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Suzi Entrata-Abrera, mom to Leona, 10; Jade, 8; and Nella, 7
TV personality
How she raised kids who love to read:
My husband Paolo and I read to our children when they were young, around the time they were big enough to physically hold a book or turn the pages of a book. We started with picture books, so that got them used to seeing and having books around the house. Of course, as they grew older, technology was the great distraction, and it made it difficult to make them stay put and read, instead of using the iPad or watching TV.
How she distracts her kids from the iPad:
I just make a rule, ‘Now we’re going to have a 30-minute book session,’ so we turn the TV off. It’s just random, and I think we should make it a little more regular. Everybody goes quiet, gets her favorite book, and starts reading. When they get started, they remember, oh yeah, I like to read nga pala.
My eldest daughter enjoys reading very much, that sometimes, when she gets a new book, she’ll read it from the bookstore, while walking, in the car, and then she’s done by the time we get home.
My second daughter likes a book called Choco Mimi, a comic book from Japan, so you read starting from the backside towards the front. When she sees her ate reading, she’ll get this book and start to read too. I love seeing them on their double deckers reading.
The youngest gets frustrated because she doesn’t read very well, it takes her a long time, so I just tell her to be patient. I sit with her and read with her but after a few minutes she just throws her hands up and says, ‘I don’t wanna do this anymore’.ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWNonetheless, we're a family who loves to read!
See Suzi's recommended books by clicking 'View slideshow'!
Photos by Mitch Mauricio
- Viewing as List
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Photo 1 of 6No Body is Perfect, Photographs by Jun de Leon
My husband and I are in this book, and it’s very flattering to be amongst noteworthy and inspiring people -- some have lost a lot of weight, some have always been consistent in their healthy living -- it’s really an inspirational book. And of course it’s flattering to be shot by Jun de Leon.
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Photo 2 of 6The Essential Thai Cookbook by Kit Chan
It’s my most favorite cookbook, and you can see that from all the splatters on the pages, especially the page with the recipe on Fragrant Thai Meatballs. It's the first recipe that I cooked for my husband -- we happen to both like Thai food. As the children grew and their palates became more sophisticated, they came to like this recipe considering that it has a bit of red curry paste, cilantro, lemongrass. I love this book because I’m able to expand my children’s palate because of it.
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Photo 3 of 6Boo by J. H. Lee
Only because he’s the most popular and cutest dog on earth. We all love this book and we’d all just scream in Boo’s cuteness. We don’t have a dog, so this is probably why they love this book -- because they can somehow have a dog. We just recently bought them little stuffed toys of Boo, and at night they go to bed with ‘Boo’ beside them.
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Photo 4 of 6Gods & Heroes by Matthew Reinhart & Robert Sabuda
I love pop-up books because they’re just amazing. My children love to do art projects and I’m not very good at it, so I’d just sit through it and try to be artistic even though they’re way more artistic than I am, just like their father. One of them said, Mama, let’s make a pop-up book… but I can’t even draw!
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Photo 5 of 6When you are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
I love any book by David Sedaris. This one is about magnified life experiences and I find his humor entertaining. When he came to the Philippines, I did not go to see him, I was in the other mall, because I was afraid that if I met him, he was gonna shatter every image and expectation I had of him. It was so bizarre.
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Photo 6 of 6The Style Strategy by Nina Garcia
My daughter who is now starting to have her own fashion sense probably has the book in her room. It’s illustrations and practical tips on how to be stylish, and I think she really just loves looking at all these pictures. I love how her books are entertaining, informative, simple and beautiful.
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