Our World: Philippines

By Zewlan Moor & Happy Garaje

Reviewed by Mia Macrossan

This is the latest addition to the Our World series which aims to introduce young readers to the culture and lives of people from other places around the world. Titles inclde Ethiopia, Ukraine, Australia, Kenya, China, Mexico and more. Each title is created by writers and artists from the countries featured and includes accessible relatable topics illustrating a ‘day in the life’ of each country, pronunciation guides to support basic language learning and endnotes that give a little more information about cultural details.

Zewlan Moor lives in Australia and is the author of Nothing Alike and The Bill Dup. Happy Garaje is an artist duo living in the Philippines. They have combined their impressive creative talents here to produce a vivacious gem of a book that explodes with colour, life and fun.

We start with a greeting Magandang umaga! Good morning! as the family has breakfast. Mum and Dad go off to work while Anak and Grandma go shopping and clean the house as there are guests expected for a party that evening. Finally, tired and sleepy Anak is carried off to bed by Grandma. This is the bare outline of a story that packs a lot of information about family and social life in the Philippines, complemented by the gorgeous bright colours and lush landscapes that are such a feature of the Philippines. They clean the house until they sweat succinctly indicates the hot and humid climate of much of the region.

There are Tagalog words on every page providing a clever mix of two languages, perfect for little ones learning or remembering either language.  We live in a multicultural world and this happy cheerful board book is a great introduction for any child learning about different people in far away places.

Recommended reading age 0 -4 years.

Barefoot Books 2024

Zewlan Moor

Happy Garaje