprised kids. We just got a very bright yet unexpected purple spot in the life of our Yellow Paperclip - the 2005 National Book Award for children's literature from the Manila Critics Circle! WOW... we are overwhelmed and thrilled beyond belief. In my flustered state (I don't remember the last time I felt my hands and knees shake like that!), I nearly forgot to (gulp!) thank the Manila Critics Circle. Allow me to thank them now. MARAMING, MARAMING SALAMAT. Thank you for this recognition and honor. Thank you for seeing the value in being different. This Award is truly a bright purple spot in our adventure!

PS. I'd love to get a copy of the citation Krip Yuson read about my book. If anyone knows where I can find it, please let me know! Thanks!

Book Signing at the 27th Manila International Book Fair

Bookworms, unite! It's the 27th Manila International Book Fair at the World Trade Center starting August 30 (Thursday) to September 3 (Sunday).

SHAMELESS PLUG: May Ann and I will be signing books on Saturday, September 2 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Adarna House booth. Hope to see you there!

One Amazing Artist

May Ann Licudine, 2005 PBBY-Alcala Grand Prize winner for her illustrations of The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots, recently launched her website. Let her artwork WOW you over...


Isn't she amazing?! My Yellow Paperclip is alive because of her colorful swirls and splatters. Before we work on our next book together, I thought I'd share some never-before-seen artwork May Ann prepared for the blurbs on the book's back flap. They never made it in print but I think they're great! I can't wait to see you on August 31, May Ann!

One Red Paperclip is Now a Children's Story!

Check out what I tripped on as I blog-hopped! Kyle's amazing adventure with One Red Paperclip has been rewritten for kids! Click HERE for his story for kids - written with the help of his mom who blogs her photos and poetry. How cool is that?

The One Red Paperclip 3-day housewarming party at Kipling, Saskatchewan is coming up next weekend (September 1-3, 2006) and of course I have to be halfway across the world and miss all the fun.

I'll find my way to Kipling one day soon. I wonder if Kyle ever got the book I sent him. I hope he did. Then I can add Kipling to my list of bright purple spots!

Sharing Stories Across Boundaries and Borders

I'm really excited to meet Alice McLerran at the SCBWI writing workshop in November (Are you interested? Click here for more details!). I don't have her book The Mountain that Loved a Bird yet but it's another one I've added to my To-Buy-Soon list (next to Elias and His Trees and Baha!, of course). I know I'll learn a whole new art of children's writing from her.

I was prompted to sign up for the workshop when I found out that she is a Third Culture Kid as well and has fulfilled her dreams of sharing stories across borders and other cultures. After more Googling, I chanced upon something McLerran wrote (highlights are mine):

Those of us writers who choose to craft stories for children frequently are parents, and our first experiments in the genre may well be bedtime tales created for our own offspring. Discovering in ourselves the ability bring delight to those we love can be heady stuff. As we turn to writing and our audience becomes a wider one, what ambition could be more natural and seductive than wanting to create stories to which children everywhere might listen wide-eyed? Whenever we have a story translated to another language and offered in another culture, we come closer to the ultimate fantasy: sharing what we create with every child on the planet.

An ambition so far-reaching has the clear odor of hubris, and we usually keep it to ourselves. In any case, we quickly learn that translated editions are normally arranged not by those of us who create the stories, but rather by our publishers. Traditionally, most deals are made at large international book fairs, and they normally involve agreements between publishers in nations of like economic standards.

Still, cross-cultural publishing can happen in quite different ways as well. When it does, the process can take on new richness, lead to unexpected serendipities.

... in my heart I know that when a story of mine is shared in another culture, it is not the thought that I am facilitating international understanding that most excites me. Nor is it the conviction that sharing stories across borders helps nurture a global literature that enriches us all—although I believe that as well.

My real source of pleasure is the image of a child on the other side of the planet, a child my eyes will never see. He listens to words read in a language I myself cannot understand, yet it is my story that holds him. The story enters his imagination as easily as if he were my own child snuggling next to me, my voice in his ear.

That this can happen seems to me something as close to magic as any writer can wish.

I had some sort of epiphany (I forget exactly when though) about writing stories that would appeal particularly for Third Culture Kids like me. I'm not sure how many TCK writers there are in the world, but my stories would be helpful for TCKs growing up in a new culture, culturally rich (yet a little confused), excited yet homesick, feeling out-of-place everwhere and not quite fitting in with everyone else.

