Shamini Flint, illustrated by Alpana Ahuja,
Sasha Visits Singapore
Sunbear Publishing Pte Ltd, 2010.

Ages 2-6

Oh, that we could all be lucky like Sasha! She travels from country to country with her Mama, exploring new cultures and meeting new people from all over the world. In Sasha Visits Singapore, Sasha and Mama travel to Singapore, an island nation on the edge of the Malay Peninsula. Singapore is a mixture of old and new, East and West, all coming together in shiny new skyscrapers next to beautiful old buildings, lush outdoor zoos near old colonial houses.

With each page turn, Sasha and Mama embark on new Singaporean adventures, viewing the black and white tigers at the Singapore Zoo and the colorful macaws at the Jurong Bird Park, walking under fragrant frangipani trees, and dancing to the crashing cymbals of a lion dance. Alpana Ahuja’s vibrant watercolors fill pages from edge to edge with sensory delight that mirrors the constant movement of this tropical island. The bright hues of Singaporean life will captivate the future-readers among us, who will also love the exotic animals that appear on almost every page.

Sasha visits Singapore is one of over a dozen brief paperback stories comprising a series about Sasha’s adventures. While some see her traveling to more oft-written about locales like London and Beijing, others take her further afield, visiting places often neglected in children’s literature, including Sasha Visits Kuala Lumpur, Sasha Visits The Maldives and Sasha Visits Sentosa Island. The series features bright illustrations, simple language and affordable paperback prices, providing a valuable resource for parents and caretakers to introduce young children to the diversity of Asian worlds.

A set of six titles focused specifically on Singapore dedicates entire books to the sights covered in brief two-page spreads within Sasha Visits Singapore. Details and context one might wish for in Sasha Visits Singapore appear in individual titles focusing on the Singapore Botanical Gardens, Zoological Gardens, the Jurong Bird Park, and Singaporean shopping and museums. Sasha in Singapore would be greatly strengthened by a map and/or back matter; one wishes for example, for a short explanation of the significance of the Merlion – rather than just mention that Sasha sees it – but this oversight may also encourage children and adults alike to seek more information about Singapore, including further tales of Sasha’s adventures there.

Sara Hudson
June 2011

Southeast Asia’s literature is as rich and diverse as the region itself, but unfortunately, there’s still a dearth of books for children by Southeast Asian authors translated into English. Even when they are written in English by Southeast Asian writers, such as the books by Singaporean Shamini Flint and Malaysian Margaret Lim, they rarely find their way into the US or other English-speaking countries. It’s fairly easy to find factual books or folktale retellings, but the majority of the books in English related to the region are written by European or American authors.

PaperTigers this week joins many other bloggers on a virtual tour of children’s literature from/about Southeast Asia by pointing readers to reviews and blog posts written by our team:

Former PaperTigers blog contributor Janet Brown has looked closely at the book Happiness of Kati, by Thai writer Jane Vejjajiva. Aimed at 12+ year-olds, the book was the first children’s book to win the S.E.A. Write Award, given to the best literature by Southeast Asians. Read Janet’s three posts about the book (1, 2, 3), as she gets deeper into this beautifully layered story of a Thai girl and her family. And for an interesting look at the world of children’s books in Thailand, read the transcript of a paper by Jane Vejjajiva, presented at the IBBY Congress, in 2008.

Reviewed by Charlotte, The Killing Sea (Simon & Schuster) by lifelong Bali resident Richard Lewis is a fictionalized account of the impact of the 2004 Tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia, particularly on the lives of two teenagers caught up in the tragedy. Lewis’ The Flame Tree, also set in Indonesia in post 9/11, is another important title, as it helps dispel stereotypes, especially common since then, about the Islamic world.

The Bee Tree, written by Stephen Buchmann and Diana Cohn, illustrated by Paul Mirocha (Cinco Puntos), is a coming-of-age story that blends “myth, geography, and harvest and Islamic rituals to create a rich tapestry of multicultural experiences”.

The round-up of the Southeast Asia blog tour, with links to all participating posts, will be posted at Chasing Ray on Wednesday, August 12th (which means bloggers still have time to send in their posts!). We are looking forward to finding out what others have contributed to the feast!