Blog on books for Asian children

In the dying moments of AFCC, I met with the amazing Tarie Sabido who blogs over at Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind about "children's and young adult blog about books set in Asia and books with Asian characters (regardless of where they are published and whether or not their authors and illustrators are Asian), and Asian authors and illustrators (no matter where they are in the world)". That is quite a charter and the site is a labour of love indeed. It is also a must-read for parents or educators looking for great stories to share with kids.

Tarie has also published a blow-by-blow report about the goings-on at AFCC for those who weren't there. See what I mean about doing what the mainstream media isn't?

A world of ideas at AFCC

My head is buzzing, buzzing, buzzing after three days of talking books at the inaugural Asian Festival of Children’s Content. So many interesting and lovely people, so many fascinating books and ideas to think about. It was intense yet fun being in a creative crucible with like-minded people bumping into you all the time. In fact, my head was so buzzed that I couldn’t sleep Saturday night. Alright, it may have been that Mars bar I ate after dinner. Tossed and turned for a while, then decided to get up and write about three crammed pages of notes out of my brain before my eyes grew heavy. If you have anything to do with books and content for children, I'd highly recommend taking part next year.

One of the ideas that grew out of AFCC – during a discussion at the very last fest session! – was a blog about Singapore children’s books given that the mainstream media (MSM) pointedly ignores this category. There’s a significant number of books being published every year in the children’s books category – a bulk of them as a result of the First Time Writers & Illustrators Initiative that jumpstarted my own writing for children, but hey, if no one is going to talk about it in the MSM, let’s do it ourselves. As a public service, I volunteered to restart blogging, something I haven't done for a while at Mamasez, to review Singapore children's books. Et voila, here I am!

Happy mother's day everyone!

Roald Dahl on television

Apologies for the long silence but work called...many times. Led the LO to say,  Another meeting! Mama's running away from us again.

Anyway for starters, here's a poem by Roald Dahl on television that dropped into my inbox recently, which library-goers will especially enjoy. Chew on it while I get up to speed on Mamasez.

Rainbow Fish: 1-14 September

American theorists might be dissing children's classic Rainbow Fish for preaching socialism, but I Theatre has made quite a name for themselves in places as far as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with their black light version.

Tix from Sistic. Early bird discounts till 7 August.

See what actual rainbow fish look like here.

Book gifts

A couple of interesting book-related gifts - a book hamper for babies and the NatGeo Windows on Literacy series.

The Reluctant Dragon/Wind in the Willows - 22 - 24 May

The Singapore Lyric Opera has a Kenneth Grahame double-bill for the hols.

The musical adaptation by English composer John Rutter "was originally written as an ‘entertainment’ for The King’s Singers (six male voices) and the City of London Sinfonia to perform at a family concert." 

Little Women - 28 - 31 May

In the Anglophone world, most girls go through a phase of loving Louisa May Alcott's book Little Women. I know I did though I can't remember if it came before or after the Pride and Prejudice phase...probably before, though the Pride and Prejudice phase continues till adulthood for lots of people! Anyway, The Stage Club is doing a theatrical version for 7+ year olds.

Ferdinand the Bull: May 12 - 25, Ulu Pandan Theatrette

When it rains it pours! So May is starting to look pretty full. Is this going to be another case of 4 shows in 4 weeks????

Ferdinand the Bull is based on Munro Leaf's much loved book The Story of Ferdinand. I haven't read the book but I guess we're looking for this on our next trip to the library. Doesn't say but I checked - it's for all ages. 

From the synopsis on The Players Theatre website:

"Ferdinand the Bull is a hilarious, Flamenco-flavored family musical based on the beloved book by Munro Leaf. This classic tale of individuality set in Spain is about a bull named Ferdinand and the young Duke Danilo. Ferdinand doesn’t want to fight and butt heads like all the other bulls - he wants to take care of his beautiful flowers! Meanwhile, the young Danilo wants to dance but his father, the belligerent Duke Dodo, wants him to be a great, macho Spanish bullfighter. When the Duke goes to find the toughest ‘toro’ (bull) for his son’s first bullfight, he mistakenly picks gentle Ferdinand. Will Ferdinand and Danilo decide to follow their own hearts or live out the expectations of others?

This musical is an exuberant romp about being true to yourself and refusing to be ‘bull-ied’ into acting like someone you're not. Kids and adults will love the clever wordplay, Spanish flair, lively music and comical characters including the punny, funny pig Cochina who serves as Ferdinand’s hammy sidekick. Ole!"