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warloujoyce's review
4.0
I should’ve known better than to dive into this thinking it would be an easy read. One cursory browse and my foolish self had the impression that it’s a light children’s story with illustrations. Spoiler: I was wrong.
With that said, I liked this collection. The four stories, told from children’s point of view, took dark turns. They got bleaker as I read on. Depictions—implied and on page—of trauma, death, suicide, and abuse were present. These were narrated alongside striking illustrations, thereby creating more impact.
This book reminded me of A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. If you liked that story, you may want to check this out. Don’t commit the same mistake I did, though, and check the content warnings. Also, think twice before casually putting a copy in the hands of kids without proper guidance. :)
With that said, I liked this collection. The four stories, told from children’s point of view, took dark turns. They got bleaker as I read on. Depictions—implied and on page—of trauma, death, suicide, and abuse were present. These were narrated alongside striking illustrations, thereby creating more impact.
This book reminded me of A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. If you liked that story, you may want to check this out. Don’t commit the same mistake I did, though, and check the content warnings. Also, think twice before casually putting a copy in the hands of kids without proper guidance. :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Death, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Rape
scythefranz's review
5.0
Tunay na marka: 4.5
"Mga kuwentong pambata para sa mga hindi na bata."
Totoong-totoo. May pagka-dark kasi ang apat na kwento sa bagong librong ito ni Ricky Lee. Mali pala, actually, dark talaga sila. And it's even getting darker along the way, I love it!
1. Ang Nawawalang Diyos (3.5 stars)
Ito ang unang kwento sa librong ito. At sa tingin ko, tama lang na ito ang inuna. Atin-atin lang ha, ito kasi ang least favorite ko sa apat. Hindi naman sa hindi ko nagustuhan, mas magaganda lang talaga yung 3 pang kwento. Medyo gasgas na rin kasi yung konsepto. Mas naging interesante lang dahil d'on sa dalawang nagsasalitang alagang hayop nung bida (Carlo).
Pero magkagayon man, sumasalamin ang istoryang ito sa buhay ng taong may pag-aalinlangan sa buhay. Naipakita at naipahayag ng mabuti kung paanong ang tao ay hindi perpekto at kadalasan ay nawawalan ng tiwala at nagdududa, nag-aaway at nagpapataasan sa isa't isa. The list goes on, ika nga nila.
Sa huli, naging matagumpay ang kwentong ito sa kanyang hangarin.
Ano nga ba mga, ka-DDS? To see is to believe nga ba? Or to believe is to see?
2. Ang Sayaw ng Mga Letra (5 stars)
Nang mabasa ko ang title, akala ko happy story naman. Hindi pala. Nalinlang ako, bes. Don't judge the book by its cover talaga. Hahahuhu
Ang Sayaw ng mga Letra ay isang unique na kwento about a sensitive topic. Maganda ang build-up. Ang galing ng idea ng sumasayaw na mga letra pati ang kahulugan na nakakubli rito.
I commend Ricky Lee for including this theme dito sa bago n'yang libro. Naipakita ang dapat maipakita. Napadama ang dapat maipadama. Pagmamahal, kalungkutan, paghihinagpis.
"Mga kuwentong pambata para sa mga hindi na bata."
Totoong-totoo. May pagka-dark kasi ang apat na kwento sa bagong librong ito ni Ricky Lee. Mali pala, actually, dark talaga sila. And it's even getting darker along the way, I love it!
1. Ang Nawawalang Diyos (3.5 stars)
Ito ang unang kwento sa librong ito. At sa tingin ko, tama lang na ito ang inuna. Atin-atin lang ha, ito kasi ang least favorite ko sa apat. Hindi naman sa hindi ko nagustuhan, mas magaganda lang talaga yung 3 pang kwento. Medyo gasgas na rin kasi yung konsepto. Mas naging interesante lang dahil d'on sa dalawang nagsasalitang alagang hayop nung bida (Carlo).
Pero magkagayon man, sumasalamin ang istoryang ito sa buhay ng taong may pag-aalinlangan sa buhay. Naipakita at naipahayag ng mabuti kung paanong ang tao ay hindi perpekto at kadalasan ay nawawalan ng tiwala at nagdududa, nag-aaway at nagpapataasan sa isa't isa. The list goes on, ika nga nila.
Sa huli, naging matagumpay ang kwentong ito sa kanyang hangarin.
Ano nga ba mga, ka-DDS? To see is to believe nga ba? Or to believe is to see?
