MANILA, Philippines--Finding the secret of life and overcoming physical shortcomings to achieve one?s dreams were the focus of Saturday?s Read-Along session.

Guest storytellers were outgoing Sofitel Philippine Plaza general manager Bernd Schneider and Read-Along veteran Dyali Justo.

Schneider, who came to the session with his children Laura, 9, and Benedict, 3, read Trevor Romain?s ?Under the Big Sky,? all about a boy?s journey to find ?the secret of life.? An old man promises to give his grandson his riches if he can find the secret of life and bring it back.

In his journey, the boy meets several characters. He asks each one if they have come across the secret of life. Nope, the characters say, however, they each impart important life lessons.

Schneider read the story in English assisted by his daughter Laura while Justo translated the story into Filipino.

During the Kuwentong Adarna segment, Justo read Christine Bellen?s ?Filemon Mamon,? a story about an overweight boy who dreams of landing ?good guy? roles but always gets cast as the villain because of his appearance. Because he badly wants to play hero in the school play, Filemon changes his lifestyle by exercising regularly and eating healthy food.

Children who attended the session each received a copy of the book courtesy of Adarna House. Justo, assisted by her daughter Luntian, led the children in reading passages of the story out loud.

?This is an excellent initiative of the Inquirer,? said Schneider, Sofitel?s general manager for almost four years. ?It?s been a great experience for me. Knowing these children and their backgrounds, I hope they will be inspired, not only to listen to stories, but to read on their own as well.?

Schneider, a German national, has done the rounds of Asian countries, including Indonesia, China and Thailand, over the course of 17 years. He was scheduled to leave today for India, his new assignment.

He said the story he read to the kids reminded him of his own personal journey. ?For me, the secret of life is to do what you love, follow your heart, your passion and do your best.?

He also shared the joys of doing volunteer work especially with the Virlanie Foundation. ?We?ve built libraries for the Virlanie houses and supplied them with books. We join the kids in the houses, play games with them and bring them food. We also read to them sometimes.?

Schneider?s daughter Laura said she also enjoyed the Read-Along. ?Seeing those children smile made me smile too,? she said.

Enjoyable, educational

Laura and her brother Benedict, assisted their father in giving away gift packs to children in the audience. The gift packs, courtesy of Sofitel, contain toys, coloring books, drawing pads and crayons.

Liwayway Bilason attended the Inquirer Read-Along with her niece, 7-year-old Andrea Gabrielle Sanchez, and nephews, 5-year-old Joshua Sanchez and 6-year-old Christian Culanculan.

?This is the third time for the kids to be here, but it is the first time for me. Now, I can see why they love coming back. It is enjoyable and educational,? Bilason said.

?I love coming here because I learn a lot of new things. It is not boring and I meet new people,? Andrea said.

Joy Aguilar accompanied 10 children from the Makati Sporting Association of Poblacion, Makati, to the session. This is the fifth time the club attended an Inquirer Read-Along session.

?We see the children learning a lot. They learn the value of reading, and they have fun,? Aguilar said.

Next Read-Along

Gerald Ortega, 13, one of the kids brought to the session by the Makati Sporting Association, said: ?It?s very interactive. I particularly enjoyed reading with Ate Dyali. It felt like we were also part of the story,? Ortega said.

Yesterday?s session, hosted by Libre editor-in-chief Chito dela Vega, was part of the annual Christmas party for street children organized by Hands On Manila and Child Hope, and was held in cooperation with Sofitel, Adarna House and Krispy Kreme. The children also received activity books from Vibal Publishing as prizes during the question-and-answer portions.

The next Read-Along session will be on Dec. 12, 10 a.m. at the Inquirer main office in Makati City. Interested participants may call Ellen Caparros at 897-8800 local 329. Slots are on a first-come, first-served basis. With a report from Schatzi Quodala, Inquirer Research