Read-Along stories celebrate beauty of women

FEMALE CROW STORY Bianca Umali, an Inquirer Read-Along ambassador since 2015, reads “Si Tanya ang Uwak na Gusto Pumuti,” the story of a female crow, by German Gervacio. —ROMY HOMILLADA

Beauty has no one standard or definition.

It was the central message of the stories featured at the Inquirer Read-Along on Saturday to mark the celebration of International Women’s Month.

GMA 7 stars Bianca Umali and Ayra Mariano and Sophia School’s principal Ann Abacan read stories celebrating the beauty of women to some 60 children from Laura Vicuña Foundation, Virlanie Foundation and Dagdag Dunong Foundation who attended the session at the Inquirer main office in Makati City.

Abacan kicked off the session with the story “Anita the Duckling Diva,” written by actress Anne Curtis. The book narrates how a young female duckling overcame her shyness with the help of her loved ones.

Umali, an Inquirer Read-Along ambassador since 2015, read “Si Tanya ang Uwak na Gusto Pumuti” by German Gervacio, which tells the story of a female crow, which learns to love herself and realizes what it truly takes to achieve her goals.

“I hope the children learn the value of being proud of what they have. They shouldn’t feel jealous of what others have and find contentment in the gifts God gave them,” Umali said.

She reflected on the struggle of the young crow to be comfortable with her color.

“Being confident is what makes a woman empowered,” Umali said. “If you are confident, you can conquer anything. It doesn’t matter what you cannot do. It’s about you and how you believe yourself.”

Mariano capped the session by reading Grace Chong’s “Bakit Hindi Naka-Lipstick si Nanay?” It is about a girl, who learns to appreciate her mother’s odd job as a tricycle driver.

“It’s different when you communicate with children. If you ask something, they sincerely answer. And their answers are very honest, very raw,” she said.

“The mother in the story was a different kind of mom. She was very strong and I think that made her being a woman even more beautiful. The story reminded us that real beauty is one that comes from the heart. It can be seen in the good acts that we do and the sacrifices we make for the people we love,” she added.

“In the time of social media, everything we do can be seen and judged so it’s easy to feel insecure. I feel that modern women are made to be stronger, braver and more confident. Every woman is considered beautiful,” Mariano said.

The read-along session on March 18, hosted by Junior Inquirer editor in chief Ruth Navarra, was in cooperation with Wilfred Villaruel of GMA Artist Center.