Nemo, ang Batang Papel' Kanyang Paglalakbay at Kalakaran
Nemo is a boy made of paper. He becomes a real boy after wishing on the farthest star. But Nemo never experiences the happiness of an ordinary child. He goes through many hardships as he tries to earn a living in a dangerous city. Together with other street children, Nemo decides that it is better to be a boy made of paper. This story illustrates a social problem that involves children. It also deals with the rights and needs of children, as well as the role of the family, the community, and the government to address these.
Rene O. Villanueva (September 1954–December 2007) was a Filipino Dramatist and Children's Story Writer who made his mark in Philippine Literature in the late 1970s and well into the first decade of the 21st century. He had a remarkable contribution to Filipino culture as shown in his prolific output which generates continuing interest in his plays and books for young people. Villanueva was born in La Loma, Quezon City and studied in public schools, the Lyceum of the Philippines, and the University of the Philippines. As a young person, he already had the inclination to the arts, telling stories to playmates and winning in national school writing contests. In college, he was active in the theater as a writer and as a performer. Later when he got into the writing workshop circuit, he joined the literary group Galian sa Arte at Tula (GAT) to learn from veteran writers. In a children's literature workshop, he stood out as a fellow, and critic National Artist Virgilio S. Almario recognized his writerly gifts. His drama auspiciously began in 1978 with Entreswelo and Pag-ibig ni Mariang Makiling which won an award in the playwriting workshop, Palihang Aurelio Tolentino. Then in 1980, he won his first Palanca Award with the one-act play Kumbersasyon and from then on his pen did not falter a beat. He came out with memorable dramatic works like May Isang Sundalo(1981), Sigwa (1984), Botong (1990), Kalantiaw (1994), Dobol (1994) and Watawat (1999). Villanueva's stories for children garnered prestigious prizes, including Palanca Award-winning works like Bertdey ni Guido (1989), Ang Unang Baboy sa Langit (1990), Tungkung Langit at Alunsina(1990), Nemo, Ang Batang Papel (1992), and Tatlong Ungas (1999). For his pioneering contribution to local children's literature, Villanueva was nominated by the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) to the 2002 Hans Christian Andersen Award for Children's Writer, the most prestigious international recognition in the field of writing for children. He is the first Filipino writer to have been nominated to the award. His indomitable spirit as a writer, teacher and cultural worker found him travelling all over the country to share his views on children's welfare, creative writing, curriculum enrichment, and teaching materials development.
One of the best children's short stories I've ever read. Reading this is a magical experience. I think it has also something to do with the fact that I'd earlier read and liked his memoir Personal: Mga Sanaysay sa Lupalop ng Gunita (4 stars). The boy, Nemo in the story is very much the same as the young Rene in the memoir. They both believe that if you ardently like something to happen, you just have to close your eyes, think very hard and wish upon the most distant star in the sky: Bituin, bituin, tuparin ngayon din. Ako'y gawing batang masayahin! Then the wish comes true. Well, in this children's book. In the memoir, nothing happens in real life but the boy Rene has a very imaginative mind that he, even at the early age, was already composing the many stories that involved his dreams of becoming a movie star, for example, and for his sisters to become beauty queens. Sir Rene O. Villanueva is dead now but the magic of his books is still very much around. His works are immortal.His wish is granted, but his real world isn’t exactly what he wished for—real boy Nemo’s world is the world of indigent children, forced to work and support their families by selling items in the murky streets of the city.
Ang Batang Maraming Bawal
When he was just paper, Nemo envied real children, who ran around the school playground, laughing and playing ball. He may be a real boy now, but he still envies the same children. Real boy Nemo is turned away and ignored by the world, and is joined only by his fellow street children. He realizes that they all share the same dream: “to be loved by a parent, to have a good home, a happy school, and enough food.” Together, they wished:
When I first read this story—there is no other way of putting it—my mind was seriously blown. I remember the exact circumstance: I was newly hired, and a student was asking for a copy of the story for his thesis, and I read the book while reproducing one of our file copies. (Should anyone need to clone me in the future, my DNA can be collected using left-over brain matter from our company photocopier.) WHAT IS THIS STORY TRYING TO SAY?
The answer to that—or to be more precise, the multiple answers to that is exactly what brings this book to the top of my list. Because the immediate message can be this: some children will be better off if they are taken away from their current world—a message that further opens itself up to multiple other layers of meaning. It also says that when the world fails to recognize and provide a child what he needs, he will not experience a real childhood. It also tells children that some people are luckier than others, that we don’t always get what we want, that not all stories end well and some endings can even be ambiguous. My favorite interpretation of this book is from a teacher my husband told me about: “being made out of paper” is a metaphor for reading, so the story is actually an homage to the escape and fulfillment one can get from books. Just how beautiful is that?
Lit.103 Pagsusuring Maikling Kwento
The great thing is, one doesn’t have to cherry pick from these interpretations, because all these are worthy of discussion even if the discussion will be something as simple as whether it’s okay for children’s books to have a non-happy ending. (Though it may not be that simple.) The only hesitation I have about this pick is that I have to wonder whether it is only the adult in me that appreciates the depth I found in this book, whether I would have liked this book if I had read it when I was young. But then I think, would that even matter?
The point is that this book was created for children, in the hope and trust that they will find something of value in it. In this intent alone, I consider this book commendable. I know that this book was created by people who are driven by their belief in a child’s ability to think critically and without prejudice. In no way did this book condescend to kids in its storytelling, and it is a standard to which I hold all other books for kids.
is no longer in print but it will be included in Mga Kuwentong Adarna, a treasury of 35 classic and out-of-print titles from Adarna House. The treasury will be released in limited print this year.
Nemo, Ang Batang Papel — Arkipelago Books
[Full disclosure: I am employed by Adarna House. This blog, of course, reflects my opinion alone and is not connected in any way to my employer.]
This blog post is done in participation with the National Children’s Book Day blog tour of the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY). NCBD is celebrated every third week of July to commemorate the anniversary of the publication of Jose Rizal’s “The Monkey and the Turtle” in Trubner’s Oriental Record in London. PBBY has organized a book summit on July 21 for this year’s celebrations. Visit the Facebook event page for details.
[Full disclosure: I am employed by Adarna House. This blog, of course, reflects my opinion alone and is not connected in any way to my employer.]
This blog post is done in participation with the National Children’s Book Day blog tour of the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY). NCBD is celebrated every third week of July to commemorate the anniversary of the publication of Jose Rizal’s “The Monkey and the Turtle” in Trubner’s Oriental Record in London. PBBY has organized a book summit on July 21 for this year’s celebrations. Visit the Facebook event page for details.
