About Sundays with Lola
Sundays with Lola is a series of picture books about creatures from Philippine folklore, written in English with Tagalog on every page. Lola grew up in Manila. Now she tells her stories to her grandkids Kuya, Didi and Chun, who were born in America and are learning where their family comes from.
The family
- LolaTiny, silver bun, round glasses, and a story for everything.
- Kuya, 6Shy and book-smart. Braver in books than in real life.
- Didi, 4Sings everything. Always has the best outfit.
- Chun, 3The family comedian. Everyone on Roosevelt Avenue waves at Chun.
How every book works
- One creature.
- Each book is about one creature from Philippine folklore, spooky-funny and never gory, and true to the old stories.
- Tagalog on every page.
- The story uses real Tagalog words, explained as you go, with a glossary and pronunciation at the back.
- Lola's memory.
- In every book, Lola remembers a time from her childhood in Manila when she felt the same way the kids do.
- One brave step.
- Shy Kuya takes one small brave step in every book.
- One value.
- At the end, Lola names one Filipino value, like paggalang (respect) or malasakit (caring about someone else's trouble as your own).
The message is always the same: you don't have to be perfect to belong.
Where Lola comes from
Lola grew up in Manila in the 1950s, in a wooden house with capiz windows and a mango tree in the garden. That's where she first heard about the nuno sa punso, and where she once stepped on a punso and was too shy to say sorry out loud.
Who makes the books
The books are written by Frank Santos. Every Tagalog word is checked by a fluent speaker before it's printed or published here.