2. Ang Sayaw ng Mga Letra (5 stars)
Nang mabasa ko ang title, akala ko happy story naman. Hindi pala. Nalinlang ako, bes. Don't judge the book by its cover talaga. Hahahuhu
Ang Sayaw ng mga Letra ay isang unique na kwento about a sensitive topic. Maganda ang build-up. Ang galing ng idea ng sumasayaw na mga letra pati ang kahulugan na nakakubli rito.
I commend Ricky Lee for including this theme dito sa bago n'yang libro. Naipakita ang dapat maipakita. Napadama ang dapat maipadama. Pagmamahal, kalungkutan, paghihinagpis.
thequeenreads's review
4.0
Gusto ko sanang gumawa ng book talk sa wikang Filipino pero hindi ko talaga kaya. Habang binabasa ko ito, ang naiisip ko - Mala Bob Ong na may kahalong A Monster Calls ang peg. Iyun lang ang naging dahilan kaya 4 stars lang sakin to. Pero overall napakaganda, napakalalim at makabuluhan ang libro. Ang mga ilustrasyon ay nakakamangha. Kudos to the team.
Full book talk in https://thequeenreads.wordpress.com/2017/04/28/book-talk-13-2017-kung-alam-nyo-lang-by-ricky-lee/
Full book talk in https://thequeenreads.wordpress.com/2017/04/28/book-talk-13-2017-kung-alam-nyo-lang-by-ricky-lee/
dexterous_totalus's review
4.0
Solid 3.75 stars.
.
.
.
Kung Alam N'yo Lang is a bind up of four short fiction stories (dagli) about children but are not intended for children. It is seemingly a children's book parents would read at night before your tuck them to bed but really, this is a Pandora's box of monsters we fear when the lights are off.
.
The very words of Lee that captured my attention - that you see a child when you look into a man's eye and in the same boat, you see a child's future when you gaze deep into their eyes. This piece of work scrutinizes the humanity in everyone - an innocent question leading to darker alleys and nooks. It tells stories about these kids and and how there musings reflect the adult dilemmas of faith, mental illness, politics, corruption, grief and greed. If they only knew...
.
1.) Ang Nawawalang Diyos (The Missing God)
***This is cliche and has been used over and over. The search for the divine being. How is it to be so zealous to look for faith and forget why once you find it? Which is true and which is not? If he only knew how to stop searching... so he would not burn out.
2.) Ang Sayaw ng mga Letra (The Dance of Letters)
***I liked how the magical realism of the animated letters portrayed the mental illness aspect in this story. Words are indeed powerful and they evolve. If only he knew how to speak up... so the letters obeyed.
3.) Si Inggo at ang Santo Kuwatro
***Glimpses of bullying both in kids and adults. It delves into how power, no matter how little you have, can be dangerous. It also talks about stories that are forgotten and how they can evolve into monsters that haunt you. If he only knew what was... he could have understood what is.
4.) Nang Mapagod si Kamatayan (When Death Gets Tired)
***What if Death no longer takes the dead? No one will die. And he wished for it. If he only understood why... then He would not have doubted his own.
This is the third book I read from Lee and I would say this is inferior compared to Para Kay B and Si Amapola sa 65 na Kabanata. These two I loved far more due to the quirkiness of the writing style. I knew that this was intended to be simplistic as it was packaged as a sort-of-children's-book, however, it heavily reminds me much of Challenger Deep (N.Shusterman) or A Monster Calls (P.Ness). The style is also reminiscent of Bob Ong and Eros Atalia. If I had read this first, I think I would have loved it far more than 3.75 stars.
Nonetheless, this book I enjoyed and this is such a quick read (but definitely not light). I adored the graphics and the format. Kudos to this neatly put book.
.
.
.
Kung Alam N'yo Lang is a bind up of four short fiction stories (dagli) about children but are not intended for children. It is seemingly a children's book parents would read at night before your tuck them to bed but really, this is a Pandora's box of monsters we fear when the lights are off.
.
The very words of Lee that captured my attention - that you see a child when you look into a man's eye and in the same boat, you see a child's future when you gaze deep into their eyes. This piece of work scrutinizes the humanity in everyone - an innocent question leading to darker alleys and nooks. It tells stories about these kids and and how there musings reflect the adult dilemmas of faith, mental illness, politics, corruption, grief and greed. If they only knew...
.
1.) Ang Nawawalang Diyos (The Missing God)
***This is cliche and has been used over and over. The search for the divine being. How is it to be so zealous to look for faith and forget why once you find it? Which is true and which is not? If he only knew how to stop searching... so he would not burn out.
