A Roof!

By Stephanie Ellen Sy, Daniel Tingcungco (Illustrator)

A girl finds a roof in her yard after a typhoon and seeks its owner.

4.2/5 Goodreads · 86 ratings

40 pages

$18.99Save 5%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

In the Philippines, young Maya discovers a roof in her backyard after a typhoon. Determined to return it, she embarks on a journey with her father and neighbors, navigating storm debris. As they work together, Maya learns the power of community and the spirit of bayanihan. Will they find the roof's rightful home and rebuild their lives?

From the publisher

A dazzling picture book debut about a young girl in the Philippines who returns a neighbor’s roof after a typhoon with the help of her community. Typhoons are a regular part of Maya’s life in the Philippines, but after this storm, she finds something unusual in her backyard–a roof! There’s an address written on it, and Maya is determined to return it to its family. She’ll need help to make her way through the damage left behind by the typhoon. As she sets out with her tatay, Maya collaborates with a farmer and his carabao, a couple of fishers and their boat, a sapatero, a labandera, a kusinera, and more of her neighbors. Together, they sail around knotted tree roots, hauling, heaving, pushing, and dragging the roof until they find its family–and begin to rebuild their community. Told by Stephanie Ellen Sy in a cumulative structure that begs to be read aloud, and paired with Daniel Tingcungco’s lush and cinematic illustrations, A Roof! is a story about community care that celebrates the Filipino spirit of bayanihan.

At a glance