COMING FROM a successful March edition in Clark, Pampanga, the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale is back again in Metro Manila, to be held for the very first time in San Juan City. The fair will take place from May 23 to June 2 in V-Mall (previously Virra Mall) at the city’s Greenhills Shopping Center.
Bookworms can expect a wide variety — over 2 million books — at the sale, with more promos and bargains for fairgoers of all ages, said its founder Jacqueline Ng. Through the years she brought Big Bad Wolf from Malaysia to 15 countries globally, including the Philippines.
“In our region, there are books, but they only serve a certain percentage of the population. It’s too inaccessible to the lower-middle class,” said Ms. Ng at a May 6 preview of the upcoming book fair.
She cited a report from the Philippine Statistics Authority that said that nearly 19 million people in the Philippines are struggling with functional literacy.
“Through the quality and affordable price of the books that we present, Big Bad Wolf aims to assist people who are not able to buy as much as they want, so that they become readers,” she added.
Alongside Big Bad Wolf Books’ return to Metro Manila at V-Mall is the continuation of the Red Readerhood program, through which they donate books to underserved communities.
Another program to look forward to is the return of the Little Wolfies Crew, where young readers can get involved with the behind-the-scenes of the book sale. Those interested can sign up via the Big Bad Wolf Books’ social media pages.
Ms. Ng explained that Little Wolfies is “an experiential program for the children.” Some activities they’ll get to join are creative writing workshops and reading-aloud sessions.
“The core objective is to increase their self-confidence and self-esteem, so that they feel that they’re good enough to face people. The fun thing is that they experience being part of the crew. They’ll put on the apron and welcome customers, and be exposed to working in the cashier area by packing the books,” she said.
“By putting kids there, they get to absorb the excitement and understand more about purchases and the value of money through the transactions.”
While often open for 24 hours, since the book fair will be held at a mall this time, it will run during the mall’s operating hours, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday to Thursday, and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday to Sunday.
The carefully selected titles will be organized through shelves and tables reflecting a variety of genres: bestselling novels, BookTok sensations, educational tomes, children’s activity books and more.
Ms. Ng told BusinessWorld that the Philippine market is unique because it sustains equal interest from both adults and children, with the fiction category being a favorite.
“The reason we present books in these sections — bestsellers, what’s trending on TikTok, the gift ideas table, top 10 in fiction, and top 10 in non-fiction, and so forth — is so that it’s not overwhelming. These are our recommendations to those who aren’t quite sure where to start,” she said.
Big Bad Wolf offers books for as low as P60. This year, they are holding a Reels Challenge for visitors to get a chance to win a P5,000 cash voucher, with 10 lucky creators also eligible for a P1,000 cash voucher as a consolation prize.
Some titles saw at the preview showed just how affordable the prices will be (even for hardbound copies).
There was the 20th anniversary edition of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, available for P560 when it would easily fetch a price of P1,800 elsewhere. The novel The Party Crasher by Sophie Kinsella can be bought for P500, a bargain compared to its original price of P1,120. For kids, the Dinosaur ABC Activity Book, which should cost P650, is available at the fair for P280.
As for the next leg of Big Bad Wolf in the Philippines, Ms. Ng teased that they are not yet revealing the next cities the wolf will visit. “We will definitely do a few more throughout the country,” she said.
“Clark, Pampanga, was our first this year, and it was great. Greenhills is just our second. Filipinos will see more of us this year, for sure.”
The book sale takes place May 23 to June 2 at V-Mall, Greenhills, in San Juan City. Admission is free. — Brontë H. Lacsamana