Guide to Enjoying and Learning from Philippine Picture Books

SANDOSENANG SAPATOS
Author: Luis P. Gatmaitan, M.D.
Artist: Beth Parrocha-Doctolero
Publisher: Hiyas, 2002
Award: First place, 2001 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature

Sandosenang Sapatos tells of a father's love for her disabled daughter.

Family
The love and support of the family in the story is felt throughout the book. The pride that the
family has for the father, the dozens of pairs of shoes that the father makes for his children, and
the mother's gentle and quiet guidance of her children are evidences of this love. How do you
show your love to your family? Discuss how simple deeds such as packing away one's toys or
saying sorry are actually big acts of love.

Gratitude and Humility

Humility and gratitude are virtues that we should teach our children as they grow up. Karina's
attitude towards her father's gifts is the perfect example of these. Despite being envied by
classmates for her new shoes, she was never boastful or arrogant. Point this out to your child
when she forgets to be thankful. Remind her about Karina every time she brags about new toys
or even whines about something that she can't get. For a memory verse, use Psalm 1 07:1
which says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His love endures forever.”

I am Special. I am Unique.
Despite her disability, Susie grew up to be a happy child. Her family's love made her realize that
she is special despite being different. We are all special in God's eyes and despite our
shortcomings, we are loved. Discuss the value of uniqueness and how being different is not a
bad thing.
Talk also about compassion. Highlight how Karina took care of her sister's need and how she
embraced her sister's disability by thinking of games that they can play together. On another
reading, ask your child how he would feel if he was the one being laughed at by the man in the
park. Would he be sad? Would he be mad? Will he also want to fight like Susie's dad? Or will
he be gentle like her mom? Point out that making fun of other children, no matter how different
they are, is never a good thing.
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 Growing Old
Babies grow up to become mommies or adults. Caterpillars become butterflies. Such is the
circle of life. If your family has experienced a recent death or sickness, help your older child
understand grief using Karina and Susie's example. While they miss their father, they accepted
their fate with grace and faith. Instead of questioning God, they lived in the memory of the
“perfect moments” that they had with their father. A good read-along about growing old is Tomie
dePaola's “Now One Foot, Now the Other”.

Games
The book mentions Filipino games that children in this hi-tech age may no longer know about.
Relive your childhood, and more importantly, make new memories with your children while you
play sungka, jackstone, and pitik-bulag with them.

Vocabulary
The last page of the book lists down a list of Filipino vocabulary words to introduce to your child.
Additional words that you may want to teach are:
- sandosena - one dozen; twelve
- sapatero - shoemaker

Field Trip
Visit a shoemaker's factory to see how shoes are made. Marikina also has a Shoe Museum
along J.P. Rizal St. that may also be worth visiting. You can read more about this at
http://www.marikinalife.com/2009/05/marikina-shoe-museum.html. Marikina Riverbanks is also
home to the world's largest shoes.

Numbers and Counting

Sandosena means a dozen. Teach young children to count in Filipino and tell them that
sandosena and labing-dalawa are the same. A good read-along for Filipino counting is Tagu-
Taguan by Tahanan Books. “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe” is also a good counting rhyme.

Occupation
Talk to your child about the different occupations of your family members. Karina's father was a
shoemaker. What does your father do? How about your mother? When out and about, point
out the people in your neighborhood and what they do for a living – the security guard, the taho
peddler, the cashier in the grocery, the policeman, the doctor, the priest.

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 WHICH SHOE COMES NEXT?

Cut this portion and paste in appropriate box.

Photos from freedigitalphotos.net

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WHO ARE THE PEOPLE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?
Draw a line to match the person to the equipment that he uses.

Photos from www.freedigitalphotos.net

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FILE FOLDER SUNGKA GAME BOARD
Print the next two pages and paste into a file folder. Use shells, marbles, coins, or poker ships
as sigay. Print the instructions and glue to the front of the folder for reference.

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Sandosenang Sapatos Unit Study © The Learning Basket
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HOW TO PLAY SUNGKA
(Lifted from www.ehow.com)
Put seven sigays on each circle of the sungkaan. Each player owns one row and
each row has seven circles. The larger holes on the extreme left and right of the
sungkaan are called "homes". Leave these empty. A player's home is the biggest
hole to his left.
The first turn is played simultaneously by the two players. In this turn, the players will
remove all pieces from a chosen hole on any row owned by each of the players.
Distribute one sigay on each hole (including the player's own home and the holes in
the other player's row) in a clockwise-direction. The sigays in the hole where the last
sigay ends will be used to continue playing. The turn ends when the last sigay falls
on an empty hole. If the last sigay falls on the player's own row, the player also gets
the contents of the hole opposite it (owned by the other player) for his home.
If the last sigay falls on the player's own head, then he or she earns another turn,
which can begin at any of the seven holes in his or her own row.
The game ends when all the sigays are in the players' homes. The player with the
greater number of sigay wins.

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MEMORY GAME
Print two copies of this page to make your own shoe-themed memory game. Laminate for
durability. Photos from www.freedigitalphotos.net

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