Guide to Enjoying and Learning From Philippine Picture Books

ANG PAMBIHIRANG SOMBRERO

Author/Illustrator: Jomike Tejido
Publisher: Adarna House
Ang Pambihirang Sombrero is about a girl named Mia and her
magical hat that can hold many things on top. Its illustrations are
both silly and magical with lots of details to think and talk about.
Youll also get to tour Filipino neighborhoods!

Hats
Mia wore her hat in fun, different ways. Let your child do it, too! You can also try putting
small objects, like a book or a paper plate, on your childs head so she can pretend to
be Mia, whose neighbors put things on her hat, one on top of another (a birdcage, a
candlestick, a flower vase, etc.) until the things on top are piled up high.

Art
There are many wonderful details in Jomike Tejidos illustrations that will bring delight
during every reading session. On the page where Mia is walking towards the park,
notice that Mia is the only character rendered in color while the rest are just blue. If your
child asks about this detail, you can talk about focus in art and how the artist wants the
reader to see Mia, her hat, and all the things on top of it.

I Spy Game
Theres a silly detail that you will have fun looking for in this book. There is a dog on
every page. Try to figure out the silly thing that it is doing: blowing bubble gum,
skateboarding, conducting, etc.

Filipino Neighborhoods
Follow Mia as she says hello to her neighbors and tour your own neighborhood as a
family field trip. Go to a sari-sari store, bakery, and doctors clinic. Look for policemen
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on the streets and visit a fire station to meet firefighters! In this day and age, most kids
just know the shops inside the mall. Going out and intentionally pointing out the
neighborhood fixtures will impart in your child an appreciation of her immediate
surroundings.
Try setting up different stations around your home for some indoor neighborhood tour.
One area can be a sari-sari store with jars of candies, boxes of milk, etc, a doctors
clinic with a weighing scale, a bakery with a muffin tray, etc.

Imagination
Bring your childs imagination beyond the book by posing questions such as Where
could Mia be going in her hat-that-turned-into-a-parachute?, How can she go down?,
What do you think she can see up there?, How do you think she felt when she was
suddenly lifted up?

Repetition
Notice how each of the neighbors answers Mias question about her hat. Everyone
answers with the same phrase: pero mas maganda Your child will marvel at this
writing device. You can tell her its called repetition but you may also opt not to and
just enjoy saying the phrase together as you read aloud.

Sequencing
You can make a simple card game with the objects on Mias hat. Write, draw each
object on a piece of paper, or print the photos on pages 7 and 8 of this document in
cardstock. Have your child arrange the items in sequence, or hold the card
corresponding to the page that you are reading.
When your child has placed the objects in order, you can introduce ordinal numbers.
Ordinal numbers tell the position of an object. What was the first object that was placed
on Mias head? The second? The third? The last? Or Who did Mia see first in the
neighborhood? And then who?
You can also practice saying the ordinal numbers in Filipino: una, pangalawa,
pangatlo

Parachute
Mias hat is transformed into a parachute when her playmate ties a kite to it and it flies
up. You can talk about how a real parachute works and how it is used. Parachutes help
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people to land safely on the ground. Without a parachute, a person who steps off a high
place like a tall building or a flying airplane will fall into the ground really fast. A persons
fall slows down with a parachute because it is very light in weight and is large, and the
air goes against it.
As a fun experiment, try dropping two objects from a high place something heavy like
a rock and something light like a feather. Observe and time how long each took to reach
the ground.
You can also make your own parachute with a sandwich bag cut into a square. Tie a
string on each corner of the square, and hold the strings together in the middle. Then,
tie a rock or any other object to it, and throw it up, or drop it from above.

Vocabulary
Use uncommon Filipino words in this book in their proper context and see your child
naturally acquire new vocabulary. Some words to practice using: baul, kandelabra,
hawla, bulaklak, sombrero. You can also point out the titles of respect: Aling for ladies
and Mang for gentlemen.

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Games
Print and cut out the images below. You may opt to laminate the pictures for durability.
1. Ask your child to put the cards in sequence starting from the hat that Mia put on her head.
2. Practice saying the ordinal numbers in English and Filipino: first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth,
seventh, eight, ninth. Una, pangalawa, pangatlo

The images on this page are from FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Ang Pambihirang Sombrero Unit Study The Learning Basket

www.thelearningbasket.com

The images on this page are from FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Ang Pambihirang Sombrero Unit Study The Learning Basket

www.thelearningbasket.com