In this brand-new series, childrenās book author Ruth Wan-Lau combs through local books and recommends her favourites, as part of celebrating SG60! Letās celebrate local arts and promote reading!
Earth Day is around the corner! This is a great time to have intentional conversations with your child about protecting the environment and appreciating nature.Ā
If youāre wondering how to bring up such important topics with your child, Iāve got the solution for you: Give them a book! Better still, read the book together and I guarantee you, conversations will flow naturally and learning points will stick deeply.
Here are four local childrenās books that I love that will do the trick:
Mr Roll Finds New Life
This delightful childrenās picture book by Sophia Huang absolutely deserved being crowned āBest Childrenās Picture Bookā at the Singapore Book Awards (2022). The book made me chuckle and grin as I read it, and both children and parents will love the vivid illustrations and elegant text.Ā
If the title of the book hasnāt already given it away, yes, this book is about a toilet roll and his recycling journey! Author Sophia Huang shares,āAfter I cut back from work to spend more time with my children, I needed to find ways to entertain them at little to no cost. We discovered that we could make toys and craft out of recyclables, like toilet rolls, turning what is ātrashā into ātreasureā. These activities also taught my kids creativity, resourcefulness and STEAM concepts. It became our way of life!āĀ
Get your copy here.
The Rainforest Adventures of Biogirl MJ
We all know Biogirl MJ as the quirky and lovable host of Just Keep Thinking, Singaporeās popular Youtube Science educational channel. But, did you know sheās an award-winning comic book author too? Her first comic book, The Intertidal Adventures of Biogirl MJ, snagged āBest Education Titleā at the Singapore Book Awards (2023)!
In this exciting sequel, Biogirl MJ and her grumpy cat Qwerty find intrigue and adventure in the rainforest. Reading this comic book, I found it had more twists and turns than a Hollywood blockbuster! It will surely entertain, while educating children about the diversity of plants and animals found in rainforests everywhere, including Singapore!
Get your copy here.
The Emperorās Gazilion New Toys
Is your house becoming a storeroom for your kidās toys? If so, then this is the book you need! Using the well-known story of The Emperorās New Clothes as a base, this childrenās picture book will teach your child the negative impact of accumulating and wasting toys.Ā
Lianne Ong and Janice Khoo, the authors, have this to say about their fractured fairy tale story: āWe saw possibilities in the original story where the emperorās vanity led him to want new clothes. This tied in very well with the topic of over-consumption. For a child, the obvious topic would be toys, lots and lots of toys.āĀ
Get your copy here.
The Dance of the Sambar Deer and More Singaporean Fables
My final local book recommendation is this delightful collection of short stories featuring local animals, like the hermit crab, sambar deer and firefly! Written by Chen Junhua, an ex-school teacher, each story, being only three pages long, is definitely suitable for primary schoolers, or even for storytime for younger kids. Junhua shares, āMy stories are like parables. I was inspired by Aesopās fables and thought, what if I could inspire the love of local fauna while teaching good values?ā
Every story made me smile because of the delightful storytelling, paired with lovely watercolour illustrations. Simple values and life lessons were integrated into the stories too. Junhuaās book is sure to become a well-loved classic, in time to come!Ā
Get your copy here.
Ruth Wan-Lau is the author of the bestselling Timmy & Tammy series, which has the honour of being the only childrenās book series chosen to be part of the SG50 Baby Jubilee Gift Pack, given to all Singaporean babies born that year. Over 400,000 copies of Ruthās books have been sold, in English, Chinese and Malay. Ruth is also a Publisher that has produced a wide range of local childrenās books in support of local arts.
