Children’s books set in the Philippines

Welcome to children’s books set in the Philippines. This is part of our children’s books about Asia section of Kids Travel Books. So glad you’re here – and specifically here on the Philippines page – this is the country of my birth. I still have a lot of family in and love for the Philippines. Below you’ll find facts for kids, travel ideas, books, and more.

Fast Facts about the Philippines for Kids

The Republic of the Philippines is located in Southeast Asia in an area known as the Pacific Ring of Fire.
The capital of the Philippines is Manila.
The official currency of the Philippines is the Philippine peso.
Filipino (Tagalog) and English are the official languages of the Philippines. Filipino (Tagalog) is the national language. There are many dialects. And Spanish was the national language for 300 years.
For kids interested in learning more about the Philippines, they may also want to learn about volcanoes and rice fields.

Bookish things for families to do in the Philippines

If your schedule allows, check out the Manila International Book Fair – which is held annually. Otherwise, check out these cafes that booklovers will like.

Other things to do in the Philippines

Bohol
Palawan
Cebu

Children’s books about the Philippines

One of these days I’m going to do a proper blog post about Filipino children’s books. But, not today.

Instead, I’m going to take a few minutes to highlight some of my favorite books in this category. Why?

Because my mom’s from the Philippines, I was born there, and most of my family lives there today. It’s important that this country, which means so much to me and helped shape who I am as an adult, is part of my own children’s story.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at

My favorite Filipino Kid’s Books

Let me start off by saying that I own some of these books, but not all of them. I’ll let you know why I included them in my list, though. Oh, and these are affiliate links. Just click on the image. Disclaimers are below.

My First Book of Tagalog Words by Liana Romulo and Jaime Laurel

Since this is a first book of Tagalog words, this is going to be my first book of choice. It’s also the first book about the Philippines I purchased for my kids. Amazon shows that I bought it in May of 2012 when my oldest was about 18 months old and my youngest was just a few months shy of being born.

What I like about this book is that it uses the alphabet to introduce kids to the language, history, and culture of the Philippines. I enjoy reading it with my kids because it reminds me of some of the phrases and word pronunciations I grew up with via my mom. Before this, I had never considered some of these words as the Filipino way to say a word that’s in English. But, it just may be the case.

This book is great for those who want to introduce their little ones to Tagalog in a fun way. And my kids, now 6 and 8, still like listening to it.

Filipino Children’s Favorite Stories by Liana Elena Romulo and Joanne de Leon

I bought this the same time I bought the book above. The stories are definitely longer and more in-depth than the Tagalog book. For that reason, I would recommend this for an older child.

I do love good tales, though. I think they are an important part to a greater understanding of a culture.

Warning: I shared this book with a Filipino session I ran at my English-language kid’s club in Germany. My husband read to the kids while I took care of some stuff in the kitchen. One of the dads came and told me that some of the stories are fairly intense. So, these tales are definitely not the Disney-version.

Filipino Friends by Liana Romulo and illustrated by Corazon Dandan-Albano

This is the book I do not own. I have the Japanese Friends version and I do like it. The series does a good job of not just showing kids life in another country, but also reminding them of what things are the same and different back home. They pack a lot of info in a relatively short book, but they do it in an entertaining and kid friendly way.

This book is on my to buy soon list. My kids love reading the Japanese book, so I’m sure they will like this one, too.

Books about the Philippines for kids

I try to keep up with the books listed below, but sometimes I can’t. Until then, I will add a few books here. Please click on the image to go to the Amazon description. Links are affiliate. See disclosure for more info.

I will remove books from this section when they are added below.