Teach Me to Count in Tagalog is a bilingual children’s book that features numbers 1 through 12 in both Tagalog and English. The book was written by Gerard Aflague, author and entrepreneur. Gerard is originally from Guam and currently resides in Highland Ranch, Colorado, USA. His lovely wife Mary, is of Filipino heritage, and together they have built a thriving business promoting books and products from Micronesia and the Pacific Islands. Let’s get to know them a little better!
What languages do you and your family speak?
I speak English and can speak and understand Chamorro (the language of the people of Guam). My parents are both of Chamorro heritage, with some ancestry that can be linked to the Philippines going back hundreds of years. My wife Mary, speaks English and Tagalog, since both of her parents are originally from the Philippines.
What was your inspiration for writing bilingual children’s books?
I started our online company, the Gerard Aflague Collection in 2012, offering hundreds of home, auto, and office products, as well as apparel and foodstuffs. Through this company, I began to realize that there were limited Chamorro titles available to children and their parents to purchase across the USA and the world. So we began offering bilingual language learning books for children in Chamorro and identified other languages we were passionate about supporting. This includes languages like Tagalog, and many other Pacific Island languages such as Hawaiian, Samoan, and Tongan, among others. We distribute our children’s books leveraging Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other brick and mortar bookstores. We are excited because our efforts are paying off as over 7,500 copies of our various books are being made available across the world, in a dozen languages, annually!
What future book ideas are you working on?
I am considering writing and working on a Filipino Dessert Cookbook and will be working in the near future to expand titles for Tagalog language learning for children.
What is your favorite Filipino food?
The Filipino culinary culture has bled into the Chamorro culinary culture. A few Filipino side dishes and entrees are now considered part of the Chamorro culture including lumpia, pancit, puto, and more. However, my favorite food is probably vegetarian lumpia. More recently, however, I have been introduced to Kare-Kare, a peanut stew, and love that just as much. It is so tasty and satisfying!
Gerard is generously offering a paperback copy of Teach Me to Count in Tagalog to one lucky winner. The giveaway starts at noon (CST) 1-18-19 and runs through 1159am (CST) 1-30-19, and is open to residents of the USA. Good Luck!