2.) Ang Sayaw ng mga Letra (The Dance of Letters)
***I liked how the magical realism of the animated letters portrayed the mental illness aspect in this story. Words are indeed powerful and they evolve. If only he knew how to speak up... so the letters obeyed.
3.) Si Inggo at ang Santo Kuwatro
***Glimpses of bullying both in kids and adults. It delves into how power, no matter how little you have, can be dangerous. It also talks about stories that are forgotten and how they can evolve into monsters that haunt you. If he only knew what was... he could have understood what is.
4.) Nang Mapagod si Kamatayan (When Death Gets Tired)
***What if Death no longer takes the dead? No one will die. And he wished for it. If he only understood why... then He would not have doubted his own.
This is the third book I read from Lee and I would say this is inferior compared to Para Kay B and Si Amapola sa 65 na Kabanata. These two I loved far more due to the quirkiness of the writing style. I knew that this was intended to be simplistic as it was packaged as a sort-of-children's-book, however, it heavily reminds me much of Challenger Deep (N.Shusterman) or A Monster Calls (P.Ness). The style is also reminiscent of Bob Ong and Eros Atalia. If I had read this first, I think I would have loved it far more than 3.75 stars.
Nonetheless, this book I enjoyed and this is such a quick read (but definitely not light). I adored the graphics and the format. Kudos to this neatly put book.
francisgregdc's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
4.25
asdfghjanet's review
4.0
this book kept me company while i was keeping my father company at the hospital. plus nabili ko to during the 28th mibf kung saan naka meet-and-greet ko si sir ricky lee. so, maybe an extra star was added coz of those.
as usual ang ganda ng quality ng book. i loved the art. ok yung stories... pinakanagustuhan ko yung kwento ni Carlo at yung kay Inggo
as usual ang ganda ng quality ng book. i loved the art. ok yung stories... pinakanagustuhan ko yung kwento ni Carlo at yung kay Inggo
willowonders's review
5.0
"...Pero ano nga ba ang pambata, at ano ang pagmatanda? May mga bata sa loob nating matatanda. At kapag tinignan namang mabuti sa mga mata nila ang mga bata, minsan ay makikita mo kung ano sila sa kanilang pagtanda."
Oo, ang pagkakasulat ng "Kung Alam N'yo Lang" ay pambata ngunit ang mga paksang tinalakay ay mga paksang bumabagabag sa sinumang tao, bata o matanda, may Diyos o wala, mga takot mamatay at hindi, mga nakalimot at nakakaalala.
Hindi pa ako binigo ni Ricky Lee at mukhang hindi nya na ko mabibigo kailanman. Ang libro na ito ay binasa ko lang sa isang upuan (*higaan), sa isang oras at mahigit. Sa tuwing nakakatapos ako ng isang paksa mula sa librong ito, di ko maiwasang matulala, mapa-WOW at mapaisip. "Ano ba Ricky Lee, ayan ka na naman, lagi mo na lang akong ginaganito." Sa Ingles, mind-boggling ang bawat kwento.
Basahin mo ito kung ika'y:
1. Naghahanap ng Diyos
2. Naghahanap ng peace of mind
3. Naghahanap ng kasaagutan mula sa nakaraan
4. Naghahanap ng tunay na katahimikan
5. Naghahanap ng mababasa
Maraming salamat Ricky Lee, binuhay mo uli ang mambabasa sa puso ko.
Oo, ang pagkakasulat ng "Kung Alam N'yo Lang" ay pambata ngunit ang mga paksang tinalakay ay mga paksang bumabagabag sa sinumang tao, bata o matanda, may Diyos o wala, mga takot mamatay at hindi, mga nakalimot at nakakaalala.
Hindi pa ako binigo ni Ricky Lee at mukhang hindi nya na ko mabibigo kailanman. Ang libro na ito ay binasa ko lang sa isang upuan (*higaan), sa isang oras at mahigit. Sa tuwing nakakatapos ako ng isang paksa mula sa librong ito, di ko maiwasang matulala, mapa-WOW at mapaisip. "Ano ba Ricky Lee, ayan ka na naman, lagi mo na lang akong ginaganito." Sa Ingles, mind-boggling ang bawat kwento.
Basahin mo ito kung ika'y:
1. Naghahanap ng Diyos
2. Naghahanap ng peace of mind
3. Naghahanap ng kasaagutan mula sa nakaraan
4. Naghahanap ng tunay na katahimikan
5. Naghahanap ng mababasa
Maraming salamat Ricky Lee, binuhay mo uli ang mambabasa sa puso ko.