Public Programme

Book & Product Launches

Date: 25 – 29 May 2013

The Wee Adventures of Shabu Shabu, Book 1: The Jade Legend

Michael Csokas, Kristina Thornton

Date: 25 May 2013, 1:00pm – 1:30pm
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

Shabu Shabu, a little rabbit inventor who loves tinkering in the lab with her famous grandfather, dreams of having her own adventures beyond the safe burrow despite her grandfather’s warnings. One night, Shabu makes a shocking discovery and embarks on a dangerous voyage with her best friend Chow.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Michael Csokas was born in Canada and drawing by the age of 3. He has illustrated 16 books released through Creative Publishing including the Ocean Playground series.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kristina Thornton, born in Chicago, U.S.A., has written for The Taichung Voice and has had her short stories published in Taiwan’s English literary journal Pressed. The Wee Adventures of Shabu Shabu series is their first major collaboration.

SCCL Readers

Date: 25 May 2013, 1:30pm – 2:00pm
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

绘本为幼儿喜闻乐见的阅读形式,透过精美的图画与文字的结合,为幼儿提供声与色的阅读体验,让幼儿在愉快的氛围中喜欢上阅读。学前绘本系列是专为3-6岁幼儿编写的绘本,故事内容贴近幼儿的生活,符合孩子的心智发展。本系列绘本特意在故事中加上贴纸、折纸、找一找、画一画、说一说等多种互动活动,让幼儿在看图画、听故事的当儿,还能有动手、动口的机会,增加绘本阅读的趣味性。本系列作者有阿果、椰子、艾禺及陈志锐博士。

作者/绘画家:

陈志锐博士
曾赴国立台湾师范大学修读国文系,后获得英国莱斯特大学商业管理硕士,新加坡国大英国文学硕士及剑桥大学汉学博士。历任国立教育学院中文系助理教授、高中语文特选课程导师,现为新加坡华文教研中心副院长。研究领域为现当代文学、文学教学法、二语教学等,但最主要研究如何文学地生活。曾获新加坡金笔奖、全国青年短篇小说、散文征文奖、国家青年艺术家奖、新加坡杰出青年奖、模范华文教师奖、师大人文学术奖、赵廷箴奖学金等。其撰写并主编的华文创作、中英文学术论著共20种,近年创作有《陈志锐散文卷》(青年书局,2009)、《剑桥诗学》(光触媒,2010)、《原始笔记》(玲子,2012)、《打嗝的亲情》(玲子,2013)。

李高豐
笔名阿果,国大中文系毕业,同时拥有南洋理工大学翻译高级专业文凭,新近获得安格利亚鲁斯金大学的儿童绘本硕士学位。曾任广告撰稿员多年,现任教于义安理工学院。天生喜欢涂涂画画,从小热爱中文创作。在社会打滚十来年后,才忽然找到可以将两项爱好完美结合的平台――绘本。阿果有个梦想,那就是建设属于新加坡的绘本文化。

刘聚洪
笔名椰子,毕业于华侨中学和国家初级学院。新加坡教育部第一届美术特选班的毕业生。1990年远赴英国利兹大学修读视觉艺术本科学位。毕业后曾担任美术老师、教育部美术课程规划员、美学主任及副校长。2009年获得英国剑桥安格利亚鲁斯金大学的儿童绘本硕士学位。目前在一所中学担任校长职务。业余时喜欢画画,主要专注于绘本创作。

艾禺简介
艾禺,新加坡作家协会副会长,世界华文微型小说研究会副秘书、世界海外华文女作家会员,创作体裁以微型小说和儿童文学为主,作品包括:《困鸟》(短篇小说)、《风云再起》(微型小说)、《艾禺微型小说》、《最后一束康乃馨》(微型小说)、《妈妈的玻璃鞋》(少年小说)和《镜子里的秘密》(少年小说)等。曾是一名电视人,现为驻校作家和自由撰稿人。

Ilovereading Magazine

Date: 25 May 2013, 2:15pm – 2:45pm
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

Ilovereading is a magazine seeking to develop reading enjoyment in children aged 5-9. Its content complements stories from the STELLAR programme in Primary 1 and 2. Each issue includes a teacher/parent resource pack and worksheets with answers which suggest creative activities to enhance children's language skills and learning experience.

