Kids find gratitude amid difficulties in Read-Along’s online session

MANILA, Philippines — Children learned the value of love for oneself and family and finding gratitude amid difficulties during the first Inquirer Read-Along online session of the year.

The morning session, aired live on Inquirer’s Facebook pages, was Read-Along’s 13th-year collaboration with Adopt-a-Kid, an outreach project of Sophia School for public elementary school students in Meycauayan City, Bulacan province.

Philippine Daily Inquirer president and CEO Rudyard Arbolado opened the program to send a message of hope to some 1,400 kids who joined the virtual event.

“Books are your windows to the wide world around you. They are more important now during the lockdown because we can’t go out to do our favorite outdoor activities, but we can still enjoy the world through books,” Arbolado said.

It was held in cooperation with Sophia School, the Department of Education Meycauayan led by Assistant Schools Division Superintendent officer in charge Dr. Carolina Violeta, Cafe Nenzo, Smart Communications and the United States Agency for International Development’s TB Platforms Project, which is being implemented by the University Research Company.

Animated reading

Storytellers from Sophia School did an animated reading of “Angking Galing ni Gaya,” written by Jenny Evans and illustrated by Junn Esteban. It tells the story of Gaya, a carabao who envies other animals for their innate abilities but eventually learns to love oneself.

Sophia School principal Ann Abacan, one of the storytellers, said the story encourages kids to discover their gifts and God-given talents so they can become better versions of themselves.

Musical theater actor and singer Arman Ferrer read “Tiktaktok at Pikpakbum,” written by Rene Villanueva and illustrated by Renato Gamos. It is about two brothers who are complete opposites but still learn to get along and love each other.

Ferrer, a first-time storyteller, stressed the role of the internet in promoting the love for learning through storytelling.

“We must use the resources we have to make sure we keep the art of storytelling alive, especially now that it is easier because everything is accessible online,” he said. —Arianne Suarez, Inquirer Research INQ