Myra Garces-Bacsal of Gathering Books fame has just written a Personal View for us – “A Delectable Taster of Picture Books from Singapore”:

Ever since the birth of Gathering Books a year ago, I have endeavored to know more about children’s literature in Singapore, the Little Red Dot that is my current home now. When Marjorie emailed me about putting together my Personal View on children’s books in Singapore, I knew I would have a tough time – but an enjoyable one as well. And being the researcher that I am, I headed straight to the library to immerse myself in more and more children’s books written and illustrated by Singaporean authors.

Among the qualities I observed from the variety of picture books that I took pleasure in reading was that most of the narratives (1) are informative; (2) are meant to educate or share some knowledge concerning an individual’s developmental disorder/illness; (3) highlight some environmental issue or societal concern; or (4) provide some random fact about animals, place, or groups of people. Given that Singapore is an excellence-driven society with a high premium on education, this does not surprise me at all. Despite the country’s being a ‘tiny red dot’ on the map, I continue to be amazed at the variety of picture books that are available that so effectively demonstrate the richness of Singapore’s heritage and history.

Head on over to the PaperTigers website to read the rest of Myra’s article, including her selection of picture books… I guarantee that you, like me, will be trying to work out a way to get hold of them! Here’s a delectable taster:

During the couple of months since my last update, we’ve included several books for the PaperTigers Reading the World Challenge in our reading.

As well as Salman Rushdie’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories, which I blogged about last week, we have read Cornelia Funke’s The Thief Lord together, an exciting read from beginning to end. It’s the story of two German boys Prosper and Bo, who, after the death of their mother, run away from the aunt who wants to give a home only to the younger Bo. They go to Venice, because their mother filled them with stories of the city’s magic, and there they end up living in an abandoned cinema with some other stray children, under the protection of Scipio aka the Thief Lord, who is not much older than them. They find plenty of adventure and magic of their own, not to mention a certain amount of disaster and worry, before the story reaches its ultimately satisfying conclusion.

Bedtimes stretched out as we found it harder and harder to put the book down, and it was just as well we reached the school holidays about 80 pages before the end, because we were then able to swallow the last eleven chapters whole in one wonderful morning!

Little Brother (10) has read his non-fiction selection: three of the books in Fifth House Publishers/Fitzhenry and Whiteside’s wonderful The Land is Our Storybook series. Here’s what he says about them:

We Feel Good Out Here by Julie-Ann André and Mindy Willett, Photographs by Tessa Macintosh (2008):

I liked the story about how Atachuunkaii, the man in the canoe tricked a giant called Ch’ii Choo.

The Delta is My Home by Tom McLeod and Mindy Willett, photographs by Tessa Macintosh (2008):

I enjoyed the bit about the muskrat push ups – it was really interesting and I liked the pictures because they were funny – and impressive because Tom McLeod drew them himself.

Come and Learn With Me by Sheyenne Jumbo and Mandy Willett, photographs by Tessa MacIntosh (2010):

I liked the “Clean Socks” story about Ashley and Selena, who was her mum. Sheyenne wrote it – I haven’t read Robert Munsch’s book called Smelly Socks, which is actually what inspired her – but her story is about new socks – also because she can’t get socks where she lives.

All in all: (more…)

Via Gathering Books

Finally! The event that we have arduously prepared for in the last several weeks is now past and gone. As part of the pre-AFCC (Asian Festival of Children’s Content) festivities, we have just done a panel discussion on “Building a Nation of Readers via Web 2.0″ featuring yours truly from GatheringBooks, Corinne from Paper Tigers, and Tarie from Asia in the Heart World on the Mind.

