List: Chronicles of Meng Meng and An An – Ariel and Her Honesty Pig

Title: Chronicles of Meng Meng and An An – Ariel and Her Honesty Pig

Author: Pauline Loh

Illustrator: Patrick Yee

Publisher and Country: MandarinaKids, Singapore

Publisher’s Blurb: Ariel has a weak leg. She thinks that children will not befriend her because of her leg. She tells a lie about having many friends. Meng Meng and An An help Ariel learn the values of honesty and friendship.

5 Keywords (other than themes): friendship, honesty, birthday, problem-solving, bilingualism.

Brief Review (in under 50 words): A bilingual picture book with Chinese, English and hanyu pinyin. Fun flip ups and an audio CD complements this book that celebrates honesty and friendship.

Where to buy or borrow (if available): https://paulineltl.wordpress.com/

ISBN Number (if available): 978-981-07-9660-0

Submitted by  Pauline Loh

List: Chronicles of Meng Meng and An An – Little Jay Writes an Adventure

Title of Picture Book: Chronicles of Meng Meng and An An – Little Jay Writes an Adventure

Author: Pauline Loh

Illustrator: Evon leAngelis

Publisher and Country (may be self-published): MandarinaKids, Singapore

Publisher’s Blurb: Little Jay does not like to read, but his cousins Meng Meng and An An have their own way of helping him. Meng Meng and An An show what it means to care for the family.

5 Keywords (other than themes): family, love for reading, imagination, problem-solving, bilingualism

Brief Review (in under 50 words): A bilingual picture book with Chinese, English and hanyu pinyin. Fun flip ups and an audio CD complements this book that celebrates family and the joy of reading.

Where to buy or borrow (if available): https://paulineltl.wordpress.com/

ISBN Number (if available): 978-981-07-6180-6

Submitted by Pauline Loh

List: Chronicles of Meng Meng and An An – Grandma’s Eightieth Birthday

Title of Picture Book: Chronicles of Meng Meng and An An – Grandma’s Eightieth Birthday

Author: Pauline Loh

Illustrator: Evon leAngelis

Publisher and Country (may be self-published): MandarinaKids, Singapore

Publisher’s Blurb: Grandma’s eightieth birthday is coming and but it looks like the family cannot celebrate together because everyone is either busy or sick. Meng Meng and An An work hard to solve the problem.

5 Keywords (other than themes): Family, filial piety, problem-solving, bilingualism, Chinese language

Brief Review (in under 50 words): A bilingual picture book with Chinese, English and hanyu pinyin. Fun flip ups and an audio CD complements this book that celebrates family and filial piety.

Where to buy or borrow (if available): https://paulineltl.wordpress.com/

ISBN Number (if available): 978-981-07-1530-4

Submitted by Pauline Loh

List: Ryan the Playground Expert

Title of Picture Book: Ryan the Playground Expert

Author: Pauline Loh

Illustrator: Ong Sheng Hua

Publisher and Country (may be self-published): Straits Times Press, Singapore

Publisher’s Blurb: Ryan has muscular dystrophy. But it does not stop him from pursuing his grand dream. Ryan wants to visit all the playgrounds in his country! Ryan takes pictures and notes for his playground project. Very soon, Ryan becomes a playground expert and gets to design the perfect playground!

5 Keywords (other than themes): Passion for life, overcoming adversity, muscular dystrophy, special needs, playground.

Brief Review (in under 50 words): Singapore Book Awards (2016) Best Children’s Title Finalist. 2nd prize in Samsung KidsTime Author Award 2015.
This book is ideal for talking with children about special needs and chronic health conditions like muscular dystrophy. Parents and teachers can also use this book to explore with children about their passions.

Where to buy or borrow (if available): NLB Singapore

ISBN Number (if available): 978-981-4342-47-6

Submitted by Pauline Loh

List: The Robot in My Playground

Title of Picture Book: The Robot in My Playground

Author: Pauline Loh

Illustrator: Avina Tan

Publisher and Country: Epigram Books, Singapore

Publisher’s Blurb: Lucas loves robots. Especially the robot in the playground near his house. How he wishes that the robot would come to life. And after a big storm, it does!
They forge a friendship that will have a deep impact on Lucas for years to come.

5 Keywords (other than themes): friendship, robots, science fiction, aliens, career choices

Brief Review (in under 50 words): This is a good book to engage children in conversations about friendship, relocation and career choices. However, on a less serious note – it is good simply for a fun read. The artwork is rich and colourful.
Read about how 2 illustrators ‘fought over’ the book! https://paulineltl.wordpress.com/2015/06/07/they-fought-over-robot-in-my-playground/

Where to buy or borrow (if available): NLB Singapore

ISBN Number (if available): 978-981-07-5583-6

Submitted by Pauline Loh

List: The Little Red Helicopter

Title of Picture Book: The Little Red Helicopter

Author: Pauline Loh

Illustrator: Ong Sheng Hua

Publisher and Country: Straits Times Press, Singapore

Publisher’s Blurb: Charlene and Kevin love playing with the little red helicopter in the playground. But is there more to the toy than meets the eye?

