What do you think?
Rate this book
Gotita de Dragon and Other Stories
Here, in this collection of five short stories for both young and old, the great master uses both his whimsy and his sense of the gothic to re-imagine Philippine folktales.
The stories:
- "Lechonito the Holy Innocent"
- "The Mystery Sleeper of Balite Drive"
- "The Traveling Salesman and the Split Woman"
- "Balikbayan"
- "Gotita de Dragon"
The stories:
- "Lechonito the Holy Innocent"
- "The Mystery Sleeper of Balite Drive"
- "The Traveling Salesman and the Split Woman"
- "Balikbayan"
- "Gotita de Dragon"
109 pages, Newsprint
First published May 1, 2014
10 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
About the author
Nick Joaquín
92 books447 followersNicomedes Márquez Joaquín (1917–2004) was a Filipino writer and journalist best known for his short stories and novels in the English language. He also wrote using the pen name Quijano de Manila. In 1976, Joaquin was conferred the rank and title of National Artist of the Philippines for Literature. He has been considered one of the most important Filipino writers, along with José Rizal and Claro M. Recto. Unlike Rizal and Recto, whose works were written in Spanish, Joaquin's major works were written in English despite being a native Spanish speaker.
Before becoming one of the leading practitioners of Philippine literature in English, he was a seminarian in Hong Kong – who later realized that he could better serve God and humanity by being a writer. This is reflected in the content and style of his works, as he emphasizes the need to restore national consciousness through important elements of Catholic Spanish Heritage.
In his self-confessed mission as a writer, he is a sort of "cultural apostle" whose purpose is to revive interest in Philippine national life through literature – and provide the necessary drive and inspiration for a fuller comprehension of their cultural background. His awareness of the significance of the past to the present is part of a concerted effort to preserve the spiritual tradition and the orthodox faith of the Catholic past – which he perceives as the only solution to our modern ills.
Before becoming one of the leading practitioners of Philippine literature in English, he was a seminarian in Hong Kong – who later realized that he could better serve God and humanity by being a writer. This is reflected in the content and style of his works, as he emphasizes the need to restore national consciousness through important elements of Catholic Spanish Heritage.
In his self-confessed mission as a writer, he is a sort of "cultural apostle" whose purpose is to revive interest in Philippine national life through literature – and provide the necessary drive and inspiration for a fuller comprehension of their cultural background. His awareness of the significance of the past to the present is part of a concerted effort to preserve the spiritual tradition and the orthodox faith of the Catholic past – which he perceives as the only solution to our modern ills.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 10, 2015
The cover with its colorful symbols made me pick this book up. Why not try Nick Joaquin's short stories written for children? This collection contains five short stories, with Mr. Joaquin playing with the narratives by spinning Filipino folklore and cultural symbols to some Western fairy tales and religious history. My favorite in them is the last story, Gotita de Dragon, translated wee drop of a dragon from Spanish. It is about Goti, a lizard who fulfills his wish of being a dragon by performing a good deed on a fashion designer and dressmaker. After turning into one, Goti decides that he wants to return to being a lizard again. I find Mr. Joaquin's wordplays witty and funny, such as the use of the sentence "only a virgin can tame a monster." (The last pages made me laugh!)
The stories contain short poems too, with cartoon sketches in them, which remind me of Mr. Roald Dahl's. Mr. Joaquin's stories' plot flow smoothly. The first story, Lechonito the Holy Innocent is a tale of a little pig who, despite discrimination, offered to serve baby Jesus in his birth. The Mystery Sleeper of Balite Drive introduces Filipino ghost stories and pop culture in its spinoff to the Snow White and Sleeping Beauty tales. In The Traveling Salesman and the Split Woman, the plot is more developed, it is a telling of a unique love story of a manananggal and a human being. Balikbayan is a sci-fi and horror story of a typical local myth of a haunted house, a house built from previous graveyards.
This is a feel-good book that can be finished in a day. Hoping to read more of the lengthier stories (and novels) of Mr. Nick Joaquin.
The stories contain short poems too, with cartoon sketches in them, which remind me of Mr. Roald Dahl's. Mr. Joaquin's stories' plot flow smoothly. The first story, Lechonito the Holy Innocent is a tale of a little pig who, despite discrimination, offered to serve baby Jesus in his birth. The Mystery Sleeper of Balite Drive introduces Filipino ghost stories and pop culture in its spinoff to the Snow White and Sleeping Beauty tales. In The Traveling Salesman and the Split Woman, the plot is more developed, it is a telling of a unique love story of a manananggal and a human being. Balikbayan is a sci-fi and horror story of a typical local myth of a haunted house, a house built from previous graveyards.
