Staff Picks: Check Out Our Shopping Haul At The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale

The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale has officially opened its doors to everyone in Manila. "The World's Biggest Book Sale" is now happening at the World Trade Center in Pasay, and it's open for 24 hours non-stop for 11 days straight from February 22 till March 4. Two million books—at discount rates of 50% - 90% across different genres (novels, young adult titles, thriller, science fiction, cookbooks, architecture books, design books, business books, and more)—are up for grabs!

 

READ: Bookworms, Take Note! Here’s Where You Can Go On A Blind Date With A Book

 

 

Founded in Malaysia in 2009 by Jacqueline Ng and Andrew Yap, the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale is back in Manila for the second consecutive year, in time for their momentous 10th anniversary. With the primary goal of encouraging people of all ages to discover the joys of reading, the sale continuously finds ways to better cater to bookworms and casual readers alike.

“Learning from last year’s sale here in Manila, we’ve come back with better selection of books specially curated based on customer’s response and demand. This year, Filipino readers can expect to find more fiction books from authors such as JK Rowling, Paulo Coelho, Rick Riordan and more,” shared Andrew Yap, founder of the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale.  

 

Big Bad Wolf Book Sale founders Jacqueline Ng and Andrew Yap

 

Ribbon cutting at Big Bad Wolf Book Sale. (From left) Atty. Dominador Buhain, President of Asia Pacific Publishers Association (APPA), Deputy General Teodoro C. Pascua, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHIL), Chairman Flor Maria Sta. Romana-Cruz of the National Book Development Board (NBDB), Jacqueline Ng, founder of Big Bad Wolf Books, Andrew Yap, founder of Big Bad Wolf Books, Luis Oquinena, Executive Director of Gawad Kalinga

 

Through the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale, the founders also aim to give back to the community by making books accessible to everyone. As part of its Red Readerhood Programme, it donated Php5 million to Gawad Kalinga last October, to support their initiatives in bulding homes and refurnishing libraries in many GK communities.

“We had such an exciting time in 2018 and we are thrilled to return to the Philippines this year. We’re happy to continue our long-term comitment to make books affordable and accessible,” shared Jacqueline Ng, founder of the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale. “We’re excited to also be partnering with Gawad Kalinga again and support their initiatives through the sale."

After a successful sale in Manila in February of last year, the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale expanded to Cebu in July, followed by Davao in November. It has also started extending its footprint across cities in Indonesia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka.

 

The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale brings in augmented reality (AR) books for children. As Asia’s exclusive seller of the Little Hippo AR books, people can find a range of classic children’s stories such as Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks and the Three Bears all coming to life through AR.

 

The Metro.Style team was present at the opening day of the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale, and we spent hours browsing through the piles of books in our favorite genres. Scroll down to see what we bought:

 

 

Grace Libero-Cruz, People & Living section editor

 

"It was my first time to experience the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale. Sadly, I only got to stay for a few hours, that's why I have plans to go again.

As a first-time mom, I've become fascinated with children's books. My husband and I are both writers, we both love reading, and we would love for our son to enjoy and love reading as well. It's very important for kids to learn to read at an early age. Although I do recognize that using gadgets can have negative effects and impact on children, I'm not one to strictly prohibit gadget use; I'm more for limiting. Among all the books available at Big Bad Wolf Book Sale, what really got me excited were the augmented reality books for children: the Little Hippo AR books. I got three for my son: Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, and Let's Learn Alphabet, and I'm excited to show it to him. 

I love self-help books, too, that guide me to become a better person (and hopefully, less of a worrywart). And so, I got the following: Small Move, Big Change: Using Microsolutions to Transform Your Life by Caroline L. Arnold, Mindfulness on the Go: Inner Peace in Your Pocket by Padraig O'Morain, and Emotional Detox: 7 Steps to Release Toxicity and Energize Joy by Sherianna Boyle.

Interior design is an interest of mine as well, so I was so happy to be surrounded by all these beautiful home and design books—it was too hard to choose what to buy! The one I can't wait to read is The Twelfth-Century Interiors Sourcebook: From Art Nouveau to Minimalism by Clive Edwards. 

For my husband, who is a fan of graphic novels, I got Lennon: The New York Years, plus a book by one of his favorite authors of all time (whom our son was named after): Antic Hay by Aldous Huxley."     

 

 

Sara de los Reyes, staff writer

 

"I literally spent the most money among my officemates at BBW 2019! But as the event's opening speech emphasized, the knowledge and joy that a brand new book can bring you will always make it worth it. 

This year, I concentrated on expanding my graphic novel collection with both familiar and new series and authors. I'm a big fan of Vertigo comics, so my haul included lots of titles from them. 

I'm particularly excited to read Fumio Obata's Just So Happens, Brian Vaughn and Niko Henrichon's Pride of Baghdad, and this really cool mash-up of the Shakespearean universe in Kill Shakespeare. (The Bard's heroes and villains' are re-imagined so that they face each other in totally different situations and timelines in that one!) 

Why graphic novels? Because they're not only awesome collectors' items to have, but also the literature genre that made me want to become a writer."

 

 

Cara Tirona, editorial assistant

 

"What I loved most about Big Bad Wolf is that it gave me the opportunity to purchase books from my favorite authors and at the same time discover new ones at very low prices! It was also a great feeling being surrounded by people who love books as much as I do, buying cartloads for them to enjoy.

This year’s visit to BBW, I purchased a few romance novels and self-help books which I personally enjoy reading. Aside from that, purchasing the augmented reality children's books was a no-brainer. For the price of Php290, I am able to bring texts and photos into life for my nephews.

It was such a struggle choosing which books to buy given the wide selection. So, I would certainly come back for more!"

 

 

Butchie Peña, art director

 

"The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale was the biggest book fest I've ever been to. This year, two million new books available at huge discounts are available at a venue that's open twenty-four hours for 11 days!

I felt some kind of a quiet energy in the air as I walked through rows and rows of book displays. A whole morning certainly was not enough for me to check out all the interesting books specially those with beautiful covers.

As I am not an expert in book sale buying, I stuck to the  classics with attractive and artful covers. Yes, I judge a book by its cover then check out the content later."