Zayden Ramos has just published his first book. Lots of people have books published, but Zayden just turned five years old. Usually kids his age are just starting to read. Zayden is a voracious reader. When he was a baby his parents read to him every day—they would point out the words on the page so he could match the sound to the letters. At age three he started reading phonetically. It was a quick transition from alphabet books and almanacs to superhero graphic novels.
A family friend, the distributor of Brainy Baby, noted his reading habits and suggested that he write a book. When Zayden heard of the offer he was not particularly eager. “They’re going to pay you P1,000,” his dad said.
“Okay,” said Zayden, then aged four. He got to work on his first story, with his father acting as secretary. (Zayden can write on paper, but his penmanship is much slower than his composition.)
The result is The Hunters, an illustrated story about a group of young experts who build their own high-powered weapons to defend the earth against alien aggressors. It’s an international team, with members from Rio de Janeiro, Moscow and elsewhere. The Hunters’ fighting abilities are tested when bad guys from the planet Orania attack our planet.
The Hunters is Zayden’s story entirely—editing was limited to the reordering of scenes and deletion of extraneous material.
Kajo Baldisimo, storyboard artist and co-creator of the supernatural detective graphic novel Alexandra Trese, brought The Hunters to life with primary colors and vivid action scenes. Kajo himself started drawing early—at age 14 he was already working on Filipino komiks.
I’d never interviewed a five-year-old, although I sometimes feel that that is my mental age. The day before our appointment I sent the questions to his parents for their approval. I can assure you that Zayden’s mom and dad are not stage parents, and they don’t want him described as some sort of prodigy. They don’t have any secrets or experimental methods for child-raising—they just provide him with plenty of reading matter. Also, they don’t allow him to watch television at home. He doesn’t seem to mind as this gives him more time to read books.
PHILIPPINE STAR: What’s your name?
ZAYDEN RAMOS: That’s not the first question.
It’s for practice. What’s your name?
Zayden.
How do you spell that?
I’ll write it down.
When did you start reading books?
When I was one year old. (Actually he was three years old, his parents say.)
What was the book?
ABCs. Then comic books and violent stuff.
I like violent stuff! What are your favorites?
Wonder Woman, X-Men. I like Marvel and DC Comics better than each other! (Mad laughter)
Is that why the names of the characters in The Hunters are from the X-Men?
Not all. I got one from the Voltes team.
How do you know about Voltes V when you don’t watch television?
I have a Voltes V toy. It was Dad’s toy.
Is The Hunters the first book you’ve written?
That’s what I was saying.
In your book, aliens attack the earth. Why would they attack our planet?
Because they want water. They have no water on their planet.
One of the aliens in The Hunters is named Shuntz. Where’d you get that name?
That’s not his real name. (Cackling) His real name is secret.
Why? Is he really from earth?
NO! (Runs to his mom and dad and whispers in their ears.)
I was just guessing. How many books do you read every week?
Six thousand. No, a lot.
Do these books usually have pictures?
There’s one that has no pictures. 39 Clues.
Who is your favorite superhero?
Spider-Man.
If Spider-Man fights Captain America, who would win?
I think Spider-Man because he could get Captain America all tied up.
What about Spider-Man vs. Batman?
Batman. He would use his Bat-a-rang against Spider-Man.
Superman is the most powerful superhero of all. Could he beat Batman?
Batman’s dead.
Do you think girls would like The Hunters? Do you know if any girls have read it?
Yes.
What did they say?
Nothing.
How did you think of the story of The Hunters? What were you doing at the time?
I always wanted to write a book.
Were you playing, or in school, or in the supermarket?
At home. It took me a few days.
Your mom says you don’t watch TV.
I watch in my cousin’s house but not in my own house. I watch the news.
But the news are depressing.
They’re not. They’re not! They’re not!! (Walks out.)
* * *
The Hunters, published by Powerhans, is available for P169.75 at all National Book Store, Powerbooks and Bestsellers branches.