Today we have Deepa whom I met through The Hive and got to know better with many breakfast meet ups in my old home town Amsterdam. She is mum to Tala and was so nice to even send us a few cute pics of her reading her favourite books!
Deepa is originally from the Philippines and currently living in Amsterdam, NL.
1) The Happy Little Yellow Box: A Pop-Up Book of Opposites
By David A. Carter
I started reading this to my daughter Tala quite early. The illustrations are simple and very high-contrast, great for a young baby. Now that she’s one year old, Tala enjoys playing with all the little bits—lifting flaps, opening boxes, even pulling a little tab to make an elevator go up and down!
2) Noong Unang Panahon (A Long Time Ago)
By Rafaelita S. Valera, illustrated by Ghani Madueno
This bilingual book tells legends from three different tribes or regions in the Philippines—Samal, Ifugao, and Tagalog—about the creation of the world and of mankind. The stories are printed in both English and Filipino, whichI love because I would like Tala to learn both languages. It’s for ages 7 and up, but I started reading it to her when she was a newborn, to familiarize her with the sound of the Filipino language. She also loves to look at the beautiful illustrations, which are by a former colleague of mine from Manila.
We have this book in a few different versions (colors, dinosaurs) and Tala just loves it! It’s a simple, colorful puzzle book made of thick, child-safe foam, which you can also take into the bath. She loves to remove the pieces and wave them around in the air while Mama makes the animal sounds. Always a winner and lots of fun.
4) Papa, Get The Moon For Me
By Eric Carle
Tala means “star” in Filipino, so I’m obsessed with anything that has to do with stars, including the night sky and the moon. I gave this classic board book to my husband as his first Father’s Day gift. It’s about a little girl who keeps asking her papa to get her the moon. I think all Papas would do anything for their little girls, so it’s perfect!
5) Dracula: A BabyLit Counting Primer
By Jennifer Adams, illustrated by Alison Oliver
The BabyLit series is so much fun! Each board book uses a work of classic literature to teach simple concepts such as numbers (Bram Stoker’s Dracula) the weather (Wuthering Heights), opposites (Sense and Sensibility), and more. If it sounds serious, it’s not—the art is whimsical and charming. We’ve already started with counting… I can’t wait to get to Anna Karenina, which is all about
fashion!