We started promptly at 5:30 and ended around 7pm. We had quite a good turnout, nearly around 40 individuals including ourselves (and my daughter and husband, of course). Here are some photos taken from the event:

(L-R): Tarie from Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind; Myra from GatheringBooks, Corinne from Paper Tigers

I was giving the introduction here, I believe

Talking about the History of our Blogs

Essentially, the flow of the discussion centered on several themes/key issues:

The history of our blog: what is the story behind our websites?
What is the kidlitosphere and the YA Blogosphere?
Networking and Collaboration: How we establish links and networking with authors, publishers, book bloggers, fellow bibliophiles, educators
How do we build a nation of readers via Web 2.0: What is the future of book blogging? How has it evolved through the years, and how do you think it would evolve in the next coming years?

The exchange was truly dynamic, animated, and interactive. We were fortunate to have an audience who was keen to find out more about Web 2.0, blogging, and were sharp enough to point out issues and concerns such as safety on the internet, reviews of e-books, and how exactly can a nation of readers be built through the internet. There was a question raised as to whether we are preaching to the converted, since we essentially build a network of fellow bibliophiles who are connected on the net, anyway. Does it translate to those who may not be within the virtual world?

It is only now, upon reflection, that I realize that there may have been several points that I could have shared which might have escaped me earlier. Regarding the building of a nation of readers, we have pointed out that our websites can be used as a medium through which we can reach more marginalized children coming from disadvantaged communities through outreach programs such as the the one being initiated by PaperTigers and our 1:4:1000 Book Drive where we hope to donate 1000 books to 4 public schools in Samar for our 1st Year Anniversary this June/July.

Over and above the outreach programs we do, I think we may have failed to emphasize that prior to knowing about the kidlitosphere and the YA blogosphere, we were clueless Facebook netizens and Twitter enthusiasts and internet-aficionados who have zero awareness that such a world (kidlitosphere, etc) exist! My own personal take on this is that discovering this world as a bibliophile may be one of my greatest highs in years! Just the knowledge that I can be part of this nation of readers: avid readers, angry readers, animated readers, insightful readers, critical readers [and that there is a platform for a celebration of this sheer geekiness] – is truly a gift – and brings about its own positive vibe and weaves this beautiful synergy among like-minded individuals with similar interests and passion.

Thank you to everyone who attended and dropped by. And to Book Council for organizing everything so seamlessly and beautifully. It is exciting to have Tarie and Corinne here in Singapore. The knowledge that I have several more days to enjoy their vibrant presence (along with so many others who are attending the AFCC) is simply astounding. Looking forward to this day and the next (and the next).

Today is the day! The Asian Festival of Children’s Content starts in a few hours with the Keynote Speech “What is the Future of Children’s Publishing” by Stephen Mooser (USA). After that the day is jam-packed with events to choose from. I will be attending sessions by Christopher Cheng (Australia), illustrator YangSook Choi (Korea), author Holly Thompson (Japan/USA), Pooja Makhijani (Singapore/USA) and John McKenzie (New Zealand).

Last night’s pre-festival panel discussion that I hosted with Tarie Sabido (Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind) and Dr. Myra Garces-Bacsal (Gathering Books) was a success. Over 40 people attended and took part in our discussion Building a Nation of Readers via Web 2.0: An Introduction to Kidlitosphere and the YA Blogosphere . Thanks to all those who attended and a special thanks to Tarie and Myra who were such lovely ladies to work with!

The Asian Festival of Children’s Content officially begins tomorrow, May 26^th , at The Arts House in Singapore. However there are two exciting pre-festival events which take place this afternoon:

From 4 – 5:30 pm A Collective Book Launch by Coonoor Kripalani (Singapore). This free event is open to the general public and will include storytelling, games,and a  tea  party at the launch of 3 bilingual children’s books in Hindi and English by Coonoor Kripalani.

From 5.30pm – 7.00pm I will be joining Tarie Sabido (Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind) and Dr. Myra Garces-Bacsal (Gathering Books) for our panel discussion Building a Nation of Readers via Web 2.0: An Introduction to Kidlitosphere and the YA Blogosphere . If you are in Singapore for the AFCC we hope you will come join us.

