Judith and the king of the sea / by Andrea de la Cruz ; illustrated by Jill Arwen Posadas.

This book is part of the Gig Seafarer Children's Stories series. It is published by Gig and the Amazing Sampaguita Foundation, Inc. (GASFI), a nonprofit organization founded and headed by Marissa Oca Robles. GASFI is driven by Marissa's three passions: honoring the memory and youthful spirit of her son Gig, promoting the reading habit among children and their parents, and serving the needs of Filipino seamen's families. The first has to do with turning the loss of a loved one into life affirming action. When her son died in an accident, Marissa founded GASFI to celebrate his love for books, his tender affection for sampaguita flowers, and his frequent use of the word "amazing" to descibe his life and almost everything in it. The second is about kindling and sustaining a life-long love for reading among children and their families. Twenty Minutes At Bedtime" is not only GASFI's slogan, it is also the minimum amount of time, Marissa believes, that parents should set aside everyday to read with their children.The third is Marissa's special contribution to her family's cause: the welfare of Filipino seamen. Her father Captain Gregorio S. Oca laid the cornerstone when he founded the Associated Marine Officers and Seaman's Union of the Philippines (Amosup). Marissa builds upon it by running seamen's villages, hospitals, schools and libraries throughout the country. When you read and share this book, you join an ever-expanding circle that gathers round people and things that warm the cockles of our hearts: our children, books and reading, and the strength and resilience of families-especially where the father is mostly away at sea.