This June, Pamana Children’s Library invites you to explore Every Sunday: A Story on Learning Sign Language by Och Gonzalez. Inspired by her work as a teacher and her own experience with hearing loss, Och created a warm story about friendship and inclusion through the friendship of a young girl and a deaf ice cream vendor. The book has been translated into Spanish as Cada Domingo and was chosen for the 2025 IBBY Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities. Och holds a Master of Arts in Education from Ateneo de Manila University and is an advocate for people who are deaf or have hearing loss. Her nonfiction work has won a Palanca Award and appeared in literary journals and anthologies.
The Story Behind Och Gonzalez’s Book Every Sunday: Hear from the Author
I’ve always loved what author Toni Morrison once said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” And that’s exactly what happened with “Every Sunday: A Story on Learning Sign Language.”
At the time, I was an early childhood teacher and I wanted to include disability awareness books in my repertoire for storytelling. But I couldn’t find any stories about deafness and sign language back then.
In the end, I decided to create my own to fill that gap. And thus were born our main characters – the little girl and Kuya Berto, the deaf ice cream vendor.
Every Sunday is first and foremost a story of friendship that happens to have sign language woven into it. That way, kids can learn organically while staying connected to the characters and the story. I wanted our young readers to walk away with a better understanding of disability, but also to feel entertained and emotionally connected to the characters.
Being hard-of-hearing myself, I’ve experienced firsthand how challenging it can be when people don’t know how to interact with us, or even worse, when they unintentionally exclude us because of that lack of understanding. And as a child with a disability, it can feel lonely if you don’t encounter books with characters that look or live like you.
That’s why representation matters so deeply, especially in children’s books. When a child sees a character who shares their experiences, it tells them: You belong. You’re seen. Your story matters. And when other children read those same books, they learn that the world is made up of different kinds of people, and that there’s always, always a way to connect with them.
I’m very grateful that “Every Sunday” has traveled quite a long way from the Philippines. From its original English-Filipino version published by Kahel Press, it has been translated to Spanish by author Lawrence Schimel and published and distributed by Spanish publisher La Maleta Ediciones in Spain and Latin America as “Cada Domingo.” Most recently, it was selected as one of the 2025 IBBY Selection of Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities.
Seeing “Every Sunday” reach readers across languages and continents has been one of the most heartwarming surprises of my life. What started as a small story I wrote out of need has become a bridge—connecting children to each other, to new ways of communicating, and to the simple, powerful truth that friendship doesn’t need to look or sound one particular way. It just needs openness. I hope this book continues to spark curiosity, kindness, and a desire to understand the beautiful diversity of the people around us.
Och Gonzalez has an MA in Education from the Ateneo de Manila University and is an advocate for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Aside from Every Sunday, she also writes in other genres. Her work in nonfiction has earned a Palanca Award for Literature and has been featured in various craft books, literary publications, and anthologies.
Och Gonzalez’s Every Sunday: A Story on Learning Sign Language is available at the Rizal Center Pamana Children’s Library in Chicago. Be sure to check it out on your next visit!
Read about Pamana Children’s Library story and our mission by visiting our page on the Rizal Center website: https://rizalcenter.org/programs/pamana-childrens-library/.
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At Pamana, we believe in the transformative power of storytelling and the joy of books to connect generations and celebrate cultural identity. Our mission is to inspire young minds by sharing the rich traditions, values, and stories of the Philippines, fostering a sense of community. Since our opening in December 2023, our dedicated volunteers have engaged Filipino families in the greater Chicago area through enriching story times and cultural events.
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