I originally “met” Tarie and Myra when I was searching the internet for children’s literature events and discovered their blogs. Tarie and I have been corresponding for almost 2 years now and she was an invaluable help for PaperTigers’ October 2009 issue on Children’s Literature in the Philippines. Myra and I have known each other for a year or so and she has been a wealth of information as well especially with regards to kidlit in Singapore! Blogging is what brought us together and tonight will be the first time we meet in person.  Here at PaperTigers we are celebrating our  4^th Blog-anniversary this week and what better way to celebrate than by taking part in a discussion about blogging and to be meeting with Tarie and Myra in person!

To finish up I’ll leave you with some pics I took yesterday while wandering around Singapore. (more…)

The 2011 Asian Festival of Children’s Content takes place May 26 – 28 at The Arts House in Singapore. This year’s theme, Connecting With Connected Kids, will address an important and timely topic in children’s lit! Of course books remain popular but how is technology changing the world of children’s and YA lit?  As technology puts media access into children’s pockets and bedrooms, how do content makers stay connected with connected kids? Experts from around the world will provide their thoughts on this topic  in the speaker programs and panel discussions.

I am thrilled to announce that on Wed, May 25th I will be joining Tarie Sabido (Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind) and Dr. Myra Garces-Bacsal (Gathering Books) in hosting a pre-AFCC panel discussion entitled Building a Nation of Readers via Web 2.0: An Introduction to Kidlitosphere and the YA Blogosphere.  Come join us from 5:30 – 7pm at The Arts House and partake in our free discussion.  All are welcome to attend and you can reserve your seat by emailing afcc(at)bookcouncil(dot)sg. If you are already registered for the AFCC, you can officially sign in during our event and avoid the hassle of potential line-ups at the sign-in table on opening day.  All the details are included in the lovely flyer below (click on it to enlarge) which Regina at the Singapore Book Council designed. Hope to see you there!

Master story-teller Laurence Yep took his inspiration for his magical version of the Beauty and the Beast fairy-tale from a traditional Chinese tale with a Southern Chinese setting. His The Dragon Prince (HarperCollins, 1997) has some satisfying twists and turns in the narrative and an impressive dragon in the role parallel to the Beast: visually too, thanks to Kam Mak’s powerful illustrations. We just love the noble, enormous, golden dragon, and completely empathised with Beauty/Seven’s inherent trust in the beauty she finds in him, that goes deeper than the fear – even when the Dragon insists, “But you really should be afraid” – yes, Little Brother especially loved that line!

Seven is set apart from her older sisters from the start: while they work in the fields, she does beautiful embroidery, which is then sold at the market, thereby providing the family with the sustenance the rocky ground cannot. The symbolism of this carries the narrative through to its conclusion (it’s a fairy tale so it’s irrelevant to question the point of the other sister’s activities, farming land on which nothing will grow). Three is jealous of Seven – and never more so than when, instead of suffering a terrible fate after agreeing to marry a firece dragon in return for her father’s life, Seven arrives on a visit to her family on a ‘chair of gold and coral’ and with all her maids behind her, descending from the sky in a ‘glittering procession’.

Three therefore tricks Seven and takes her place, preparing the Dragon Prince for a change in his wife’s appearance by saying she’s been ill – which makes for an interesting take on Beauty and the Beast: the Prince “didn’t care. In that short time, Seven had come to mean everything to him, not for her beauty but for her kindness.”

So do they live happily ever after? Well, I highly recommend you get hold of this great story and find out for yourself, and enjoy some cultural nuances along the way. For example, one bit that made me chuckle and served to show the Dragon Prince’s state of mind as he searches deperately for Seven: he buys at a market “without bargaining”!

Gathering Books also featured The Dragon Prince earlier this year, as part of a wonderful series of in-depth posts about Chinese fairy-tales – in case you missed them, here are the other links; they’re definitely worth a read: Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China (which Little Brother read for our Reading the World Challenge in 2008) and Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China (which I have also featured as a Book at Bedtime in the past)…

It’s not too late to join this year’s Reading the World Challenge if you haven’t already – just take a look at this post for details.

