The annual Manila International Book Fair is an event that many book lovers look forward to. It has all types of books—for the everyday reader, for the literary bookworm, for the comic lover—which is why it’s the perfect bonding experience for the entire family!
Here are some of our finds in this year’s MIBF for everyone in the family:
For Dads
It’s always a good idea to revisit the classics. Fullybooked’s and National Bookstore’s stalls have many redesigned and republished versions of different classics across decades. Some of the displays are beautiful hardbound designs and the Penguin Classics publications.
For those who want career and spiritual advice, the two bookstores also have titles by famed success speakers Francis Kong and Nelson Dy.
For Moms and Their Babies:
One thing that book fairs will never run out of are educational books for toddlers in their early years. A booth that had a diverse selection of children’s books is the Learning is Fun booth. Some personal favorites are their First Readers collection of fairy tales and Enid Blyton short story compilation.
There’s also an assortment of fashion and lifestyle books by different celebrities that you may want to check out: Styled with Heart by Heart Evangelista-Escudero, Read My Lips by Rissa Mananquil Trillo, and Judy Anne’s Kitchen by Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo.
For the Teens:
Aside from the typical Young Adult novels available at the bigger bookstores, teens may want to check out the second floor, where many of the local publishers are located. Many of popular teen comics are available there.
The compilation of hit webcomics Hunghang Flashbacks by D. Borja is sold under Summit Media’s booth. Adarna House also has a wide array of local comics available.
But if you’re looking for Marvel and DC-level comic collectibles, Comic Odyssey also has a booth that sells the foreign and local comics, complete with that particular thin plastic cover seal of legitimacy that all comic geeks love. Fullybooked also has a big section of manga for our young otaku visitors.
For the Actually-Still-Kids:
Different booths have a wide selection of workbooks and activity books for your kids struggling in different subjects, but aside from that, some interesting selections are Anvil Publishing’s manga biography of Rizal’s life, Jose Rizal: The Filipino Hero’s Life Illustrated by Ryo Konno Takahiro Matsui. Some of the more popular middle-grade books are also available of course, including Rick Riordan’s Trials of Apollo trilogy, Rowling’s famous Harry Potter in a special boxed set edition (it comes with a treasure chest), and Jeff Kinney’s ever popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.
This year’s MIBF may be over, but there’s always a next year. Follow their Facebook page or visit the official website to learn more, and don’t miss out on this once-a-year family bonding experience!
Patricia Li is a frequent contributor to Familywise Asia and Workwise Asia. She loves to read and write, and tries to incorporate this in her career.
