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:

Head on over to the PaperTigers website to read our interview with R. Ramachandran, Executive Director of the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS).

Here are a few snippets -

About why the Asian Children’s Writers and Illustrators Conference, which has since grown in to the Asian Festival of Asian Content (AFCC) came into being in 2000:

As a librarian I realised that the availability of children’s literature with an Asian focus was limited: limited in number, that is. And those books that were available were not attractively produced and were aggressively marketed. The good books produced by the Asian diaspora were too expensive and again not readily distributed in Asia. Asian children were not reading about themselves. The books that were being read were not set in an environment that they were familiar with and could relate to. In the meantime, schools and libraries were being developed. The need for materials for Asian Children was urgent.

About the work of the NBDCS:

Organisations like ours must continue our efforts to impress upon people that stories, reading and writing are fundamental, no matter what form they take and no matter how technology develops.

And about the future of the book:

I still see scope for books as we know them. But a book will have to become a work of art, a niche publication that combines the beauty of paper, words and art on paper, packaged and presented in all its glory to the reader. Such a book will always have a place and a market, even as technology advances and impacts on book publishing as a whole. Like libraries, books will not perish. They will embrace technology, and reinvent themselves as a niche player. [...]

What concerns me, though, is that there appears to be a lack of confidence among publishers to rethink and use the changes in technology to present the book in all its might and glory, and to exploit its unique features to retain the readers and buyers.

Rama certainly provides food for thought – what do you think?

Read the complete interview here.

Head on over to the PaperTigers Gallery to see some of the work that was included in the Book Illustrators’ Gallery (BIG) at this year’s Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC). The exhibition featured works by artists participating in the conference and in our Gallery you will find both book illustrations and stand alone works by: Jade Fang, Lee Kow Fong, Li Dan, Soo Theng Theng, Wendy Tan, Priscilla Tey and Wong Si-Y.

We also go behind the scenes for a Q&A with Jade Yong of the National Book Development Council of Singapore, one of the AFCC and BIG organisers, who tells us, among other things, of exciting possibilities arising out of the BIG:

The [AFCC] organisers hope to garner support for an award for children’s illustrations, to be introduced at the Asian Festival of Children’s Content in the next few years.

I’ve just arrived in Singapore to take part in the upcoming Asian Festival of Children’s Content and thought I would post a few pictures taken during my first afternoon in the city. I’ve only been here a few hours and to say I’m impressed would be an understatement. Singapore is amazing! The weather is beautiful, the people so friendly and the city itself is stunning: modern highrises mixed with colonial buildings, multicultural enclaves such as Chinatown and Little India, all surrounded by immaculate parks and tropical greenery.

The first two photos were taken at Vancouver International Airport and show the First Nations artwork which is highlighted throughout the terminal, then it’s on to Singapore. Enjoy!

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Several weeks ago I posted about The Singapore Book Club’s July event: In Conversation with Adeline Foo, Lim Fong Wei and Sangeetha Madhavan. Panelist Adeline Foo recently emailed me and told me that Myra Garces-Bacsal’s attended the event and blogged about it at Gathering Books. Read Myra’s review (which includes pics and video!) and not only will you feel like you attended the event  but you will really get to know best-selling children’s author Adeline Foo as she talks about her work ethic, where her ideas come from and what lessons budding authors must know.

Myra sums up the evening by saying:

Generally, I thought it was a good evening. It was a long travel from my home  but it was well worth the trip. One possible add-in perhaps that may be considered if there is going to be another “book club” is that an actual specific “book” would be discussed by the attendees in greater detail…Strictly speaking, it was more a panel discussion with book authors than an actual “book club” where you discuss specific targeted books and argue about the characters’ motivations, affect, and personalities in the “club.” Considering though that it was the first children’s book club ever organized, I thought it was a success. Kudos to Adeline, Sangeetha and Fong Wei and the National Book Development Council for organizing the evening. I am avidly looking forward to more evenings filled with discussion about children’s books and themes with aspiring writers, book authors, illustrators, and lovers of children’s literature.

One thing that clearly shone through from last night’s book club, and my earlier coffee and conversation with David Seow, another prolific children’s book author in Singapore – is how tenacious and passionate these writers are despite the seemingly-insurmountable odds stacked against them, being situated in a comparatively small country in Asia. Cheers indeed to the fantasy, magic, and enchantment of children’s books. Keep the faith, everyone.

The National Library Board (NLB) of Singapore hosted its annual Asian Children’s Festival from Nov 17-25. Started in 2001, the Asian Children’s Festival (ACF) promotes children’s literacy by providing opportunities for the creative and joyous learning of Asian content and culture among children. The free events, held at libraries throughout Singapore and enjoyed by over 300,000 participants, featured internationally renowned children’s storytellers, writers, illustrators and puppeteers. This year 50 lucky youngsters were chosen to take part in the first-ever sleepover at the National Library – and, to heighten their experience of Asian culture, other activities such as poetry slams and a tour of the Singapore Art Museum were also planned.

Ms. Poh Poh Lim, a NLB librarian and ACF Project Manager, was pleased to share with us the details of this year’s festival. KidsAsia! was a new event which kickstarted the festival this year. It showcased “the rich culture, heritage, traditions and flavours of Asian communities” and helped children and their parents discover “what makes growing up in Asia so special.” Five KidsAsia! zones were set up at the National Library to allow children to enjoy a variety of experiences. Activities included the hands-on arts and crafts “Creativity Zone” and the “Kids Express Zone,” where music and dance were performed by children from throughout Asia. The “Going Places Zone” was enjoyed by all, as it featured a special mini-library and story corner where children and their parents were encouraged to browse and read books; an on-line reading area; and special readings hosted by members of the Asian Storytelling Network.

To reach out to as many children as possible, the ACF featured a Festival Fringe Programme, which included a variety of events held at regional and local libraries throughout the nine-day festival. Two books, put together by NLB librarians, Heritage Tales: Treasures from Singapore and The Tale Of The Missing Tail and Other Original Singapore Stories were launched at this year’s festival and shared with the children. For Ms. Lim, probably due to her librarian’s point of view, this aspect of the festival, most specifically the “Tales From Asia” programme, was its highlight.

Heritage Tales: Treasures from Singapore is an annotated bibliography which “highlights the richness and variety of Singapore’s children’s books. These titles represent our nation’s collective talents and experiences and are indeed treasures to be cherished and passed down from generation to generation.” The book, which during ACF was available for free at all Singapore libraries, includes a special section featuring works by children.

The Tale Of The Missing Tail And Other Original Singapore Stories is a compilation of original stories geared toward children ages 4-10.“This compilation includes stories in Chinese, Malay and Tamil. The 20 short stories are simple, honest tales inspired by contributors’ personal musings, experiences and culture. Some of them are rich with local characters; others are tales of bullying and other familiar issues such as sibling rivalry, childhood hobbies, achievement… Not to be missed are the tales of friendship and family love, and of monsters and endearing animals. And there’s a taste of fantasy, too! After all, what would a compilation of stories for children be without tales of princes and princesses? It’s all in there.” Copies of this book may be purchased at any Singapore library or by contacting the NLB.

In conclusion, Ms Lim says: “We have received the public’s ardent support for the past seven years. Now all we really want is to keep creating this opportunity for children to have the most fun-filled time of their lives while immersed in Asian culture and heritage.” Click on this photographer’s blog to see some photos of the event. Judging from the looks on the children’s faces, I’d say the festival goals were definitely met!