Young Fil-Ams making Ilocano-English storybook

“Nasirig’s Great Adventure” is the story of a young girl on her quest to find her missing tablet with her two best friends. CONTRIBUTED

A trio of young Filipino Americans are raising funds via Kickstarter to finish a storybook in Ilocano and English entitled “Nasirig’s Great Adventure.”

It is the story of a young girl on her quest to find her missing tablet with her two best friends. Written in Ilocano and English, it is a story of friendship, adventure, and growing in and with the world.

The book’s creators expressed thanks for the support received from loved ones as well as the professors and colleagues at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, who helped in refining the Ilokano translations.

“Nasirig” will be printed hardcover and in full color, with 40-plus pages, including a visual glossary of Ilocano-English vocabulary words.

The trio behind the book all have families that came from Ilocos.

Writer Chachie Abara (she/isuna) is a 1.5 Filipino-Ilocano immigrant and mental health advocate who helps document stories and narratives of Filipinos in Hawaii.

Translator Mario Doropan (Manursuro/Rabii) spent his childhood in Ilocos and the book project is his way of recollecting the fond memories he had growing up. Translating the story in Ilocano, he “felt like one of the characters in the story.”

“Nasirig’s Great Adventure” creators, from left, illustrator Cassandra Balbas, translator Mario Doropan and writer Chachie Abara. CONTRIBUTED

Brooklyn, NY-based illustrator Cassandra Balbas (she/her) is a second-generation Filipino American designer and illustrator. She founded We Are Sun-Raised, a stationery store that celebrates and shares Fil-/Am culture, and is co-founder of Meryenda, a newsletter exploring the complexities of Philippine culture and diasporic food ways. She is also a Senior Product Designer at Backpack Interactive.

The funds raised in the team’s Kickstarter campaign will be put toward the production costs, Kickstarter fees, rewards, and other contingencies anticipated in production.

@cassandrabalbas, https://cassandrabalbas.com/ @wearesunraised, https://www.etsy.com/shop/WeAreSunRaised @readmeryenda, https://meryenda.substack.com/

Follow on Instagram at @nasirigsgreatadventure