My First Book of Tagalog Words. Liana Romulo

      Author’s Preface

      The words in this book are probably already familiar to children in Philippine households all over the world, as they are frequently used in everyday language. In choosing these specific words, my intention was to teach preschoolers (with English as a first language) what the words mean and how they’re spelled, through illustration and memory-enhancing rhyme. After having My First Book of Tagalog Words read to them a few times, children will come away with a more precise understanding of vocabulary they might have already picked up at home.

      Family appellations, such as anak[1] and lola,[2] are easily grasped, as they are most common and registered by children at the heart level. Colloquial expressions, such as naku[3] and ewan,[4] which are difficult to translate, are finally demystified when accompanied by pictures. References to dishes, like pansit[5] and champorado,[6] inject a bit of Philippine life and culture into the wordplay. Names of Philippine figures and sites, such as Quezon[7] and Vigan,[8] impart a sense of history. Other words, like hati[9] and galing,[10] have multiple forms and meanings. In the interest of keeping things simple in this first book of a series, I have chosen to define these words only one way: as the word is most likely to be used among children.