Children’s book by Anne

MANILA, Philippines - We’ve seen actress Anne Curtis play a gamut of roles in movies and TV over the past few years — from the serious to the whimsical, she’s done it all. She has played a mermaid, a hunchback, a fairy, a mistress, a needy girlfriend, a vampire. She’s also a commercial model and a dancer. And even in the department where she has little talent, that is in singing, she defies rules and tries to excel. Although not gifted with a powerful voice, Anne unabashedly sings to her heart’s content in jampacked venues.

Now the indefatigable Anne tries her hand in writing. She has released a children’s book titled Anita the Duckling Diva, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

UNICEF has recently released a collection of six books written in Filipino and English for ages three and above to inspire children to read and build their imagination.

Anne’s book is one of the six books launched by UNICEF. The other books included in the package are Nina Wonders, Nina Asks by Marcy Dans Lee; Ang Bata sa Basket by Augie Rivera; Yaya Niya, Nanay Ko by Ma. Corazon Remigio; Ang Sabi ni Nanay, Ang Sabi ni Tatay by Sacha Calagopi; and Ang Dalawang Haring Siga by Rene Villanueva.

Anita the Duckling Diva follows the journey of a duckling who wants to be a singer. The problem is that Anita’s shyness and low self-esteem get the better of her. It’s her mother and best friend who continuously boost her self-confidence. Plus, she’s bullied in her town’s major singing contest because of self-doubt and fears of failing. But in the end, she is able to muster the courage to sing in front of the public and overcome her shyness.

The themes tackled in the book like shyness, perseverance and patience are subjects that are close to Anne’s heart. According to her, the story resonates with her while growing up as a kid in Australia.

Contrary to public perception, Anne was not the go-getter type in elementary. She said she was painfully shy at 10 years old. Anne confessed that the book is “very her” in a lot of ways.

“When I was a child, I was very shy and introverted. Like Anita, I used to have a stuff toy, too, which served as my security blanket. Then through the encouragement of my family, I was able to conquer my shyness. So, I want this book to be an inspiration for children dealing with shyness, that it’s OK to be shy. It’s OK to learn how to be confident,” Anne told reporters at a press conference, which was also attended by writer Augie Rivera and UNICEF representative to the Philippines Lotta Sylwander.

Writing a children’s book is not a walk in the park, Anne attested.

“I never knew that it would be so difficult to write a children’s book. Thankfully, Sir Augie helped me in writing the book at every step of the way,” Anne said.

Augie, for his part, recalled that Anne already had a first draft on their first meeting.

“Anne was clear about the theme and the story plot and it was about dealing with shyness. So I told her ‘you have to research about it.’ For five months, we did a writing workshop, one on one. I gave her assignments and I criticized her work and I let her revise her work, so after five drafts, she finally hit the right one,” Augie said.

Anne has nothing but praises for Augie, who is better known for his work Alamat ng Ampalaya.

“I remember that when I approached Sir Augie, I showed him my melodramatic draft and he read it and he put on so many highlights. From him, I learned the elements of writing a book. He said that every page should be a cliffhanger to hold the interest of children. He told me I could go crazier and make my book more relatable to children. He taught me the rudiments of writing a book for children,” Anne said.

For her first try, Anne said she’s happy that she tackled the theme of self-confidence.

“By reading, children grow up to be creative and become better problem-solvers and have higher self-esteem. I share that belief with UNICEF and I’m glad that I’m able to contribute a book that will help nurture and improve the self-confidence of children,” Anne said.