5 Keywords (other than themes): creativity, imagination, sibling love, adventure, playground.

Brief Review (in under 50 words): Winner of First Time Writers and Illustrators Publishing Initiative 2009.
A playground fixture gives two children a thrilling adventure. “It is about sibling love and children who exercise their imaginations,” said the author. “Through a child’s eyes, mountains can be anything, even green monsters,” added the illustrator. The Sunday Times Book Review (November 15, 2009)

Where to buy or borrow (if available): NLB Singapore

ISBN Number (if available): 978-981-4266-36-9

Submitted by : Pauline Loh

List: The Boy in the Whale Suit

Title of Picture Book: The Boy in the Whale Suit

Author: Marie Toh

Illustrator: Marie Toh

Publisher and Country (may be self-published): Epigram Books, Singapore

Publisher’s Blurb: Meet Kai, a boy next door like any other – except that he is always in a whale suit. He doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere and strangely, nobody seems to notice him either. Surely, this would make Kai sad and lonely, wouldn’t it?

5 Keywords (other than themes): loneliness, different, imagination, ants, Christmas

Brief Review (in under 50 words): This story was based on Marie’s graduation film with the same title though it is presented differently in this book. A good book for talking about feelings such as loneliness, or being different, and also about acceptance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNUDMpP3keE The book has interesting visuals and the text is brief and simple.

Where to buy or borrow (if available): NLB Singapore

ISBN Number (if available): 978-981-17-0084-2

List: Bumping Bumpity Bob

Title of Picture Book: Bumping Bumpity Bob

Author: Ben Wong, Sid Hamid

Illustrator: Ben Wong

Publisher and Country (may be self-published): Shelford Press, Singapore

Publisher’s Blurb: Bumping Bumpity Bob has a little problem which his town does not know how to deal with, With a little help, a little acknowledgement, a little perseverance, what seems impossible can actually come true.

5 Keywords (other than themes): sensory processing, difficult, generous, emotions

Brief Review (in under 50 words): This book addresses the issues that children with sensory processing face. Through Bob’s tale of having an “exchange” of experience, it is hoped that those around such children can better understand and get along with such children. This story is entirely written in rhyme.

Where to buy or borrow (if available): NLB Singapore

ISBN Number (if available): 978-981-08-3745-7

List: Rooster Raga

Title of Picture Book: Rooster Raga

Author: Natasha Sharma

Illustrator: Priya Kuriyan

Publisher and Country (may be self-published): Tulika Books, India

Publisher’s Blurb: Do roosters sing ragas? This one does, but like all true artists discovers it after a lot of struggle! Every time he opens his mouth he has a new tune – but not the kukaroo kuroo of the other roosters! His friends skip and stretch, stamp and roll while trying to teach him to get it right. This cheeky, foot-tapping story invites big and little readers to move and sing, clap and tap along with Priya Kuriyan’s expressive characters.

5 Keywords (other than themes): animals, music, exercise, farm, creativity

Brief Review (in under 50 words): This is an interesting book that invites participation in moving and singing along with a host of farm animals. It also invites a chat about talents, confidence, creativity, practice and helping others. It cold also lead to an exploration of Asian music terms such as “raga”.

Where to buy or borrow (if available): NLB Singapore

ISBN Number (if available): 978-93-5046-454-0

List: Star Anise, Superstar!

Title of Picture Book: Star Anise, Superstar

Author: Linn Shekinah

Illustrator: OSH

Publisher and Country (may be self-published): The Almond Tree, Singapore

Publisher’s Blurb: Star Anise dreams of being a star. But nobody in Spice Town seems to notice her, so she sets off in search of stardom. Join Star Anise as she goes on a flavourful adventure and finds out what it really means to be a star. This tasty tale is about caring for others.

5 Keywords (other than themes): Spices, Food, Sharing, Cooking, Culture

Brief Review (in under 50 words): A fun way to introduce Asian spices such as star anise, cinnamon, shallot, clover, ginger and chilli. The story is somewhat predictable and the senses associated with spices could have been better engaged. The illustration could also have been more attractive. The Malay text, translated by the Singapore Malay Teachers’ Union, felt like “subtitles”.

Where to buy or borrow (if available): NLB Singapore

ISBN Number (if available): 978-981-07-8018-0