A dazzling picture book debut about a young girl in the Philippines who returns a neighbor’s roof after a typhoon with the help of her community.
Typhoons are a regular part of Maya’s life in the Philippines, but after this storm, she finds something unusual in her backyard—a roof! There’s an address written on it, and Maya is determined to return it to its family. She’ll need help to make her way through the damage left behind by the typhoon. As she sets out with her tatay, Maya collaborates with a farmer and his carabao, a couple of fishers and their boat, a sapatero, a labandera, a kusinera, and more of her neighbors. Together, they sail around knotted tree roots, hauling, heaving, pushing, and dragging the roof until they find its family—and begin to rebuild their community.
Told by Stephanie Ellen Sy in a cumulative structure that begs to be read aloud, and paired with Daniel Tingcungco’s lush and cinematic illustrations, A Roof! is a story about community care that celebrates the Filipino spirit of bayanihan.
Praise for A Roof! by Stephanie Ellen Sy; illustrated by Daniel Tingcungco:
2024 Freeman Book Award Of Note in Children's Literature title
★ “Sy’s lyrical, methodically paced narrative pairs perfectly with Tingcungco’s lush, digitally rendered, collagelike artwork . . . A bighearted tribute to a tradition rooted in love and community.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“[A] beautiful and heartwarming story that celebrates the power of cooperation. A Roof! shines light on ordinary human compassion and kindness and will inspire readers to consider their own community participation.” — Booklist
"A great addition to any collection, with its representation of Filipino culture and themes of community and determination." — School Library Journal
A dazzling picture book debut about a young girl in the Philippines who returns a neighbor’s roof after a typhoon with the help of her community.
Typhoons are a regular part of Maya’s life in the Philippines, but after this storm, she finds something unusual in her backyard—a roof! There’s an address written on it, and Maya is determined to return it to its family. She’ll need help to make her way through the damage left behind by the typhoon. As she sets out with her tatay, Maya collaborates with a farmer and his carabao, a couple of fishers and their boat, a sapatero, a labandera, a kusinera, and more of her neighbors. Together, they sail around knotted tree roots, hauling, heaving, pushing, and dragging the roof until they find its family—and begin to rebuild their community.
Told by Stephanie Ellen Sy in a cumulative structure that begs to be read aloud, and paired with Daniel Tingcungco’s lush and cinematic illustrations, A Roof! is a story about community care that celebrates the Filipino spirit of bayanihan.
Photos
Praise
Praise for A Roof! by Stephanie Ellen Sy; illustrated by Daniel Tingcungco:
2024 Freeman Book Award Of Note in Children's Literature title
★ “Sy’s lyrical, methodically paced narrative pairs perfectly with Tingcungco’s lush, digitally rendered, collagelike artwork . . . A bighearted tribute to a tradition rooted in love and community.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“[A] beautiful and heartwarming story that celebrates the power of cooperation. A Roof! shines light on ordinary human compassion and kindness and will inspire readers to consider their own community participation.” — Booklist
"A great addition to any collection, with its representation of Filipino culture and themes of community and determination." — School Library Journal
