Friday, June 5, 2015

Short Stories: The Magic Circle

Story by: Gilda Cordero Fernando
Illustrated by: Gilbert Daroy
Anvil Publishing
(4/5 ★★★)


"Umaaraw umuulan
kinakasal ang tikbalang"

The Plot:
Jepoy Baybayin, the poorest boy in town, is invited to the wedding of two tikbalangs. Entering the banyan tree, the world of the invisibles was seen as humans, animals, plants and spirits came together for the ceremony. The celebration came to a halt as sad experiences were told by a tall, sullen, damp and bedragged kapre.

The Good:
This is a nice story that surprisingly uses the marriage of tikbalangs in order to paint the scenery of human selfishness.

The illustrations made by Daroy are really great. They complement well with the story written by Fernando.

The Bad:
I guess this book is a bit expensive. It is best to purchase this book during book sales.

The Verdict:
The Magic Circle tells us a story by using the Philippine mythological creatures. It gives a perspective on the human life through the eyes of the invisibles. A dying kapre opens the window for us to look at what we have been doing to our planet. Our home that we live in side by side with the animals, plants and spirits.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...