Every story begins with a child. This collection began with a simple bedtime story.

In June 2026, I spent a day with two close friends in Switzerland and their two young sons. As evening fell, the older boy, Jordan, looked at me and asked, "Would you tell me a story?"

For the first time in my life, I opened a children's book and read The Crocodile Without a Friend. One story became two, and two became three. But the third was different. Instead of reaching for another book, I invented a tale about a little sparrow who loved dancing to house techno music with his brother.

When the evening ended, I realised something unexpected.

The story had not come from nowhere. It had been waiting quietly inside me.

For years, ideas, memories, questions, and hopes had been taking shape in my mind. As a researcher, many found their way into academic articles, policy reports, and books. Yet others seemed to belong somewhere different. They called for a different voice, one capable of speaking not only to the mind but also to the imagination.

That evening revealed what that voice could be.

Children's stories offered a home for those untold stories, reaching hearts in ways that academic writing never could. They could explore resilience, belonging, courage, identity, friendship, and our relationship with the living world in ways that invite wonder rather than argument.

This year, another source of inspiration emerged. My sister MJ and several close friends welcomed, or were preparing to welcome, children into the world.  Watching these young lives begin, reminded me that every child arrives with a unique way of seeing, feeling, and making sense of life. Each carries gifts that will unfold in their own time.

Every story in Stories for a Fragile Planet is dedicated to one of these children.

Although the adventures are imagined, each tale is inspired by the child to whom it is dedicated, by their curiosity, courage, gentleness, resilience, or quiet strength. These stories are, quite simply, my gift to them, celebrating not who these children may become, but who they are already are.

The stories are rooted in the landscapes, extraordinary biodiversity, and mythology of the Philippines, and a belief that every living and non-living being has something valuable to contribute. Butterflies, fireflies, tamaraws, ravens, Sarimanoks, owls, and many other creatures invite young readers to discover that flourishing is not about becoming perfect or extraordinary. It is about discovering pakikipagkapwa (or simply kapwa), the recognition that our humanity is realized through caring for one another, and bayanihan, the spirit of helping a community flourish together.

Beneath every adventure lies the same gentle invitation. Flourishing is not about becoming extraordinary or being like everyone else. It begins by discovering one's own gifts and learning how those gifts can help others, communities, and the more-than-human world flourish as well.

Although written for children, these stories are equally an invitation to parents, grandparents, teachers, and anyone who believes that the future will be shaped not only by the technologies we invent or the knowledge we accumulate, but also by the values and imaginations we nurture in the next generation.

At a time marked by climate change, biodiversity loss, loneliness, and uncertainty, stories remain one of humanity's oldest ways of cultivating empathy, courage, hope, and care. They remind us that another way of living together is always possible.

Each story is accompanied by original artwork, reflections on the ideas that inspired it, and short introductions to the Philippine myths, animals, and landscapes woven into the narrative. Together, they invite readers to discover not only a rich cultural heritage, but also a way of seeing the world in which every living being has a place and every act of care matters.

To the children who inspired these stories, thank you.

You reminded me that the greatest stories often begin with a simple request before bedtime.

Welcome to Stories for a Fragile Planet.

May these stories become companions for children and grown-ups alike. May they inspire wonder, kindness, and the courage to care. And may they remind every reader that a more flourishing world begins not with perfect heroes, but with ordinary people who choose, every day, to care for one another and for the living Earth.

A new story will be published every Tuesday, beginning on 18 August 2026.

• 18 August 2026 – Silas and the Unwanted Guest

• 25 August 2026 – Liway and the Light That Came Late

• 1 September 2026 – Tala and the Race Beyond the Chocolate Hills

• 8 September 2026 – Landas and the Thousand Paths of Mindoro

• 15 September 2026 – Diwa and the Seeds of the Golden Fruit

• 22 September 2026 – Alon, the Child of the Tides

• 29 September 2026 – Paru and the Forest that Grew too Warm

• 6 October 2026 – The Forest Where All Stories Meet (working title)