Publisher: Nikson Low is the publisher of Ilovereading magazine. ILR aims is to cultivate passion for reading in each child and are constantly looking out for excellent reading materials to serve the local and international communities. It has the vision to help each individual acquire knowledge skills in reading and apply the knowledge acquired in their day –to-day life.

Author: Elizabeth Phillips is a passionate educator with a special interest in early literacy. She firmly believes that the love for reading opens doors to knowledge and discovery. She ran an educational company in Singapore for ten years, bringing creative enrichment programs to many children in Singapore schools. She has authored several English assessment books and has written stories in children’s magazines. She currently lives in Maine, USA with her family.

Editor: Sarah graduated with a degree in Classics and spent some time in publications, editing children’s books before turning to teaching. She loves to see children grow in their appreciation of language and literature and believes that the best learning is done in an encouraging and relaxed environment. Sarah is a native of Singapore.

Designer& Illustrator: Steven Lie was born and raised on the island of java and has always had a passion for art. Finding the sunshine and beautiful scenery distracting, he moved to the modern city of Singapore in 2008 to further his career as a designer. Currently based in his hometown, his portfolio as a freelance 2d artist has expended to included projects in game concept art, book illustration, t-shirt design, and other forms of art.

BLEAGH! A Book about Values

Leana Lyn Doray

Date: 25 May 2013, 3:00pm – 3:30pm
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

It's BLEAGH's first day at school. He wants to make friends but it is difficult as he is a monster! BLEAGH learns to develop important values such as empathy, integrity, and cooperation through interacting with his classmates and teacher and ends the day with new friends. This book will be published both as an eBook and in the print format with a special “read aloud” feature which is coupled with the Pen Pal electronic pen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Leana Lyn Doray is a trained educator, having obtained a double degree in Arts and Education at the University of Sydney. Serendipity led her to teach in the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme in Singapore for four years, where she discovered her love for reading to young children and providing a holistic education above and beyond basic academia. BLEAGH! A book about values is Leana’s first book, borne from almost a decade of educating (and being educated by) curious young minds. She lives in Singapore with her husband and enjoys travelling, cooking, trips to the library and the thrill of new experiences.

Science Adventures (SA)

Date: 25 May 2013, 3:45pm – 4:15pm
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

Science Adventures (SA) is Singapore’s first comic science for all primary levels , published and printed locally. It takes science out of textbooks studied in classrooms into the world around you. ScienceAdventures (SA) shows you in fascinating stories, the varied ways in which science brings to life the world we live in. English Corner Publishing also sets high English Language standards and thus will ensure that the English used in the magazine is correct and appropriate. We strive to encourage children’s interest in Science while enriching their English language through reading Science Adventures.

Iban Dream

Golda Mowe

Date: 26 May 2013, 10:45am – 11:15am
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

Bujang, an orphaned boy raised by orangutans in the rainforests of Borneo must leave his ape family when he’s grown up to serve the Iban warpath god as a warrior. Bujang takes on adventures to battle evil spirits and demons in an epic tale of good versus evil.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Born in Sarawak, Borneo, Golda left to study and work but her heart always yearned for childhood evenings spent in the longhouse, sitting in lamplight, listening to her great-aunt tell tales of jungle animals or her father recount his hunting adventures. In this way she was led back to writing and is now living in a town by the Rejang River.

