GENRE: **Diverse, Humor, Fantasy
WORDS: 246
Query:
Dear PBParty Judges, Agents, and Editors,
I’d like to thank you all so much for participating in #PBParty and giving me the honor and opportunity to showcase my work.
A child with a big imagination explains why the Bakunawa, a Philippine mythical creature, would make a great first pet. As his dragon explodes from page, the young artist justifies his choice, until reality battles back, and he discovers that oversized dreams can come with colossal consequences.
IF I HAD A BAKUNAWA is a 246-word (not inclulding backmatter) diverse, humor picture book that highlights one of the Philippines’ greatest mythical beings, known as Bakunawa. Serpent. Dragon. God. And Moon Eater. This dragon is awesome, mischievous and far too much to handle for any little boy. Comps include This is a Sea Cow, If I Had a Griffin and The Snurtch.
I am a Filipina-American author/illustrator currently living in Thornton, CO. I was born in Manila, Philippines and have grown up loving old stories about mythical beings from different cultures, as well as my own. Working as a Tagalog Interpreter, I understand how much people from my culture yearn to be represented and to see and feel things that are familiar. The gratitude I receive from my clients for knowing that someone can speak for them is tremendous, and I want to bring that through my stories.
I was represented by Carey Blankenship-Kramer for about two years, but for personal reasons, she recently left the industry. She is willing to be a reference. I am an active member of SCBWI, 12×12, and Storyteller Academy. I have participated in StoryStorm for the past five years. I actively participate in critique groups, art prompts, and challenges, and attend workshops to grow my skills. Lastly, I’ve had the amazing honor of being chosen for the PBParty 2022 Illustration Showcase.
In addition to IF I HAD A BAKUNAWA, I have other manuscripts and dummies available. I hope you consider me and my work, and thank you so much for your time!
Maraming salamat po.
Excerpt:
Yesterday, I got a puppy.
But what I really want is a Bakunawa.
Bakunawa is more than just an ordinary pet.
He can do more than just sleep, and snuggle, eat and sniff around all day.
Exhibit A
If I had a Bakunawa, bye bye floaties!
Hello swim team. First place, here I come!
Exhibit B
Wiry whiskers and a mustache-y smile.
My teachers will think he’s dad on family day!
What inspired you to write this story & what do you have in common with it:
I grew up loving stories about mythical creatures and ancient civilizations, but I have never come across any that are inspired by Filipino culture. I want to put on the shelves, the stories I longed to see as a child, stories that can represent the little me and many other children like me. Dragons are fun, magical, and mysterious! Every culture has its own version of dragons, and I believe children everywhere would enjoy learning about the Bakunawa. Plus, Bakunawa is so fun to say: BAH-KOO-NA-WA! My goal is to share my culture in a way that is both enjoyable and relatable.
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