All-Around Pinay Mama

Must-Read: Made by Raffi

August 20, 2014

If you are looking for a children's book which shows that being “different” is positive and being creative is cool, highlights classic issues of teasing and bullying, has witty and entertaining illustrations, and most of all, affirming and inspirational, Made by Raffi is the right book to grab!

CRAIG POMRANZ, an internationally acclaimed singer and actor based in New York City, was the author of Made by Raffi while MARGARET CHAMBERLAIN, a well-respected award-winning illustrator of children's books based in Dorset made the story come to life. She also illustrated books for Frances Lincoln Has Anyone Seen Jack?, Look Out He's Behind You both by Tony Bradman, Tales from Grimm by Antonia Barber, My Two Grannies, My Two Grandads both by Floella Benjamin and Boom Baby Boom Boom by Margaret Mahy.

Craig Pomranz (Photo Credits:sophiesnyc.com)

Margaret Chamberlain (Photo Credits: www.dorsetdorset.co.uk)

Let me give you the backgrounder of this book straight from the horse's mouth.

What is Made by Raffi all about?

"Inspired by true-life incident, my children's book Made by Raffi is newly released this summer. It is the story of a little boy who doesn't care for sports but likes to knit and sew -- at first he is teased for his hobby, but in the end he becomes a hero to his class. The book is being published in five languages and distributed in eight countries so far by UK publishers Frances Lincoln under their diversity imprint, Janetta Otter-Barry Books. Award-winning artist Margaret Chamberlain is the illustrator. "

What inspired you to write Made by Raffi?

"I have really become interested in the idea of how we tell our kids what is appropriate activity, based on gender. Most of the parents of young kids I know are trying on one hand to let their kids follow their own interests, but on the other are concerned about their kid fitting in and not being teased. As a result, atypical hobbies and behaviors are only encouraged so far."

"I wrote the book to support young boys and girls who are perceived as 'different' because of their appearance or hobbies. It is a funny colorful book with a serious message and will interest those who care about promoting diversity and embracing our differences, as well as all children seeking to fit in."

"In my research, I have found some shocking stories. Recently, a principal told a boy he could not bring his 'My Little Pony' lunchbox to school because it was a 'trigger' for teasing and bullying. The same week a girl was expelled from a Christian school because of her short hair, perceived masculine look and interest in sports."

"I dedicate this debut picture book to ‘the real Raffi’, Rafael McCarroll Swan and his loving and supportive family who are the inspiration for the story."

What makes you truly fulfilled that you wrote this book?

"I have already received terrific early trade reviews and many supportive messages from those who have seen advance copies of the book as well as from those who have ordered. I was recently forwarded this email from a man in Istanbul: 'Today I enjoyed to preorder your beautiful and meaningful children book for my cousin. Especially here in Turkey we need to learn respect to the one who is different than us. Thanks for your effort to make the world a better place to live. Best regards...' A donor has given books to the Archdiocese of New York Catholic schools for all of their libraries."

Can you site some reviews about Made by Raffi?

"Below are some early trade reviews..."

"Made by Raffi is highlighted by the major trade magazine The Bookseller : selected by Fiona Noble as a picture book highlight for June –‘ Tackling classic issues of teasing and bullying, this is refreshing look at diversity with a positive message about being 'different' and creative.’ "

"Rhino Reads – Top Pick -'looks special, very special indeed!' "

"Rhino Reads – My Independent Bookshop - 'Inclusion at it's very best! Wonderful book to celebrate diversity. LOVE this!'"

"Parents in Touch - review - ' It's an excellent story, perceptive and thoughtful, about being confident with yourself, about not being swayed by others and doing what you think is right and handling opposition; family love is shown as vital too. It's good to be different!'"

Songwriters Amanda McBroom (composer of the Golden Globe award winning song The Rose) and Michele Brourman (The Land Before Time) read Made By Raffi, loved it, and wrote a song specifically for the book entitled Different. Craig intends to sing the song on publication, at book events, and at any opportunity!

Made By Raffi is available on Amazon.com and Barnes and Nobles. Follow Craig Pomranz on Twitter @MadeByRaffi and visit his website www.CraigPomranz.com for more details.

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Phil the Fil-Am: The Way to Teach Kids About Filipino Language and Culture

August 14, 2014

I have noticed that many Filipino-American children don't know how to speak Filipino or Tagalog. It's a sad reality. Why is this happening? I've heard from friends of friends that they believe that teaching their kids their mother tongue would cause confusion and non-mastery of the second language, English. They're so afraid that their kids would not be able to cope up when they socialize with their English speaking friends.