So... write, Nikki, write... Have something to show Alice when she gets here!

Joy Flies in the Philippines

A writing workshop with Alice McLerran
Hosted by the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI)
9 am to 5 pm, Saturday November 11, 2006
Filipinas Heritage Library (formerly Nielsen Tower)
Ayala corner Makati Avenue, Makati City, Philippines

Here's your chance to have your manuscript critiqued while spending a day with Alice McLerran, children's book author from Long Island, New York. Know what it takes to write not only for children but also how to keep on writing and honing your craft. Share your own writing—bring your work, participate in a manuscript critique and learn how to give and receive constructive feedback.

On Saturday November 11, 2006 Alice McLerran will be in Manila for an all-day writing workshop sponsored by the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI). The workshop is for adults who write or want to write for children and young people—amateurs and professionals, published and unpublished authors, freelance writers, college students, teachers, parents, educators, and others who have a keen interest in children's literature. We hope to give all the participants an intimate glimpse into what Alice describes as "the kind of rewriting that is such an important part of the writing process for me." The workshop is also helpful for illustrator-writers, visual artists who are interested in the writing process, and those who are eager to know more about the kind of creative collaborations that can take place between authors and illustrators.

Alice McLerran was brought up in a way that let her know she lived in the whole world rather than in one place. Her family made homes in locations ranging from Hawaii to Germany to Ecuador, and in states across the U.S . As an adult, she now travels even more widely with her physicist husband. When not traveling together they divide their time between homes in New York and Oregon. She earned her PhD in anthropology from the University of California in Berkeley in 1969 once her three children were in school, and later an MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health. Although always a writer, she only began to publish professionally in 1985. Her books include ROXABOXEN, THE GHOST DANCE, THE YEAR OF THE RANCH, and the twin books HUGS and KISSES. Her first book, THE MOUNTAIN THAT LOVED A BIRD, still published in the U.S. and Japan with its original illustrations by Eric Carle, has been reillustrated by artists in Russia, Pakistan, and India for newer editions. Its Philippine editions are now about to be released in English, Filipino, Hiligaynon, Cebuano, Ilokano and Kiniray-a, using totally new art drawn from the landscapes of the Phillipines. To know more about Alice, please visit her website.

Pre-registration is required and is now going on. The fee includes handouts and lunch, and is non-refundable but transferrable: P1500 until Monday September 18, P1750 until Monday October 16, P2000 until Friday November 3. There's a P200 discount for current SCBWI members, and a small rebate on the day of the event for every person who contributes a manuscript for the group critique session. Please provide 2 copies of your manuscript, prefaced with a title page that contains only this statement: "I hereby declare that I am the author of the attached manuscript" followed by the title, your signature above your printed name, mailing address, landline and cellphone number, e-mail address, and an indication whether the manuscript is being submitted for individual critiquing only, for group critiquing only, or may be used for either or both. Manuscripts must be 5 pages maximum, typed 12 points double space on 8.5 x 11 inch paper with a 1-inch margin all around, and submitted upon pre-registration or on Friday, November 3, at the latest. Only those manuscripts submitted in advance will be used for either form of critiquing.

If you've never participated in a critique session and hesitate to submit your work to other eyes, you may regret such hesitation once you experience the useful insights and support a group of fellow-writers can provide! Offer a manuscript you've carried as far as you know how, and with any luck you can come away with ideas on how to do yet more with it.

For more information, contact Beaulah Pedregosa Taguiwalo at beaulah.taguiwalo@yahoo.com or 0917-787-4956, or Dominique Garde Torres (Nikki) at nikkigarde@yahoo.com or 0917-667-1267.

A Paperclip... and His Trees... in a Baha!

What does a paperclip, trees and a flood have in common? All three are finalists for the children's literature category for the National Book Awards, sponsored by the National Book Development Board and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Wow! I still can't believe it!

The Yellow Paperclip is overwhelmed to be in the company of the country's best books published in 2005! In children's literature, the other finalists are Elias & His Trees written by Augie Rivera and illustrated by Romeo Forbes (inspired by The Man and His Trees by Jean Giono) and Baha! written by Eugene Evasco. I look forward to meeting Augie and Eugene - and many other writers! - at the awarding ceremonies on August 31 at the 27th Manila International Book Fair.

Click HERE for the complete list of finalists.