Two stories by Norman Boquiren win Kids’ Choice honor at Nat’l Children’s Book Awards

Two stories written by Ateneo de Manila Senior High School faculty Norman Boquiren were among the ten winners of the Kids’ Choice Award of the 7th National Children’s Book Awards’ (NCBA) Picture Book Category. Mr. Boquiren, a faculty member of the Filipino subject area, won for “Palaruang Bahaghari” and “Supremo Kiddo,” which are both published by Chikiting Books of Vibal Group, Inc. The winners were chosen by a panel of child judges and announced during the virtual celebration of the 39th National Children’s Book Day (NCBD) on 19 July 2022.

The virtual ceremony was one of the activities held by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) as part of its celebration of NCBD. Per the CCP Facebook page, NCBD is celebrated every third Tuesday of July not only to commemorate the date of the publication of Jose Rizal’s “The Monkey and the Turtle” in Trubner’s Oriental Record in London, but also to highlight the importance of nurturing young readers’ curiosity and imagination.    

Organized by the PBBY and the National Book Development Board (NBDB), the NCBA is a biennial event that honors the best books published for children and young adults in the previous two years. The awards encourage parents and caregivers to spend more time reading with their children while recommending the best published works.