恐龙日记3《不可告人的秘密》 Dino and Friends(Book 3)

曽春梅

Date: 26 May 2013, 1:00pm – 1:30pm
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

恐龙日记3《不可告人的秘密》是恐龙校园日记系列的第三本,前两本分别是《都是嘴巴惹的祸》和《补习老师排排站》。在三月里,发生了很多故事。马老师因为被家长投诉,以及学生考试成绩退步,受到“双重打击”。恐龙、圆仔、傻蛋他们因为不认字,被老师罚抄写词语表,这就是“不认字的后果”。恐龙和四眼之间进行秘密交易,而这个“不可告人的秘密”是否被马老师发现了呢?书中自有答案。恐龙日记3中还记录了三月份发生的其它有趣故事,如:“拍全体照”、“另类减肥法”、“见家长日”等等,这些内容都是校园课堂写真,生动幽默,可读性强,容易引起读者共鸣。

作者: 曽春梅
小学华文老师兼业余漫画创作者。创作漫画的目的除了兴趣,也希望通过漫画培养学生对华文和阅读华文书籍的兴趣,同时希望透过漫画激发学生的创意思维。其漫画重在使用本地学生熟悉的词语,并以教育性、启发性、创意和趣味性为出发点进行创作。至今著有《漫画校本》、《欢乐校园》、《大话十二生肖》、《欢乐成语》等系列作品共17册。

The Chronicles of Oujo, Book 1 – Questalon

Jeffrey Lawrence Omar, Joshua Chiang

Date: 26 May 2013, 1:45pm – 2:15pm
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

Oujo dreams of being an adventurer are put to the test when he’s forced to leave home and fend for himself. He decides to go to Port Motley, but no one there will work with an untested ‘adventurer’. First he's got to prove himself. And there’s only one way to do that ...

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jeffrey Lawrence Omar has been writing scripts for children's animated series since 2006.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:
Joshua Chiang is no stranger to illustrating children’s books, having illustrated Monsters Under the Wall in 2009 as well as releasing his own illustrated book Trackless Paths. The pair met while working on the Singapore produced animated series, Nanoboy. Pooling their talents together they help develop, conceptualise, and create ‘The Chronicles of Oujo’, a children‘s series which they are now releasing as a set of interactive-animated books.

Bumbling Through Hong Kong

Tom Schmidt

Date: 26 May 2013, 2:45pm – 3:15pm
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

Recently awarded a bronze medal in the 2013 Independent Publisher Book Awards, Bumbling Through Hong Kong is Volume 3 in the Bumbling Traveller™ Adventure Series – a graphic novel series that seeks to promote environmental and cultural awareness through entertaining mysteries and adventures. Each of the three volumes in the series have been recipients of multiple book awards, including the Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) and Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards. The Bumbling Traveller™ Adventure Series is distributed throughout Malaysia and Singapore by MPH Distributors.

Educational and entertaining, Bumbling Through Hong Kong follows the misadventures of a fictitious cast of backpackers as they stumbleacross the cultural traditions, natural assets and historic relics of Hong Kong; including the numerous environmental and social challenges faced by one of the most densely inhabited places on the planet.

About the Author:
Tom Schmidt is an award-winning architect, writer, illustrator, musician, and stand-up comedian. As a long-time resident of Hong Kong, his wanderlust has carried him through various bumbling adventures in over 70 countries around the world. Schmidt founded Sepia Design Consultants Limited, a design firm offering creative solutions for the hospitality industry.

Pandai Membaca

Date: 26 May 2013, 3:15pm – 3:45pm
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

Pandai Membaca, a new creative phonics system, hopes to reinvent children’s learning of the Malay language by making letters come alive through a phonics approach that combines writing, language arts games, songs, and drama. The beginner reader series helps children become independent readers through simple, children-friendly stories accompanied by activities.

Sherlock Sam

AJ Low

Date: 26 May 2013, 4:00pm – 4:15pm
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

Sherlock Sam is Singapore’s Greatest Kid Detective. No matter how big or small the mystery, he, and his loyal sidekick robot, Watson, will not stop till it is solved! In Sherlock Sam and the Sinister Letters in Bras Basah, Sherlock Sam is all set to discover what an international school in Singapore is really like, but one of the students is receiving strange letters that are causing grave concern. Can Singapore’s Greatest Kid Detective use his super intelligence to help his new friend?

