ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
PICTURE BOOKS
Sy, Stephanie Ellen

A Roof!

40 pp. | Penguin/Kokila | September, 2024 | Trade ISBN 9780593697054 $18.99 | Ebook ISBN 9780593697061 $10.99
(2) K-3 Illustrated by Daniel Tingcungco. Following a typhoon in the Philippines, Maya discovers a corrugated metal roof that has fallen into her yard. Maya and Tatay (her father) embark on a journey to return the thin roof, folded up "like a lumpia," to its owners. Along the way, Maya and Tatay witness the aftermath of the massive storm: a swollen river, fallen trees, and, eventually, a house missing part of its roof. They also meet people who are eager to help: "a sapatero, some pearl divers, a pig breeder, a labandera," and more. Tingcungco's digital mixed-media art with thick, densely saturated brushstrokes illustrates the beauty of the Philippines and of community as well as the gravity and destructiveness of natural disasters. Readers are introduced to the biodiverse landscapes of the islands, their waterfalls, mountains, and giant palms and ferns; as well as species native to the land, including carabao, fiddler crab, needle fish, and egrets. The dramatic perspectives -- on top of the roof, in the depths of the woods, underwater -- evoke in readers a feeling of being part of the mission to reunite the roof with its family. In an author's note, Sy explains this feeling, bayanihan, or being in community. Also appended are illustrated translations of the professions named earlier in Tagalog of those who helped along the way.
Reviewer: Gabi K. Huesca | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

RELATED 

PICTURE BOOKS

Born Ready
by Patterson, Jodie
PICTURE BOOKS

The House of Grass and Sky
by Ray, Mary Lyn
PICTURE BOOKS

The Dog's Gardener
by Storms, Patricia
PICTURE BOOKS

And I Paint It
by Kephart, Beth
PICTURE BOOKS

Poem in My Pocket
by Tougas, Chris
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?