This is a feel-good book that can be finished in a day. Hoping to read more of the lengthier stories (and novels) of Mr. Nick Joaquin.
July 23, 2015
Nakakagoodvibes lang! Lalo na pag sa pila ng MRT mo binabasa to. :)
March 6, 2018
✔️a collection of short stories
I adored every story included in this collection. They're all whimsical, dark, and imaginative. The illustrations were gorgeous as well.
I've always loved children's stories because they remind me of my childhood - reading stories with my Pa, feeling like I could do anything, be anything I wanted. I feel like I would have loved these stories if I read them when I was a kid.
Ahh, youth.
I adored every story included in this collection. They're all whimsical, dark, and imaginative. The illustrations were gorgeous as well.
I've always loved children's stories because they remind me of my childhood - reading stories with my Pa, feeling like I could do anything, be anything I wanted. I feel like I would have loved these stories if I read them when I was a kid.
Ahh, youth.
May 21, 2019
I find the pacing of the stories, "The Msytery Sleeper of Balite Drive" and "The Traveling Salesman and the Split Woman" very fast, which I didn't like. However, I understand that these stories are meant to be read by the children, which I'm not anymore. Nevertheless, these stories are entertaining to read.
August 10, 2025
Sa Gotita de Dragon and Other Stories, binubuo ang aklat ng piling salinlahi ng kuwentong pambata ni Nick Joaquin, kabilang ang limang kuwento na hindi kailanman nailathala bilang bahagi ng kanyang Pop Stories for Groovy Kids picture book series. Ang limang kuwentong ito—bagaman hindi isinapapel sa anyong ilustradong aklat gaya ng iba niyang pambatang akda—ay kapantay sa husay, imahinasyon, at pambihirang timpla ng lokal na alamat at malikhaing kathang pambata.
Mapapansin sa mga kuwentong ito ang masiglang wika ni Joaquin at ang kakayahan niyang gawing buhay ang mga tauhan at tagpuan, mula sa mahiwagang hayop hanggang sa kababalaghan ng kalikasan. Sa kabila ng pagiging akdang pambata, taglay ng bawat kuwento ang lalim na kayang magpaantig hindi lamang sa mga batang mambabasa kundi pati na sa matatanda.
Sa ganitong diwa, isang hangarin ang maipahayag: nawa’y muling maimprenta at mailathala ang Pop Stories for Groovy Kids picture book sets ni Nick Joaquin, ngayon ay may kasamang limang kuwentong matatagpuan sa Gotita de Dragon and Other Stories. Hindi lamang nito muling ipakikilala sa mga kabataan ang yaman ng kanyang panitikan, kundi maitataguyod din ang patuloy na pag-iral ng ating pambansang alaala sa pamamagitan ng panitikang pambata.
Mapapansin sa mga kuwentong ito ang masiglang wika ni Joaquin at ang kakayahan niyang gawing buhay ang mga tauhan at tagpuan, mula sa mahiwagang hayop hanggang sa kababalaghan ng kalikasan. Sa kabila ng pagiging akdang pambata, taglay ng bawat kuwento ang lalim na kayang magpaantig hindi lamang sa mga batang mambabasa kundi pati na sa matatanda.
Sa ganitong diwa, isang hangarin ang maipahayag: nawa’y muling maimprenta at mailathala ang Pop Stories for Groovy Kids picture book sets ni Nick Joaquin, ngayon ay may kasamang limang kuwentong matatagpuan sa Gotita de Dragon and Other Stories. Hindi lamang nito muling ipakikilala sa mga kabataan ang yaman ng kanyang panitikan, kundi maitataguyod din ang patuloy na pag-iral ng ating pambansang alaala sa pamamagitan ng panitikang pambata.
June 28, 2018
Thoroughly enjoyed this collection with its colorful and whimsical reimagination of local folklore laced with tightly wound plots. Here's hoping Nick Joaquin's previous collection of short stories for kids -- Pop Stories for Groovy Kids -- do get reissued sooner rather than later.
March 19, 2019
Love this book! My favorite has to be the last one Gotita de Dragon, where it is pretty obvious the poet that grants the dragon his wishes is Nick himself.
October 19, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
June 17, 2016
As expected, Nick Joaquin has made another wonderful compilation. Unlike most of his novel and short stories, Gotita de Dragon is a compilation of childrens’ stories written by him in many magazines a few decades ago.