About the Author/Illustrator:
AJ Low is actually the husband-and-wife writing team of Adan Jimenez and Felicia Low-Jimenez. They love LEGOs, books, comics, Doctor Who, eating lots of delicious food. Adan teaches creative writing and Felicia works in a bookstore. This is the first series they have written together.

Triple Nine Sleuths

Maranna Chan

Date: 26 May 2013, 4:15pm – 4:30pm
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

Triple Nine Sleuths, by new local author Maranna Chan, follows teens Corey, Colton and Stacy as they encounter and solve a series of intriguing mysteries around Singapore. Forthcoming title Dangerous Island (June 2013) sees the lovable, tech-savvy trio investigate a crime while attending a holiday camp on St John’s Island.

About the Author:
Maranna Chan is the author of Triple Nine Sleuths, a teen crime mystery series set in Singapore. Her professions used to include childcare and education. Always the storyteller and entertainer amongst her friends and family, she decided to put these qualities to good use and write full-time.

Emma’s Elephant

David Seow

Date: 26 May 2013, 4:45pm – 5:15pm
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

Emma has an elephant named Ella. She’s no ordinary elephant but an invisible one! Emma’s Elephant was once and ordinary elephant but something happened that made her turn invisible. Now Emma has to help Ella and her other Elephant friends before something horrible happens.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
David is the author of several well-received children’s books, including The Sam, Sebbie and Di-Di-Di series, The Littlest Emperor and There’s Soup on My Fly, which was shortlisted for the Hedwig Anuar Book Award in 2011. David’s book Blow A Kiss was selected as one of the top ten children’s picture books from Singapore for the IFLA Congress in Helsinki in 2012. If I Were a Blue Kangaroo and Emma’s Elephant are David’s latest picture books.

Healthy Kids, Happy Kids: The Magic of Cycling

Lyndon Yeo

Date: 27 May 2013, 12:50pm – 1:20pm
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

Conceived by social entrepreneur and cycling enthusiast Lyndon Yeo, the book is a captivating collection of quotes and sayings by pediatricians, child psychologists, doctors, child experts, family counsellors, educators, and parents that aims to inspire children to be healthy and happy in Singapore and beyond.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Lyndon has over 10 years of management experience in media ranging from publishing and digital marketing to radio broadcasting where he held key positions in advertising, sales and marketing. In addition to his current portfolio as Director, Asian Culture Enterprise (S) Limited, he is also the founding director of AudioWav Media Inc, Intermedia Global and Firefly Connections. Lyndon is a strong advocate of media and technology in supporting the arts and entertainment industry and is a business mentor volunteer with Youth Business Singapore, Heartware Network.

Grandma Lim’s Persimmon

Sunita Lad Bhamray, Marjorie van Heerden

Date: 27 May 2013, 5:45pm – 6:15pm
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

Grandma Lim has a persimmon tree. One day she sees the biggest and most beautiful persimmon on the tree. She decides to save it for her granddaughter. But the persimmon went missing after a storm blew it off the tree. That’s when a centipede, a spider and a cat got involved to save the day.

About the Author:
Sunita Lad Bhamray is an educator by profession and a writer at heart. She believes that stories have a strong influence on children’s development. After a successful start with ‘Triumphs on the Turf’, her book on horse racing, she has written a number of stories for children and dedicates them to her students who have inspired her.

About the Illustrator:
Marjorie van Heerden is an award-winning illustrator from South Africa. From an early age she loved drawing and today her illustrations have appeared in more than 120 children’s books. She has been published as illustrator and / or author in 35 languages around the world.

The Chronicles of Meng Meng and An An – Little Jay Writes an Adventure

Pauline Loh, E'von LeAngelis S

Date: 27 May 2013, 1:30pm – 2:00pm
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

Little Jay Writes an Adventure is the second book in the bilingual picture book series The Chronicles of Meng Meng and An An. Little Jay does not like to read, but Meng Meng and An An have their own way of helping him. Meng Meng and An An exhibit the Confucian virtue of ren (humaneness) with their care for family members.

