Alamat ng Rosas

Title of the book: Alamat ng Rosas/ The Legend of the Rose
Author: Segundo D. Matias, Jr.
Illustrator: Ghani Madueno   
©2012 LamparaPublishing House, Inc.

Love as Deep as Red

By: Mia Angelica K. Arevalo

 I’ve just read a book entitled as, Alamat ng Rosas or The Legend of the Rose written by Mr. Segundo D. Matias, Jr.

It talks about love like the ever-growing romance between Rosa and Hulio which is very captivating. Aside from this is their loyalty to each other and lastly, the honour which Hulio was holding on to protect his pride as well as to protect Rosa which I find enlightening as a reader. 

Considering the fact that this is a children’s book, there are some scenes which are inappropriate in the story. I think it would be better if it would be revised since the target audience of this short story are mostly children. Lastly, there are also words or terms which I think children wouldn’t easily understand. To improve it, I think the author should start with small words for this book if his target audiences start at the age of 7. Despite those, there are many values which we can acquire from reading it. Well for me, love shouldn’t be forced, instead it should follow the will of the person he or she loves. Understanding the context from the legend, beauty isn’t about everything and this is something that children, most of all teenagers and even adults, miss out a lot. In addition to that, this story depicts the common Filipino traits when we are in love. If there is a hindrance to both of each lover’s affections, both will find ways to overcome those challenges. 

To sum up my opinions on the book itself, I admire how the illustrations are drawn. The entire book looks refreshing to the eyes, since the artist used bright colours like pink, which is also very striking, most especially to girls. I give my compliment to the illustrator, Mr. Ghani Madueno, for choosing the right palettes for this story book. 

            I proudly recommend the story most of all to the girls because, I know that they may relate and give importance to the lesson it gives us even if they are already teens or even adults. Furthermore, we should love our loved ones unconditionally and love them as deep as red. 

*Mia Angelica K. Arevalo graduated high school at Infant Jesus Academy Marikina. She is now a BS CDE student, studying at Miriam College to pursue her major in Special Education.