The Department of Human and Family Development Studies (DHFDS) under the UP Los Baños College of Human Ecology (UPLB-CHE) has published free-to-download children’s e-books about the importance of social distancing and of wearing face masks during this time of COVID-19. This was announced in recent posts on UPLB’s Facebook page.
The first book is “Isang Metro: Kwentong Pambata ukol sa COVID-19”, written by Kate del Rosario, and illustrated by Dandin Espina, with with Paeng Ferrer as editor and layout artist. In it, a little girl named Ella asks her mother, Aling Marie, why people need to maintain social or physical distance, staying one meter apart from one another. Her mother then shares with her other measures to prevent the spread of the viral disease, such as washing hands and refraining from touching one’s face. Ella then finds ways of working with the social distancing rule to still have fun with a friend. Download “Isang Metro” ebook for free here.
The second book, “Ang mga Maskara ni Miko: Kwentong Pambata Ukol sa COVID-19” (2020), was also written by Kate del Rosario and illustrated by Rachelle Ann Fabula, with editing by Paeng Ferrer and layout by Kenneth Turaray. The story centers around a little boy named Miko, who asks his father why people nowadays have been wearing face masks that cover their nose and mouth. Miko then goes on to compare these masks to the ones that he himself plays with. His father, Mang Berto, explains to him the need for people to wear these masks, and the different types of masks that frontliners use. Download “Ang mga Maskara ni Miko” ebook for free here.
The books, as well as the audio/video reading of “Isang Metro” are a good help for parents seeking to explain to their children the need and ways to stay safe and healthy during this time of a pandemic, in language that children can understand. They were published under the Tsikiting Stories series of the DHFDS. Watch ‘Isang Metro: Kwentong Pambata ukol sa COVID-19’.
Special discounts, however, are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations and others. For inquiries, please contact the Department of Human and Family Development Studies, UPLB-CHE, or Tsikiting Stories at tsikitingstories@gmail.com.