Nick Joaquin incorporates Philippine History and Mythology into his short stories. Alas, most of it is not compiled and preserved, and only people who lived in that decade knows it. His writing style is elegant and superb, especially the so-adjective-a-noun, it is so poetic!
Anyway, if you may, I would spoil you a wee bit. So here it goes, the summary of the five stories:
Lechonito the Holy Innocent: Lechonito, a piglet whose age was ripe to be a lechon de leche, sensed an incoming doom befalling upon him when he heard people saying about a feast and he was part of it. Consequently, aware that his pet was to be killed, Bololoy hid the hapless piglet into a coconut forest, tying his handkerchief on its neck. Lechnito ventured further into the forest until all the light could not pass through the Leaves. A light coming from above was in front of him. It was porcus, St. Anthony’s Pig. After the they time travelled, saving Jesus Christ, he realized that he was needed in the event, and Heaven waited for him to join the Baby Jesus Christ’s celebration.
The Mystery Sleeper of Balete Drive: A portmanteau of Snow White and the White Lady at the Balete Drive, the story is hilarious. The seven dwarves, or days in Spanish, after their parents were hit by a car, fended for themselves and became rich. Rummaging in a garbage dump one day, they found a baby almost dead, and that was her.
Blanca Nieve, or Snow White in Spanish too, became a famous singer and movie star later on. The villain is her competitor, Eve, and her Mirror was the Tambays, who chanted that Blanca Nieve was more beautiful and famous than she(did). When a prophecy that Blanca Nieve would die when she touched a sharpened object, as told by a woman in a black hood, who turned to be her fairy god mother, the seven days protected her.
However they failed. They put her in a life support. Knowing such, Eve tried to kill her, but was crushed by a swerving taxi whose driver saw the White Lady in Balete Drive and avoided it.
Domingo, one of the seven days, her prince charming, had known the incident, and rushed immediately to their house. When he kissed her, she awokened. They lived happily ever after as the story always went.
The Travelling Salesman and the Splitting Woman: A wandering salesman together with his companions, Jessie, the snake and Jeeprox, his jeepney traveled until they saw a house with a beautiful young lady inside. The young lady Angel greeted the salesman with food, and she welcomed him to her house. Thereafter, he fell in love with her, and got married. As a condition, she told the Salesman that she did not want to see her every full moon. Jealous, Jessie dissuaded the Salesman from his relationship, to no avail. Instead the three split, and discovering that She was a manananggal, with a split body, Angel ran away. Jessie felt a pang of guilt. She searched for her as
Angel’s diasappearance depressed the Salesman.
Her efforts finally fruited, when she heard that Angel volunteered in a astronaut program. Jessie pursuaded her to cut her for her to be one again. Reluctantly, she cut the snake and applied the blood into her lower half. Her sacrifice did not become futile, however. Jessie transformed into a plant. Angel and the Salesman met again. At last they agreed to live with one another with the jeep and Jessie along.
Balikbayan: This is a creepy one. You know the story: a land that used to be a graveyard. As a result, many ghosts haunt. They tried to abduct the child but did not succeed. Thereafter, they ran away, far from the house.
Gotita de Dragon: A Gecko or Butiki fell in the poet’s beer one day. He wished to be a dragon, said the Gecko, and the poet said he could as long as he did three good deeds. The Gecko agreed. So they went to Remedios to find a good deed. He approched a cockroach, who had an amo that had a lot of great ideas, but could not sew anymore due to old age. Another was a mouse that had an owner whose ideas were terrible, but had a deft hand in sewing.
He tried to reconciliate the two. The Gecko, at first, failed but after he collaborated with the two, they succeded. He became a dragon, thus, as the Poet’s promised. However, the people hated him, despised him; so he wished to return to normal. After they found a virgin, who turned out to be the Poet himself, they persuaded him to return Gecko to his normal form.
Gotita de Dragon may also be interpreted in this wise: the reconciliation between the old, the pre war Manila and the post war Manila.
Though the collection is short, in contrast with Prose and Poems, the stories do feel like one has read a myriad of it. Indeed, his collection in this work is with quality, as always. So gited a writer is Nick Joaquin that her truly deserves to be the National Artist for Literature! Kudos Nick!
Nick Joaquin incorporates Philippine History and Mythology into his short stories. Alas, most of it is not compiled and preserved, and only people who lived in that decade knows it. His writing style is elegant and superb, especially the so-adjective-a-noun, it is so poetic!
