Bookmark the Filipino Bookstore

The Bookmark Inc. and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines) partnered to produce A Sea of Stories, a collection of books written by Carla Pacis, which feature tales that showcases the rich culture of the Sulu Sea area and to highlight the importance of marine conservation.

This children’s book features five charming and sentimental stories (The Jin and the Turtle, Dragon Boat, Mapun, Grandmother's Gift and Manta Ray Journey) that speak of the people and the fascinating animals living in the islands of Sulu. The book is an effort to document and preserve some of the indigenous literary genres like legends, myths, and folktales, and create short stories for both the young and old from these raw, orally transmitted tales.

THE COLLECTION of A Sea of Stories written by Carla Pacis, published by The Bookmark, Inc. was launched last February 8, 2012, Wednesday, 5:00-8:00 pm at The Last Chukker, Manila Polo Club, McKinley Road, Forbes Park, Makati City. 

The collection of stories was written for World Wild Fund’s SSME Programme with the goal to educate children on the beauty, fragility and importance of SSME seas. The books also aim to inspire adults to conserve and protect the rich coastal resources of the Philippines.

• The Jin and the Turtle, illustrated by Jeanne P. Tan, which talks about the sad plight of sea turtles in the Sulu Sea and WWF efforts to save them 
  

• Dragon Boat, illustrated by Edrick Raymond T. Daniel, tells of the boat-making skills of the Tausug people and the virtue of patience

• Mapun, illustrated by Jose T. Gamboa and Herbert Miguel I. Consunji, talks about declining marine resources in the Sulu Sea and the conservation of sea turtles, some of which saved the lives of fishermen 

• Grandmother’s Gift, illustrated by Seth Clarece T. Estacio, narrates the hard life of families in the area, their mat-making industry, and a grandmother’s sacrifice to part with her treasured mat for the education of her granddaughter 

• Manta Ray Journey, illustrated by Lloyd F. Niguidula, is a folktale about the Badjao people and how they came to live in the different islands of the Sulu Sea, while touching on giant manta rays and the issue of diminishing marine resources.