The perfect baby shower gift, "MEME: The Baby Book"

In Philippine culture, the word méme is the gateway to sleep. Long before it was used to describe a virally transmitted unit of information, méme was a well-worn word passed from parent to child for generations of Filipinos. Now “Méme: The Baby Book” is the title of a brand new picture book from Tahanan Books that tenderly chronicles a day in the life of a baby.

Designed for both parents and child to read aloud together, Méme’s “beautiful illustrations showcase the nurturing relationship that is essential for early brain and child development,” according to pediatrician Carmen Bonoan.

Filipino families both here and abroad will appreciate the parallel bilingual text that uses basic, easy-to-understand Filipino words. Smartparenting.com says, “The whole book is like a warm hug…we cannot think of a more lovely or meaningful baby shower gift than this baby book. Go ahead and get one for yourself.” 

To this day, there are families who practice this time-honored tradition, when whispering méme to an infant means giving him the best gift of all—the gift of sleep.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Reni Roxas is a writer, editor, and publisher. Her picture book Ay Naku! won a National Children’s Book Award in 2012, and an anthology she edited, Hanggang sa Muli: Homecoming Stories for the Filipino Soul, was shortlisted in 2012 by the Manila Critics Circle for Best Anthology in English. In 2019, she won a first prize Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for her children’s story “Pretty Peach and the Color-Matching Kaleidoscope.” Reni divides her time between Manila and Seattle, Washington.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Kora Dandan-Albano has illustrated over 45 children’s books for both local and international publishers. All About the Philippines, a book she illustrated for Tuttle Publishing, received the American Moonbeam Children’s Book Award gold prize in 2016.

A writer herself, Kora is the daughter of the late Pedro S. Dandan, a prolific, multi-awarded fiction writer in Filipino. Her children’s book Habulan, written in verse, won a National Children’s Book/ Best Reads for Kids Award in 2016. Her most recent picture book is Ed-Eddoy: An Ifugao Folk Song (Tahanan Books, 2018). The artist lives in Baguio City with her family.