This New Pinoy Storybook Awakens Everyone’s Inner Child
Ever Wonder is a letter to children and the young at heart, showing them they can find magic and wonder every day, everywhere.
Published on Feb 3, 2026
Pinoy comics legends Budjette Tan and Bow Guerrero have released their first children’s storybook, Ever Wonder.
It all began in 2016 when Budjette wrote a letter to his four-month-old son Seraph, which he contributed to Letters to My Children, an anthology of messages from parents to their kids.
The co-creator of the hit Pinoy horror comic Trese knew exactly what he wanted to tell Seraph.
“As I watched him sleep with his mom, I remembered what it was like for me as a kid,” he said, “how hard it was to try and sleep, afraid of every creak and squeak inside the room.”
His letter, eventually published with the title “Things That Go Bump in the Night,” would tell Seraph how to overcome his fear of the dark and the unknown.
Years later, during the COVID lockdowns, as Seraph grew into a healthy, inquisitive young boy in their new home in Denmark, Budjette revisited his old letter and decided to turn it into a fully fledged storybook. The result is Ever Wonder, a thrilling, thoughtful book on the power of stories and imagination.
The Creation of Ever Wonder
Creating a storybook for children had long been the dream of Budjette and comic book artist Bow Guerrero.
The pair had previously collaborated on the young adult comic book Mikey Recio and the Secret of the Demon Dungeon. But despite their decades of friendship, they’d never gotten around to making their old dream come true. Ever Wonder proved to be the perfect playground for the creative pair.
It helped, too, that Bow was Seraph’s godfather.
“Budjette’s vision was incredibly special to me,” said Bow. “It felt like a love letter to the inner child in all of us.”
In Ever Wonder, the curious main character dives into all sorts of adventures, meeting strange and wondrous characters like the Great Howler Hound on the Moon, the Tempus Knight, and the denizens of the Realm of Why Nots. Many of these were inspired by drawings made by Seraph.
Throughout his adventures, the narrator advises him to be brave, make friends, and keep telling stories, even when other storytellers must eventually pass on.
Each page is reminiscent of the old storybooks, with breathtaking full-color illustrations. “The book explores serious themes like loneliness and saying goodbye,” explained Bow.
“These were the first pages I illustrated, and trying to infuse them with a sense of wonder was particularly challenging.” He also drew inspiration from memories of creating stories with his nephew.
For Budjette, Ever Wonder may have begun as a letter to his young son, but now, with Seraph much older, he sees it as a message to children and adults everywhere.
“We hope you find a magic ingredient somewhere in these pages that would allow you to always find something wonderful as you continue to craft and tell your life story,” he said.
Hanna is a News Desk Writer at Smart Parenting, covering parenting, health, culture, and more. Off the clock, she’s likely people-watching at a café or park, matcha latte in hand.