The Mudskipper  

by Ovidia Yu

Lizhi arrives in Singapore to meet her Dad’s family. The first person she meets is Aunt Mona who is rude and strange. Bwe Bwe, the little Indonesian maid, is too scared to talk much. And then, there is the mysterious old gardener. In a dusty old room Lizhi discovers beautifully carved mudskipper… will it help her uncover this family’s secret?Ovidia Yu is based in Singapore. She is an award-winning novelist, short-story writer and playwright. Her plays have been performed locally and abroad. The Mudskipper is her first book for children and the book launch was held at the AFCC 2012 Press Conference.

A Collective Book Launch: A Dream Fulfilled… 

by Rosalind Lim

The ‘Proverbs ….. Huh?’series introduces children, between 5 and 9 years old, to some common proverbs through stories which are enjoyable and attractively illustrated.  The first part of each story introduces the proverb while the second part applies it in another situation.  This is to ensure a better understanding of each proverb.Rosalind Lim is a former teacher.  She chose to be a homemaker-cum-tutor to spend time with her two children instead of pursuing her career in education.  One of her dreams was to write illustrated books for kids … a dream finally fulfilled when her ‘Proverbs … Huh?‘ series was published in Dec 2011/Jan 2012.

To register, please email [email protected].

Purple Paw Prints

by Sarah Mounsey

Eddie knew, as soon as he finished, that it was a big mistake to paint their dog, Oscar!  Join Eddie and Mia in their fun as they try to clean up their dog and end up getting wet and purple.Sarah Mounsey, an Australian primary school teacher, loves to write for children and her first picture book is Purple Paw Prints.  She lives in Singapore with her husband and two young boys.  Her sons are mischievous but she is glad that neither of them has ever painted a dog like what Eddie did in Purple Paw Prints… well at least not yet!

Dumbcane & Daffodils

by R Viknesh

The book is a compilation of school compositions of Timmy, a primary school student.  Set in the local context, it depicts the social and moral problems that he had encountered and how he dealt with these challenges. He did, by making the right decisions which eventually became lessons in life.Presently a Secondary Four student, he quipped, “I started writing when I was seven. Learning to put thought to paper, my stories became school compositions and journal entries. I have since self-published two books entitled ‘My Fantasy Your Treat’ and ‘Dumbcane & Daffodils’. I have also submitted poems and short stories for international writing competitions”.

Reena in Giantland                                              

by Victoria Siaw Wei Yah

Reena, a poor human kid, was kidnapped by two giants from Giantland. She met a young prince, Herald and became his pet. Prince Herald was kidnapped and Reena was sold off to raise funds to pay for his ransom. She met Prince Herald again and together they escaped and landed on the island of strange animals. Join them on their exciting adventure.Victoria Siaw Wei Yah was only twelve years old when her first series of eight books The Fun Reading Series written at nine was published. Subsequently, she received a publication grant to publish Tales of Fantasy, a collection of eight short stories.

Little Otters To The Rescue                                              

by Edmund Chen

In the mangroves of northern Singapore lives an otter by the name of Ah Xiong. He is captured while looking for food for his pregnant wife. Ah Xiong’s wife, Xiao Fen, eventually gives birth to four unique otters, each with a special characteristic. When these baby otters grow up, they learn of their father’s story, which spurs them on to plan a rescue mission. During the rescue, they face obstacles and life-endangering situations. Will they be able to overcome all these and rescue their father?

The Prince and the Merlion

by Sabian Lau

This beautiful and revealing children’s’ story of how Singapore’s famous Merlion came to be, is based on historically accurate names and myths and includes in its pages, a number of hidden meanings; family values and also contains numerous images of Singaporean endangered animal species. The book’s contents and its soul is Singaporean, but no matter where you are
from or where you are going, or how old you are, you will enjoy this revealing and as yet untold story.

Bella’s Chinese New Year

by Stacey Zolt Hara

Bella’s Chinese New Year, a widely-lauded picture book for kids ages 3-8, is coming to iPhone and iPad through an eBook app. It teaches Mandarin and Chinese culture and vocabulary through picture/word association and interactive illustrations.Bella connects with the people and culture around her, making new friends and learning through her experiences. Appreciative of Singapore’s customs and traditions, Bella guides us through orange exchanges with friends, the magical wish of a Lo Heisalad and the surprises kids find in shiny red envelopes during the New Year. With “Read to Me,” “Read to Myself” and “Auto Play” functions, the app works for children of all reading levels.

MandarinaKids™ bilingual book for kids – The chronicles of Meng Meng and An An_Grandma’s 80th Birthday

by Pauline Loh

Read how Meng Meng and An An get the family together for a wonderful birthday party. This bilingual picture book is ideal for early readers. Hanyu Pinyin helps the readers to pronounce the Mandarin words even if they have not been exposed to Mandarin before. This story beautifully illustrates the Confucian value of filial piety and the universal importance of the family.

