Two multi-awarded Norwegian authors came to visit and read stories for Valenzuelano students of Marulas Central School, recently. 

The storytelling session was started by an author and illustraror Kristin Roskifte as she read her critically-acclaimed work “Everybody Counts”. It is a seek-and-find book, a counting book, and picture book about humanity. This book has been translated to more than 30 languages that shows different people and situations from which numerous narratives and connections are created.

In 2019, Everybody Counts was awarded the Nordic Council Children and Yung People’s Literarure Prize. It also won Gold Awards in Norwegian “Visuelt” and “The Year’s Most Beautiful Books”, and was nominated for “Brageprisen” and the “World Illustration Award”.

Children from the school were also thrilled to meet another multi-awarded author, Håkon Øvreås. His book “Brown” is the first book in the trilogy for young readers. Brown talks about the adventure of  Rusty as he transforms at night as a fearless superhero armed with paintbrushes and two cans of brown paint.

Brown marks Håkon Øvreås debut in youth literature in 2013 and received several awards and nominations in Norway. In 2013, Øvreås won the Norwegian Ministry of Culture’s Literature Prize (Best Children's and Young Adults Book) and the Trollkrittet Prize (Norwegian Children's / Young Adults book writers' debut prize).  Browns also make it to the Nordic Council Literature Prize for Children and Young Adults in 2014, the Dutch Zilveren Griffel (Silver Pencil) in 2015, The German Luchs des Jahres (Best Children and YA Book) in 2016, and the 2020 Batchelder Award through the American Library Association's ALSC awards. 

The storytelling session was made possible through the help of UNICEF Chief of Education Mr. Isy Faingold who emphasized the importance of reading books as foundation of  learning of every student.

The program was concluded as the Norwegian Authors donated their multi-awarded books to Marulas Central School Library.

Present in the event were officials from Norwegian Embassy in Manila headed by Second Secretary William Westerveld Jensen, UNICEF Philippines Chief of Education Mr. Isy Faingold, Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Meliton Zurbano, Marulas Central School Principal Ms. Josie Fernando and members of the faculty, Councilor Niña Lopez, and Mayoress Tiffany Gatchalian.

Kristin Roskifte and Håkon Øvreås visit is part of a series of storytelling tour of the award-winning authors in the Metro.

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