Doctor pens fun health stories for kids

Physician Luis P. Gatmaitan’s commitment to children’s health goes beyond clinic hours. The pediatrician is also a well-loved creator of engaging tales that delight children, parents, and even theatergoers.

He recently launched his Bakit List children’s book series under Vibal Publishing House, with the first book titled Rak en Rol, Eyebal! Bakit Tayo Nananaginip? (Rock n’ Roll, Eyeball! Why Do We Dream?).

The fun tale explores everything a young reader needs to know about sleeping. “Lahat ng related sa pagtulog, rapid eye movement, sleep walking, snoring at bakit tayo nananaginip. Madali siyang maintindihan ng mga bata.” The series includes stories that discuss interesting facts about the human body, presented in a fun and playful way.

The author of more than 70 books for children and the current chairperson of the National Council for Children’s Television (NCCT), he happily found his niche simplifying complicated medical processes into engaging stories that educate young readers about the human body.

His love for writing started in medical school. In between studying, he would write essays, articles, and poetry and submit them to weekly magazines. Seeing his essay in a magazine brought tremendous thrill to the med student.

“Wala akong formal training, intuitive writing yung sa akin. Pag na-publish ibig sabihin, pumasa sa standard ng editor, masaya na ako,” he said.

His interest in children’s books was nurtured at the Christian Writers Fellowship at OMF Bookshop.

“At that time, they were looking for materials for children. Since I was the doctor in the group, and the topic was health, they suggested that I try writing. They said, ‘Why don’t you try writing books? A book is permanent.’ I told them I was happy enough with getting published in magazines. They replied, ‘Magazines get outdated. A weekly magazine is already old by next week. A book outlives the author.’”

He accepted the challenge; however, the journey wasn’t smooth. In fact, his first manuscript was rejected. After several revisions, he decided to create a fun story about the immune system, specifically, how a vaccine works.

“Where do vaccines come from? They come from germs too. The difference is that the germs are weakened or killed. That’s how immunity works. It’s like soldiers in the body, who are asleep, then wake up when a germ enters,” he said in the vernacular.

This idea gave birth to the book May Giyera sa Katawan ni Mark, a story about a boy whose body is being attacked by germs. Luckily, he has soldiers that can protect him.

The book paved the way for more interesting stories about health. “There are so many medical concepts you can write about, you just need to dissect them so you can feed them to children, just enough for them to digest.”

His children’s stories have been translated into Nihongo, Danish, Thai, Bahasa Indonesia, Mandarin, and Bangla. His book Sandosenang Sapatos (A Dozen Pairs of Shoes) has been adapted into a musical and was staged several times by the Tanghalang Pilipino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature in 2005. Dr. Gatmaitan is one of the ten recipients of The Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines (TOYM).

Children’s books by Luis Gatmaitan are available at the Vibal Shop (shop.vibalgroup.com), the company’s online store. The group also publishes textbooks, trade and reference books, and supplementary materials. — Tet Defensor