Book Uncle and Me

by Uma Krishnaswami

Nine-year-old Yasmin intends to read a book a day for the rest of her life. Book Uncle, who runs a free lending library on the street corner, always has the perfect book for her. But what’s that pink piece of paper in his hand? A notice: the city wants to shut down Book Uncle’s place. Yasmin has to take her nose out of her book and do something. With the elections coming up and the grown-ups busy with their own affairs, what difference can Yasmin and her friends possibly make? Wait. There’s a poster for Karate Samuel, the eccentric superstar who’s standing for Mayor! Maybe he’ll listen. Yasmin gets to work, ideas begin to fly like feathers, and soon everything starts to spin—out of control.

Puteri Tioman the Green Turtle

by Rossiti Aishah Rashidi and illustrated by Farrah Ashiela Samsuri

This is the story of a green turtle returning to lay her eggs on the same beach where she was born on the island of Tioman. It is a beautifully written and illustrated story using the character of Putri Tionam to describe the life and dangers faced by these beautiful creatures. This is both a story and a guide book for children and adults on what they can do to help preserve turtles.

Kailash

by Quek Sue Yian and illustrated by Khairul Azmir Shoib

Once, the savannah was a land of plenty. The rivers run broad and swift, waterholes overflowed with fresh, clean water and the grass grew juicy and green. The Okapi and Zebra lived together in peace and harmony. One day, there rose a new Okapi leader called Strap. He declared war on all Zebra and so they fought. In those terrible times, a little zebra was born. His name was Kailash, meaning mountain. This is the story of Kailash and how he survived in a foreign land.

Zany Zebra Series

by Wong Ching Hsia and illustrated by Tan Vay Fern

This series of five books for young children uses simple English to introduce musical instruments, shapes, animals, colours and nature. Parents will love these books for their colourful illustrations and nibblets of ‘Fun Facts’. A perfect little gift for children who like to learn new things!

Hayley’s Fruitastic Garden & Hayley’s Vegemania Garden

By Mohana Gill and illustrated by Tan Vay Fern

Hayley’s adventures in Fruitistic and Vegemania Garden will capture the imagination of all children while teaching them that fruits and vegetables are an essential yet scrumptious part of our lives. Hayley aims to do that in a delightful and friendly way, bringing her young readers on a unique and enchanting journey. Includes simple recipes for children.

Magic Eyes

by Teoh Choon Ean

Nick, a thirteeen-year old orphan is forced to live with his Uncle Lim, an uncle he never knew he had. But there was more to his new life. HIs nights are now full of restless dreams and visions of a black cat with yellow eyes. And Nick is confronted with his new ability to predict disasters before they happen. Winner of the Utusan Literature Award 2007.

The Gift of the Ladybug

by Carole M Amber and illustrated by Evi Shelvia Rezasyah

The Gift of the Ladybug is a magical story of two horses that learn their son is actually a handsome little ladybug. This metaphor for life offers hope, insight, and peace to all ages.

Creative Learning Series

by Yusof Gajah

Yusof Gajah does it again with these five new books for preschoolers. Each little book is a delight and a treasure that can be enjoyed over and over again. The bright colors and Yusof’s iconic elephant images are sure to attract the child while each reading will reveal new discoveries. Children can discover for themselves colors, numbers and shapes while at the same time enjoy stories on travelling, building, putting things away and caring for the environment. 

Numbers Do & Ears Hear

by Chu-Ren Huang and Kathleen Ahrens, illustrated by Marjorie Van Heerden

Ears Hear and Numbers Do are a pair of bilingual books for very young children. The stories are told in as few words as possible to encourage multiple readings, as it is through multiple readings that a child’s linguistic competence is developed as the brain scaffolds information from a previous reading onto the following reading. These books are also a wonderful example of international collaboration between two Asia based writers and their South African illustrator.

The Bumblebees and Other Stories & The Chattering Forest

by Seema Chatterjee

The Bumblebees and Other Stories – Tales of beautiful witches, clever dwarfs, playing cards that go on adventures and places where it actually rains cats and dogs will fascinate children between nine and twelve. These short stories will delight both children and young teenagers; a bedtime collection a parent can read out to their lovely ones

The Chattering Forest - This engaging compilation of 12 short stories, takes children on a journey to a land of teacups and elves, tadpoles and talking trees – where imagination rules the day.

The Winged Tiger

by Ho See Kum

One day, Rocket meets Emily who teaches art and who actually gets Rocket to do some painting outside of his apartment for his first experience in the real world.They are actually painting outside the Singapore Art Museum when the Winged Tiger, Steve the Dog and Dot show up from Chicago. The rest of the book shows how Rocket gets introduced to all the wonderful things in his own country that inspires him to consider a wide variety of career paths from medicine to designing amusement parks to becoming an environmental engineer.