“Makinig ka nang mabuti,” her mother tells her. “Humawak ka sa akin nang mahigpit, ha? Para hindi ka mawala. At hindi puwedeng magturo ng ipabibili.” And so the story begins with a promise: “Opo, Nanay, pangako po.”

Early one morning, a little girl accompanies her mother to the market. They take readers with them. The market is hot and noisy, smelly and muddy, but it’s also fascinating and colorful, because it’s seen from a point of view that’s only about three feet tall. When they arrive home, and our little girl unpacks the bayong to find a surprise wrapped in newspaper at the bottom, it’s her joy we feel in the little dance that she does.

Araw sa Palengke is a true marriage of text and visual image. The story by May Tobias-Papa is gentle and straightforward, and the illustrations by Isabel Roxas are charming and finely detailed. The result is a lighthearted picture book that is nuanced, controlled, and thoroughly engaging. A really good read.