Anyway, if you may, I would spoil you a wee bit. So here it goes, the summary of the five stories:
Lechonito the Holy Innocent: Lechonito, a piglet whose age was ripe to be a lechon de leche, sensed an incoming doom befalling upon him when he heard people saying about a feast and he was part of it. Consequently, aware that his pet was to be killed, Bololoy hid the hapless piglet into a coconut forest, tying his handkerchief on its neck. Lechnito ventured further into the forest until all the light could not pass through the Leaves. A light coming from above was in front of him. It was porcus, St. Anthony’s Pig. After the they time travelled, saving Jesus Christ, he realized that he was needed in the event, and Heaven waited for him to join the Baby Jesus Christ’s celebration.
The Mystery Sleeper of Balete Drive: A portmanteau of Snow White and the White Lady at the Balete Drive, the story is hilarious. The seven dwarves, or days in Spanish, after their parents were hit by a car, fended for themselves and became rich. Rummaging in a garbage dump one day, they found a baby almost dead, and that was her.
Blanca Nieve, or Snow White in Spanish too, became a famous singer and movie star later on. The villain is her competitor, Eve, and her Mirror was the Tambays, who chanted that Blanca Nieve was more beautiful and famous than she(did). When a prophecy that Blanca Nieve would die when she touched a sharpened object, as told by a woman in a black hood, who turned to be her fairy god mother, the seven days protected her.
However they failed. They put her in a life support. Knowing such, Eve tried to kill her, but was crushed by a swerving taxi whose driver saw the White Lady in Balete Drive and avoided it.
Domingo, one of the seven days, her prince charming, had known the incident, and rushed immediately to their house. When he kissed her, she awokened. They lived happily ever after as the story always went.
The Travelling Salesman and the Splitting Woman: A wandering salesman together with his companions, Jessie, the snake and Jeeprox, his jeepney traveled until they saw a house with a beautiful young lady inside. The young lady Angel greeted the salesman with food, and she welcomed him to her house. Thereafter, he fell in love with her, and got married. As a condition, she told the Salesman that she did not want to see her every full moon. Jealous, Jessie dissuaded the Salesman from his relationship, to no avail. Instead the three split, and discovering that She was a manananggal, with a split body, Angel ran away. Jessie felt a pang of guilt. She searched for her as
Angel’s diasappearance depressed the Salesman.
Her efforts finally fruited, when she heard that Angel volunteered in a astronaut program. Jessie pursuaded her to cut her for her to be one again. Reluctantly, she cut the snake and applied the blood into her lower half. Her sacrifice did not become futile, however. Jessie transformed into a plant. Angel and the Salesman met again. At last they agreed to live with one another with the jeep and Jessie along.
Balikbayan: This is a creepy one. You know the story: a land that used to be a graveyard. As a result, many ghosts haunt. They tried to abduct the child but did not succeed. Thereafter, they ran away, far from the house.
Gotita de Dragon: A Gecko or Butiki fell in the poet’s beer one day. He wished to be a dragon, said the Gecko, and the poet said he could as long as he did three good deeds. The Gecko agreed. So they went to Remedios to find a good deed. He approched a cockroach, who had an amo that had a lot of great ideas, but could not sew anymore due to old age. Another was a mouse that had an owner whose ideas were terrible, but had a deft hand in sewing.
He tried to reconciliate the two. The Gecko, at first, failed but after he collaborated with the two, they succeded. He became a dragon, thus, as the Poet’s promised. However, the people hated him, despised him; so he wished to return to normal. After they found a virgin, who turned out to be the Poet himself, they persuaded him to return Gecko to his normal form.
Gotita de Dragon may also be interpreted in this wise: the reconciliation between the old, the pre war Manila and the post war Manila.
Though the collection is short, in contrast with Prose and Poems, the stories do feel like one has read a myriad of it. Indeed, his collection in this work is with quality, as always. So gited a writer is Nick Joaquin that her truly deserves to be the National Artist for Literature! Kudos Nick!
January 18, 2015
Nick Joaquin re-imagines Philippine Folklore in this anthology of short stories. The stories were a perfect mix of Philippine Folklore, Western fairy tale, religious superstition, culture, fantasy, wit and humor. The exquisite illustrations by Beth Paroccha adds to the whimsical feel of the stories.
March 11, 2016
Re-imagining fairy tales with the elements of Philippine lore. Enjoyed Blanca Nieve (Snow White!) and her seven brothers! XD
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews