Ang Pambihirang Sombrero (The Amazing Hat) is my recent favorite storybook from writer-illustrator Jose Miguel “Jomike” Tejido’s creative endeavors. I was hooked to “Dindo Pundido” when the twins were barely a year old.
Ang Pambihirang Sombrero tells the story of a girl named Mia, who loves old things. One day, Mia, who could not seem to stay put and mind her own business, rummaged through her grandmother’s wooden trunk and in it she found a strange-looking hat.
Mia tried that hat on. She wore it in different ways but it seemed like it lacked something. So fashion-oriented Mia started a journey of looking for things to add to her hat.
This book brings us around Mia’s neighborhood where she was given different things by a vendor, a baker, a doctor, a fireman, a policeman and a gardener. This is a great book to introduce children to different people. I am using this book for Nick, Toni and JJ to meet the people in our community. They have met a vendor in Ate Jielyn, who manages a sari-sari store in our village.
I am currently drafting letters to a fire department and a police station so we can visit and my children can see what these people do. In the future, probably around June or July of this year, I hope to invite some professionals and have them talk about what they do infront of children. Venue would perhaps be the Cebu City Public Library.
I have read this story to a group of school children around July 2017 and it was such an interactive storytelling session. I made use of the storytelling apron as a technique.
Of all the talents /skills in the world, one I envy about having is drawing or illustrating. In the absence of that talent, I have employed different techniques in making sure that I have props in my storytelling sessions.
For the storytelling apron, I just scanned and printed out the characters and things in the book. On my apron, I taped Mia and went on the session adding one thing after another on top of the hat. I invited the kids to tape the things on the apron. I placed these things inside my apron pocket and I made sure I numbered them so I know the right sequence.
It was such a hit to them!
Last April 6, Friday night, I worked on a different way of telling this story. I drew/traced/colored the characters so I can use them when I introduce this book to my children. I might turn the into mini standees or stick puppets.
I love how this book mixes imagination with real people — and how incorporated the fun in adventure in the learning process.
You can find a copy of this book in National Book Store. Price is below P100 so it is really worth the purchase. Read it to your children any time.
