Book co-edited by Sayuno wins national award in Philippines

Cheeno Sayuno
Cheeno Marlo Sayuno, Postdoctoral Research Associate

A book edited by Postdoctoral Research Associate Cheeno Marlo Sayuno and Eugene Evasco has received a National Book Award from the Republic of the Philippines. The award, sponsored by the National Book Development Board and the Manila Critics Circle, is an annual prize that honors the most outstanding titles written, designed, and published in the Philippines. Their book, Bata, Hiwaga, Bansa: Pamana ni Rene O. Villanueva sa Panitikang Pambata (Child, Wonder, Nation: Legacy of Rene O. Villanueva to Children’s Literature)was named Best Anthology in Filipino.

Bata, Hiwaga, Bansa features critical analysis and discussions from children’s literature scholars of Rene O. Villanueva, who is recognized as an early visionary in Filipino children's literature. Villanueva worked in television, theater, and the publication industry as a creator of contents for children, such as Batibot, a Filipino adaptation of Sesame Street.

"We decided to work on an anthology of works surrounding his legacy because little has been written about him in the context of academic writing," said Sayuno. "As a child, I read his early works, and writing about them now feels like a full circle for me. I hope that our book about Rene O. Villanueva is a way to honor his legacy and inspire the many creators for children in the Philippines: authors, illustrators, educators, publishers, media practitioners, and many others."

Sayuno is currently on leave from his position as associate professor of communication, research, and children's literature at the University of the Philippines Los Baños. He has published several picture books in the Philippines, which have received honors such as the Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature, National Book Award, and Normal Award for Gender-Inclusive Literature by Philippine Normal University. Sayuno holds a PhD in communication from the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

Hoiem receives Schiller Prize for “Education of Things”

Associate Professor Elizabeth Hoiem has won the 2025 Justin G. Schiller Prize from The Bibliographical Society of America for her book, The Education of Things: Mechanical Literacy in British Children's Literature, 1762-1860 (University of Massachusetts Press). The prize, which recognizes the best bibliographical work on pre-1951 children's literature, includes a cash award of $3,000 and a year's membership in the Society. 

Elizabeth Hoiem

Chan authors new book connecting eugenics and Big Tech

Associate Professor Anita Say Chan has authored a new book that identifies how the eugenics movement foreshadows the predatory data tactics used in today's tech industry. Her book, Predatory Data: Eugenics in Big Tech and Our Fight for an Independent Future, was released this month by the University of California Press and featured in the news outlets San Francisco Chronicle and Mother Jones.

Anita Say Chan

CCB contributes to new Books to Parks site on Lyddie

The Center for Children's Books (CCB) collaborated with the National Park Service (NPS) to launch a new Books to Parks website on Lyddie, a 1991 novel by Katherine Paterson that highlights the experiences of young women working in textile mills in nineteenth-century Lowell, Massachusetts. 

Lyddie book

Layne-Worthey edits book on digital humanities and LIS

Glen Layne-Worthey, associate director for research support services for the HathiTrust Research Center (HTRC), and Isabel Galina, researcher at the Institute for Bibliographic Studies at the National University of Mexico, have edited a new book, The Routledge Companion to Libraries, Archives, and the Digital Humanities, which was recently released by Routledge.

Glen Layne-Worthey