About the Author & Illustrator:
Little Jay Writes an Adventure is published by MandarinaKids. The book is authored by award winner Pauline Loh and illustrated by E'von LeAngelis S.

Rainbow Island

Edmund Chen

Date: 28 May 2013, 11:15am – 11:45am
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

Big and Small, two panda brothers with special skills, were respected. Due to a misunderstanding, each believed that credits went to the other instead. The impact of them going their own ways was serious; therefore both decided to work together to rebuild and restore the island back to its original vibrancy.

About the Author:
Edmund Chen is not only an internationally-known celebrity and artiste but an accomplishedwriter, illustrator, producer and social-preneur too. To date, Edmund has published eight books for children, and has been appointed Reading Ambassador for READ! Singapore 2012 by National Library Board. He has also started Mission Easy, a film workshop which brings together aspiring actors, directors and writers to create their own short films.

Light Horse Boy

Diane Wolfer

Date: 28 May 2013, 12:45pm – 1:15pm
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

Portraying WW1 through the eyes of a young man who loves horses, the story is presented with stunning charcoal sketches by Brian Simmonds, primary source documents, and historical photographs. It can be read together with Lighthouse Girl, West Australian Young Reader’s Book Awards winner and shortlisted for two Premier’s Awards.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dianne Wolfer is author of 15 award-winning books for teenagers and young readers. Her latest titles include Light Horse Boy, a picture book exploring WW1 via text, illustration and archival images, and Granny Grommet and Me, a book about surfing grandmas. Dianne was SCBWI Advisor for Australia West from 2006 – 2012.

The Language Inside

Holly Thompson

Date: 28 May 2013, 1:15pm – 1:45pm
Venue: Bookaburra Booth, The Plaza, NLB

A moving story about Emma Karas, a young girl raised in Japan but relocated to the U.S. due to a family reason, the novel is rich in language, both spoken and unspoken and poetry that crosses boundaries to create a story layered with love, loss, movement and words.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Holly Thompson is author of the YA verse novels Orchards (APALA Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature) and The Language Inside, and the picture book The Wakame Gatherers, and she edited Tomo: Friendship Through Fiction – An Anthology of Japan Teen Stories. Regional advisor for SCBWI Japan, she teaches at Yokohama City University.

MawJaw Apps

Zixxe Pte Ltd

Date: 28 May 2013, 3:45pm – 4:15pm
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

Finally, an App that supports writers, publishers, illustrators, creators, readers and producers! The MawJaw App by Zixxe welcomes news, events, stories from published and unpublished works, reaching out to the book, TV/film and transmedia community. Launched with the Book Council, help spread the news about MawJaw, it’s all about Story, Content and You. (on Android, apple version coming soon)

Beyond Words (Young Adult Fiction)

Date: 28 May 2013, 5:00pm – 6:00pm
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

What lies Beyond Words? A realm of fantasy, adventure and a host of brand new local literary talent!
Readers of all ages will delight in these newly minted works of extraordinary children’s and young adult fiction by Joyce Chua (Lambs for Dinner), Danny Jalil (The Machine Boy), Julian Kim (S.A.I.N.T.S. Song of Winds), Justine Laismith (The Magic Mixer), and Margerie Williams (The 5 Coins). Published by Straits Times Press, these five works are the winning entries of Beyond Words 2011, an initiative by the National Arts Council to encourage the creation of high quality literature in Singapore.

Beyond Words《话中有画》华文绘本新书发布会

Date: 28 May 2013, 6:00pm – 7:00pm
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

你可知道小猫,巨人,彩色笔和故事书的共同点究竟在哪里吗?
由国家艺术理事会举办的首届“话中有画”华文绘本创作比赛, 旨在鼓励本地更多人创作出高素质的文学创作,并开发其多元化媒介发展以及进军国际市场的潜能。 如今,4本脱颖而出的的优秀作品已出版成了诙谐有趣、色彩斑斓的儿童绘本,并将在5月28日发布。我们诚心邀您来与江莉莉、Kuan Teck Harn,翁添保及廖昱婷一同步入他们富童真的世界!

