Filipino heritage, legends come alive in Bahay Book Club

DALY CITY, California –– Short reading sessions of books written and illustrated by Filipino American authors and artists have taken center stage in Bahay Book Club every Saturday since April 25.

Now, Bahay Book Club can be seen on TFC Cable and on Satellite and is also streaming on the following platforms:  TFC.tv, IPTV, and on TFC’s YouTube page.

“Bahay Book Club gives us the space for our community’s stories,” says Gayle Romasanta, author, and Bahay Book Club lead writer. “This digital space gives our community a place to celebrate our writers, our stories and ourselves so that we are at the center of every story,” especially since less than 30% of children’s books in the United States are about people of color. Romasanta adds that “only seven percent of children’s books are written by people of color.”

Beverly Desuasido, Bahay Book Club creator and producer, noticed a shortage of Filipino authors, some even taking the initiative to self-publish, while researching for the project. Desuasido shares that “I deeply admire their passion and am humbled to help share their message and books with the world.”

The first episode, which is now available, features story time with these three books and their authors: Beautiful Eyes (Romasanta) – based on the timeless motor skills and memory game taught to Filipino babies; Kalipay and the Tiniest Tiktik (Christina Newhard) – about how friendship can overcome differences and create happiness for everyone; and Little Yellow Jeepney (Jocelyn Francisco, PhD) –- that helps children be curious and explore Manila, Philippines, without ever having to buy a plane ticket.

The next three books to be featured in an episode available starting July 4 are: Jack and Agyu (Justine Villanueva) – about an imaginative and adventurous young boy, Jack, who longs to find himself in the books that he reads; Amina and the City of Flowers (Christina Newhard) – about a young Yakan weaver who finds inspiration for her loom in the diversity and color of her new home, Zamboanga City; and Oh My Kulay! (Jocelyn Francisco, PhD) – a vibrant concept book that helps children learn Tagalog/Filipino words for colors, fruits, and vegetables.

Families are invited to watch Bahay Book Club where they can relax together with their children and experience Filipino American story time at home. This is a good chance for children to see themselves in the books that they read.

Bahay Book Blub can be seen on TFC Cable and Satellite and also on the following platforms:  TFC.tv, IPTV-VOD; on the following Facebook pages: @KapamilyaTFC, @TFCUSOfficial, @TFCCanadaOfficial, @TFCOnlineOfficial; on these Instagram accounts: @adobonationtfc and @bahaybookclub; and on TFC’s YouTube page and Yey Channel’s YouTube page.