In our family we have all joined together and read picture books set in Mongolia, which is our current focus on PaperTigers. I had to hunt around a bit but we came up with a good selection. I’m not going to go into a great deal of detail here as they are all gathered up in my Personal View, Taking a step into children’s books about Mongolia. We have really enjoyed delving into the culture and heritage of Mongolia and these picture books have been read all together and individually.

One bedtime Older Brother read Horse Song: the Naadam of Mongolia by Ted and Betsy Lewin (Lee and Low, 2008) to Little Brother – quite a long read and they were both engrossed. Watching them from the outside, as it were, I came to an added appreciation of the dynamics of Ted and Betsy’s collaboration, both in the energy of their shared enthusiasm and participation in the events surrounding the famous horse-race, and also of being struck by a busy, crowded scene one page and then giggling at the turn of expression on an individual study’s face the next.

And I’ll just share with you Little Brother’s reaction to Suho’s White Horse, which you can read about in a bit more detail in my Books at Bedtime post earlier this week:

It was a moving story. The governor made me angry because he broke his word and was cruel to Suho and his horse.
[Listening to the musical version played on the Mongolian horsehead fiddle, the morin khuur] Once you know the story, you can tell which part of the music is telling which part of the story. How do they make that music with just two strings? It fills me with awe.

I also read The Horse Boy: A Father’s Miraculous Journey to Heal His Son by Rupert Isaacson (Viking, 2009), an amazing story of a family’s journey to Mongolia in search of horses and shamans to seek healing for the torments that were gripping their five-year-old autistic son’s life: as Isaacson puts it with great dignity, his “emotional and physical incontinence”. If you have already read this humbling, inspiring book (and even if you haven’t), take a look at this recent interview three years on from their adventurous journey. Now I need to see the film!

And talking of films (which we don’t very often on PaperTigers, but I can’t resist mentioning this one), The Story of the Weeping Camel is a beautiful, gentle film that takes you right to the heart of Mongolian life on the steppe. Who would have thought a documentary film about a camel could be so like watching a fairy tale? Don’t be put off by the subtitles – our boys love this film. Take a look at the trailer -

But now it’s time to leave Mongolia and find out what everyone else has been reading… (more…)

The 2011 Singapore Young Author Award Winners were announced last week! Head on over to Gathering Books to find out more and see photos from the event.

The story of Dave the Potter by Laban Carrick Hill, illustrated by Bryan Collier (Little, Brown and Company, 2010) combines two great loves of mine — poetry and pottery — so I was absolutely delighted to have been introduced to this recently published book by Myra at Gathering Books.   The historical ‘Dave’ was an unusual combination of talent in an age where such talents would not have only been under-appreciated but potentially dangerous.  Dave was a skilled and literate slave of the mid 1800′s in South Carolina.  His legacy is a collection of large pots and urns, some of which have lines written into them.  The lines are short and cryptic, reminiscent of Dickinson.  For example, on one of his earliest known pots — a large one for which Dave had a reputation for creating — are inscribed these lines:

put every bit all between
surely this Jar will hold 14

This particular pot could hold fourteen gallons, and these short lines conveyed the volume capacity in rhyme.  Other couplets also appear, giving more of a sense of Dave’s personality and of his vocation.  Particularly moving was this couplet:

I, made this Jar, all of cross
If, you don’t repent, you will be, lost

Dave the Potter is a picture book, sumptuously illustrated by Bryan Collier, who has captured well the nature of the man and his art. There’s a lovely fold-out panel of illustrations showing the process of pot-making which is visually affecting. My daughter and I really enjoyed Dave the Potter; it is a wonderful book telling a little known story of — as the book’s  subtitle indicates — an ‘artist, poet and slave’ of the American south.

This week’s Poetry Friday is at The Small Nouns.