Bloodswell

Jane Houng

Date: 29 May 2013, 11:15am – 11:45am
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

Bloodswell is a young adult novel suitable for readers over the age of sixteen. Billed as a “rauncy, fast-paced vampire saga infused with the sights, people and atmosphere of Hong Kong”, it’s a story of intense teenage friendships, dangerous secrets and forbidden love. Bloodswell was published by QX Publishing Co. Ltd, a sister company of Commercial Press Hong Kong in December 2012.

About the Author:
The author, Jane Houng, is a full-time author who has lived in Hong Kong for many years. She has also published educational textbooks, a children’s chapter book and a biography. She is currently working on two middle-grade novels. Further details can be found on her website.

Think You Are Smarter Than Amos Lee? Take the Are You A Dodo? Test!

Date: 29 May 2013, 12:45pm – 1:15pm
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

From book to TV and now an app, The Diary of Amos Lee is an excellent case study supporting transmedia story-telling. Come and attend this launch to hear a unique collaboration between a childen’s book author and a Singapore-based gaming house. Amos Lee was rated No. 1 playing this game. Are you smarter than him? We challenge you to pitch your intelligence against the brilliant Professor Dodo, the last surviving member of the dodo species! Game for ‘Are You A Dodo?’

About the Author:
Adeline Foo’s books have ranked more than 84 weeks on The Straits Times national bestseller list. Published in Singapore, India, Indonesia, China and the Slovak Republic, The Diary of Amos Lee books have spawned a ten-episode TV show; with Book 3 in the series adopted as a secondary school English textbook. Adeline’s latest YA book, Thomas Titans Book #1: Men Among Boys will be published by Om Books International in India and the Middle East in late 2013.

About the Producer:
Ivan Loo is the Chief Executive Officer of LambdaMu Games. A Philosophy Honours graduate from the National University of Singapore, he runs his company influenced by his experience as a guild leader in a massive multiplayer online game. One of LambdaMu games, Pixel People published by Chillingo, has made two million downloads as of 14 March 2013. Are You A Dodo? is a freemium app offering educational and puzzle tests.

The Never Mind Girl and other stories

Rosemarie Somaiah

Date: 29 May 2013, 1:15pm – 1:45pm
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

Anna is worried. She and her family are different and out of sync with the world out there. Should she try to fit in with everybody else or trust her own instinct and judgement? What if she is wrong and life gets really messy in an already confusing world? Could she live with the consequences? Anna’s experiences in school and with her friends are told vividly in this collection.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 
Rosemarie Somaiah is an accomplished storyteller and author of children’s titles. Like the main character in her title, she went to a girls’ school. Now she lives in Singapore and loves story in all its forms. She has shared stories orally in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Hungary, Korea, India, Indonesia, South Africa and the United Kingdom. She has been published locally and internationally.

Paw Prints On The Magic Sofa

Sarah Mounsey, Jade Fang

Date: 29 May 2013, 3:45pm – 4:15pm
Venue: The Plaza, NLB

Bump, bump, bumpity, bump! Eddie's sofa is so much fun that different animal friends jump on to travel around the world! Perfect for inspiring children’s imagination, Paw Prints on the Magic Sofa is the second book in the Paw Prints series, written by Sarah Mounsey and illustrated by Jade Fang.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sarah Mounsey published her first children’s picture book, Purple Paw Prints, in 2012. Sarah is an Australian and has spent the last twelve years living in London and Singapore. She is a primary school teacher who has a passion for children’s literature and tries to find time to write whenever she can.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:
Jade Fang started doodling at a very young age and developed great interest in drawing and painting as a child. She earned both her Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts degree in Illustration from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco. She now lives in Singapore, spending most of her peaceful days doodling and making art.