A Tiny But Mighty Home
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Author Rachell Abalos started writing Our Nipa Hut in 2018 as a hashtag challenge on Instagram. She routinely revised it, pitched it to publishers, and by December 2020, she signed with her agent and Barefoot Books acquired the story. “It was a long journey, but it certainly was worth the wait,” she says. (Photo courtesy of Rachell Abalos)
“This story was inspired by my grandmother, Dorotea Reyes,” says author Rachell Abalos. “When I was a child, she would sing Bahay Kubo to me.” It’s a Filipino folksong about a nipa hut with a bountiful vegetable garden. The book is also drawn from Rachell’s experience of growing up in the Philippines.
Author Rachell Abalos with her grandmother Dorotea Reyes. Our Nipa Hut is a tribute to her “Inang” who lived in a nipa hut and sang the folksong Bahay Kubo to her grandchildren. (Photo courtesy of Rachell Abalos)
“My dad was in the Navy, so our family has lived all over the place. I was born in San Diego, then lived in Hawaii until I was three. My dad got stationed in Subic Bay (Philippines) afterwards. I think we would’ve stayed there longer if it wasn’t for the eruption of the Mt. Pinatubo volcano in 1991.”
Yelena’s experience in the book is similar to hers during the eruption, she says. “I remember huddling in one room and helping keep the windows closed because volcano ash was coming in. We were fortunate to be U.S. citizens and got evacuated. The Mt. Pinatubo eruption was devastating, especially to many indigenous people in the area. My family was very lucky and privileged. We evacuated back to San Diego where a lot of my family stayed.”
Rachell, who currently lives in Southern California with her husband and two children, is a librarian. She recalls, “On my seventh birthday, I was gifted my first book, The Poky Little Puppy. I read that book every day. It was also one of the things I made sure my mom packed when we relocated from the Philippines. We weren’t allowed to bring much, but that book, I had to have it with me. That was the start of my book hoarding days.”
She’s very proud of her work as an elementary school librarian. “My principal trusts my decisions. I started a book club at my school. Every month I’ll have a theme and pick out about 10 to 15 different books of different reading levels. Any student can check out a book and give me their review on it, like a Yelp review. They rate it with one to five ‘paws’ (stars) and say if they would recommend it or not. Every participant gets recognized during Student of the Month.”
“This beautiful story about strong family ties deserved to be told through authentic, heartwarming illustrations. I am delighted to see that it has received such great response by the public,” says Our Nipa Hut illustrator Gabriela Larios. (Photo by Claire Mercado-Obias)
The first month of Book Club, she had seven participants. The next month, 17 joined. “Six months in and I have over 50 students! The youngest participant is in first grade, and we get new participants every month. These numbers are encouraging. I think recognizing the students, making Book Club feel special without being exclusive is how we can get kids to read more.”
To instill a love for reading, Rachell says, “Librarians are curators. Our job is to curate books for our readers. I’m actively choosing diverse books and I display them where students can see them easily. Having the right display fixtures help, but most of the time, I literally just put the books on the table and tell the students to check them out. It’s that basic. Kids aren’t picky.”
Many States have started banning books in public schools as a form of censorship driven by fear and prejudice. “Book bans are wild to me,” says Rachell. “Thank goodness I don’t have anyone telling me I can’t have certain books on the shelves. The book No, David by David Shannon is not going to turn our kids into devil-worshippers, in fact it’s very popular. What it’s really doing is making our kids love reading.”
Our Nipa Hut is published by Barefoot Books whose values include respect for the world’s diversity and the welfare of the planet. The book teaches young readers Tagalog words and phrases, Philippine culture and geography, as well as climate change.
In the story, Yelena’s Papa has a prosthetic leg. “This was suggested by the editor at Barefoot Books. It never occurred to me to include that detail into the text, and I’m so glad that they did because it’s a realistic depiction. Farming can be a dangerous job. Unfortunately, many of the farmers, especially in the provinces, don’t have access to immediate health care. Some also cannot afford prosthetics,” Rachell explains.
For Filipinos accustomed to what a nipa hut looks like, shades of brown come to mind because of the traditional materials used. But in Our Nipa Hut, illustrator Gabriela Larios reinterprets it. She uses water-based paints, pastels, pencils, collage, and digital tools to give the bahay kubo a whimsical spin. Born in El Salvador, Larios says, “Latin America is a colorful land, full of sunshine, exuberant plants, and amazing natural beauty. I think the vibrant colors and joyfulness that is expressed in my art comes from my Latin roots.”
The playful and detail-oriented illustrations are by Gabriela Larios who comes from El Salvador. "I would love to visit the Philippines one day," she says. (Photo courtesy of Gabriela Larios)
“Some things are told through words and others through illustrations,” Larios continues. With the use of color, she can easily conjure drama: moody blues and purples at the height of a storm, and when you turn the page, vibrant rainbow hues indicate that the storm has passed. “These spreads both represent the antithesis of each other. Like night and day, it is only by experiencing difficult moments in life that we appreciate the calm after a storm even more.”
Although the story takes place in the Philippines, it gives voice to what is happening around the world like Larios’ homeland in Central America, where so many families live in huts and every year face great hardship when hurricanes and devastating tropical thunderstorms come. “Sometimes they are not as lucky as the Mendoza family, they lose everything they have and end up having no other choice but to leave their homes and look for better opportunities in other countries,” Gabriela adds.
Not only is Our Nipa Hut a gateway to learning about the Philippines, it’s also a way to teach climate change. Consider the nipa hut as symbolic of everyone’s home, Planet Earth, that each of us must care for and protect.
Kate DePalma, senior editor at Barefoot Books, shares, “Our Nipa Hut grabbed my attention immediately with its unique setting, exciting storyline, evocative language, and heartfelt message about the importance of family and home. I love to find a picture book like this one that has real action – real stakes. The rich, detailed writing and artwork is such a feast for the senses. Yelena and Papa’s brave devotion to their nipa hut, and to one another, in the face of the storm will inspire little ones to find courage to take action to care for the people (and things) that are important in their own lives.”
Rachell is currently working on her teaching credentials. “I love being a librarian, but there’s something more special as a teacher. I’ll be nurturing minds. Making a difference in all subjects. I hope to teach second grade,” she says.
As a mother, librarian, and future teacher, imparting knowledge is at her core. A kinship with Filipino culture is one more thing she aims to teach. “I have two kids, ages 13 and 10. They are starting to embrace their Filipino heritage. No matter how much I expose them to our culture, it’s never enough. I think a lot of the kids of the diaspora feel the same way. We all want to feel connected to the Philippines. Stories and culture are passed down. And books help preserve those stories. That is why I write them,” she says.
“Book bans are wild to me,” says Rachell. “Thank goodness I don’t have anyone telling me I can’t have certain books on the shelves.
It was always Rachell’s dream to share her stories and have people read them. And now Our Nipa Hut is in a lot of hands, she hopes it sparks something in them. “I want them to seek similar stories, read more about the Philippines, and Filipino culture. I want readers to feel closer to their family, be grateful for their home, and appreciate nature. I also hope that when they look at a skyscraper, they remember that a humble nipa hut inspired that construction,” she explains.
What a full circle for Rachell Abalos, who lives and breathes books, to add “author of Our Nipa Hut” to her list of accomplishments.
Claire Mercado-Obias is a writer, food stylist and pastry chef based in New Jersey.
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