Built to Last by Minh Lê
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Will tug at your heartstrings. Fun story about creativity and not giving up when what you create doesn’t go as planned. Also, a beautiful story about friendship through the years.
Signs of Hope: The Revolutionary Art of Sister Corita Kent by Mara Rockliff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A visually stunning picture book about Sister Corita Kent and her unique way of seeing the world.
The Amazing Beasts of Philippine Mythology: When You Have to Say: “Excuse Me, Mister Monster Sir!” by The Ang Ink Artists Collective
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A collection of creatures compiled with illustrations by The Ang Ink Artists Collective. Readers will be delightfully frightened- or frighteningly delighted- learning about all kinds of monsters of Philippine Mythology. It was also interesting to see variants of the same creatures based on where in the country it was being told. Includes both English and Tagalog texts.
Multo by Cindy Fazzi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Domingo (called Sunday by Americans) is a Filipino bounty hunter who track down illegal aliens who he calls ghosts (or multo) since they’re practically invisible entities in the country.
This one centers around the illegitimate daughter of an American general and a Filipino woman. I was excited once I got used to the format of alternating times. It almost reminded me of a telenovela that would play in the evenings in the Philippines. The ending was a bit of a let down.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by the consistently incredible Ramon de Ocampo.
Apparently, this is the first in a series- most likely of a two-book arc.
You can view all my reviews over on Goodreads. Please consider supporting independent bookstores when you want to buy any of the books I’ve mentioned via Bookshop.org or Libro.fm.
Thanks for visiting my blog. Happy Reading!
The Chronicles Of A Children's Book Writer - Earl Dizon 
I’m glad you’re able to find a lot more books with Filipino characters now! I just saw a MG one, but it’s slipped my mind entirely.
Built to Last looks like such a sweet picture book! I definitely need to read that one!
I just got ‘Built to Last’ at my library, Earl, and while some of your books aren’t available, I found that Multo is! I will definitely get that one! Thanks for all shared!
Built to Last sounds really great. Just put it on hold at my library.
This is a great set of books, Earl!! Built to Last looks amazing, especially if the illustrations are as beautiful as that cover. Multo sounds like an intriguing read as well, but it’s a shame the ending didn’t feel quite fulfilling. I really appreciate your thoughtful reviews—have a wonderful week!
Oh I’m super excited about the picture book about Sister Corita Kent! And art by Melissa Sweet–can’t wait! I hope I can find that one this week. I also didn’t realize that Minh Le had a new book with Dan Santat–I’m sure I’ll enjoy that one too. Thank you for sharing!