I also heard stories that parents were not able to teach their kids to speak Filipino due to their very busy schedule. They were already adapted and used to speak in English outside and inside their homes.

I have cousins who were brought up in America since they were preschoolers but they were taught how to speak and understand Filipino. When they went here in the Philippines for a visit, they tried their best to communicate with us in our mother tongue. What our aunts and uncles did was they were obliged to speak in Filipino at home and they were not allowed to speak in English at all. They were only allowed to speak in English when they were in school or at work.

I'm so proud of them! They have shown that it's possible to be bilingual.

To validate the importance of learning the mother tongue, I came across with a very informative article written by Dr. Josebelo Chong on his blog A Dugyot in the U.S.A. He wrote, "According to the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA), there are various phenomena which can masquerade as deficit arising from bilingualism; however, the recommended approach is actually REINFORCEMENT of both languages (and cultures, as the case may be) and NOT EXCLUSION of one or the other. Interestingly, it states that 'Children all over the world learn more than one language without developing speech or language problems'. Bilingual children develop language skills just as other children do. A study done on German-English bilingual toddlers and published in the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology in 2002 comes to the conclusion that 'early simultaneous acquisition of more than one language is not an inherent disadvantage for the child'."

Dr. Chong emphasized, "The truth is that teaching a second language can be BENEFICIAL. According to an article in the Linguistic Society of America's website, 'Some people worry that learning more than one language is bad for a child, but nothing could be further from the truth'. In fact, there are a lot of advantages to knowing more than one language. They then go on to say that bilingualism can ENHANCE cognitive development, IMPROVE the development of a child's cultural identity, and ENCOURAGE cross-cultural awareness and understanding.",

(See the full article here: http://thedugyot.blogspot.com/p/why-cant-filipino-americans-speak.html.)

He also mentioned a link to the article "Second Language Protects Against Alzheimer's".

Therefore, it doesn't cause confusion and it's not bad for individuals to learn more than one language.

Kids nowadays are luckier because they are exposed to multimedia. They can learn their mother tongue easily if only there's a show like "Dora the Explorer (who teaches kids to speak in Spanish and English)" in Filipino-English version.

This has been a dream of our kababayan in America, David Asis, who is currently creating a trailer for Phil the Fil-Am, an English/Tagalog children's cartoon about Filipino culture and social/analytical skills.

David's parents were from the Philippines. He was born in America. His kids are Fil-Am also, but they know more Spanish and Chinese. They learn to speak the languages more than they do Tagalog or Filipino through watching Dora the Explorer and Ni Hao Kai Lan.

According to David, he is not saying that knowing about Spanish and Chinese culture is a bad thing, but he would like his kids to learn about their own roots as well. That's why he is creating Phil the Fil-Am. It's his way of teaching his kids and all kids as well about Filipino culture in a format that they're familiar with.

The main character is named Phil and is modeled after David's son, Michael.

He is currently fleshing out the other characters, such as his nephew, Benjie, in the Philippines, who will serve as the show's primary method for relaying life and culture in the Philippines.

To turn his dream to a reality, he has launched a Kickstarter project to raise funds to create a two-three minute trailer of Phil the Fil-Am. Phase One of creating this show will be used as a launchpad for future phases of development. Phase Two will be to create a 22 minute Pilot episode, and Phase Three will be to create a 10 episode first season of the series. 80% of the goal funds will be used towards animation and music, while 10% will be used for art, script writing, story boarding, and voice talent, and the remaining 10% will be used promoting the series and miscellaneous expenses.

Here's a video to learn more about David's story and Phil the Fil-Am on Kickstarter:

I think it's great and all worth it to help David. All kids especially the ones who live abroad will benefit from it. It's also a way of us, Filipinos, to be known for our rich culture and heritage. You may go to THIS LINK to learn more about Phil the Fil-AM on Kickstarter or HERE to back this project for a minimum of $1.00 pledge. This project will only be funded if at least $2,500 is pledged by Thursday, September 4, 2014, 5:14 PM Australian Western Standard Time (AWST). Sharing this on your own social media accounts can be a big help too. Your friends might be interested to pledge to make David's dream come true! Thank you so much!

You may also like Phil the Fil-Am's Official Facebook Page for more updates: https://www.facebook.com/PhiltheFilAm