Our Books

Coming Soon!
Mungan and Her Lola

Set for release in the Fall of 2022, Mungan and Her Lola is Sawaga River Press’ highly anticipated third book project. Pre-order available below. Follow our Mungan publishing journey here: https://munganandherlola.wordpress.com/

Mungan and her Lola tells the story of the child Mungan who loves to make her Lola (grandma) smile. One day, Lola is inconsolably sad. Mungan and her family engage in Filipino rituals of care—cooking sabaw, performing hilot, and playing kulintang—to uncover the source of Lola’s sadness and find a way to bring back her smile.  

This story is inspired by the Bukidnon epic which tells the story of Mungan, the Babaylan (Healer) of Bukidnon.

Mungan and her Lola is written in a mix of three languages: Binukid, Bisaya-Cebuano, and English.  It is also written in hay(na)ku, a distinctly Filipino form of poetry that covers diasporic themes.

Mungan and her Lola tackles big emotions and themes, including mental well-being, ancestral roots, and oral histories, role of storytelling in our collective healing

Jack & Agyu

Jack & Agyu tells the story of an imaginative and adventurous young boy, Jack, who longs to find himself in the books that he reads. Crushed when he realizes he is different looking from all his favorite book characters, he goes off to right what he feels is a wrong. His path leads him to trouble but, also, to healing and empowerment as he reconnects with the stories of his ancestors from the Philippines.

Vibrantly illustrated by Lynnor Bontigao with characters based on Filipino mythology- the sirena (mermaid), syokoy (mermen), and diwata (fairies), to name a few- Jack & Agyu is sure to draw kids into an adventure that is exciting as much as it is self-affirming!

Jack & Agyu is written in English and includes a translation in Binukid, one of the indigenous languages in Bukidnon, a region in the south of the Philippines. The book also provides translations into Filipino, the national language of the Philippines, and Bisaya-Cebuano, one of the major languages in the Philippines. Additionally, the book features the Baybayin script, a Tagalog based ancient script.

Jack & Agyu is the Gold Awardee of the Publishing Professionals Network, 2020 Book Show AND the Independent Book Publishers Association, Benjamin Franklin Gold Awardee in 2020.

Mama, Mama, Do You Know What I Like?

We published our first children’s book, Mama, Mama, Know What I Like? (Mama, Mama, Balo Ka Unsa Akong Ganahan?) in October 2016. 

This fun and beautifully illustrated book provides a peek into the daily life of a Filipino-American five year old boy, Charlie, who goes on a picnic with his Mama and younger brother, Jack. During the picnic, Charlie tells about what he likes and likes to do, all of which most kids his age can relate to.

Written in three different languages– English, Bisaya (a Filipino language), and Filipino (the Filipino national language)– this book can also be a tool for Filipino or Bisaya speaking parent with which to share their mother tongue.

Read the “Mama, Mama, Do you Know What I Like?” blog here.

Standard shipping of $8 is added to each book order within the U.S. Please contact sawagariverpress@gmail.com for bulk orders and international shipping costs.