List: Dad’s Too Busy

Title of Picture Book: Dad’s Too Busy

Author: Lily Kong

Illustrator: Jeanette Yap

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

Publisher’s Blurb: Meet Emma. She’s six. She’s smart. And she has a tabby cat … that she took in without her Mum’s and Dad’s permission. To be fair, she did try to tell them;they were just too busy to listen.

But soon the secret becomes difficult to keep …

Theme (Self, Friends, Family, Places, Celebrations, Nature, Technology, etc): Self, family

5 Keywords (other than themes): Pets, busy, parents, permission, time

Brief Review (in under 50 words): A charming story which is perhaps a wake-up call to busy parents to be more attentive to their children.

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

ISBN Number (if available): 978-981-47-5767-6

Submitted by (could be your preferred name, including pen name): Moses

List: Why Do Chinese Shout Yam Seng?

Title of Picture Book: Why Do The Chinese Shout Yam Seng and Other Questions

Author: Edmund Wee

Illustrator: Chee Jia Yee

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

Publisher’s Blurb: Why do Chinese eat noodles at wedding dinners? Why do they hang blankets at HDB void decks during a funeral wake? Why is Chinatown called “bullock cart water”?

We provide the answers – and useful tips – to some of the most-asked questions young Singaporeans might have about the Chinese.

This book is part of a fun series about the Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians. Each handbook uses twenty questions to highlight diversity and promote understanding of the different races in Singapore.

5 Keywords (other than themes): Customs, traditions, politeness, food, racial harmony

Brief Review (in under 50 words): Interesting questions with simply written answers. The illustrations are colourful and literal.

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

ISBN Number (if available): 978-981-46-5568-2

Submitted by (could be your preferred name, including pen name): Moses

List: Mummy’s Hero

Title of Picture Book: Mummy’s Hero

Author: Jumaini Ariff

Illustrator: Jumaini Ariff

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

Publisher’s Blurb: Something had scared Mummy and Qiyah! What is it? Ariff quickly comes to their rescue. Ariff is brave because he has promised Daddy to look after his mummy and little sister at home.

Ariff is a cheerful and active 6-year-old boy. Like any child, Ariff sometimes gets into trouble. In this series, Ariff discovers new things about life, his environment and himself. His parents and little sister Qiyah are also part of his adventures and experiences.

5 Keywords (other than themes): Lizard, Silat, promises, courage, hero

Brief Review (in under 50 words): A story for talking about keeping promises, bravery, and fears.

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

ISBN Number (if available): 978-9971-77-765-4

Submitted by (could be your preferred name, including pen name): Moses

List: That Little Girl

Title of Picture Book: That Little Girl

Author: Julie Lim

Illustrator: Julie Lim

Publisher and Country (may be self-published): Self-published

Publisher’s Blurb: This is the story of Emily. You may have already met her, or someone like her in school or in the park. You know, the one who’s a little picky or strange. Your Mummy and Daddy may have even wagged their fingers at her, saying “Tsk, tsk, tsk! That little girl!”
But well, if you haven’t, meet Emily at her fourth birthday party. Will she have the princess-est party ever, as Mummy has planned? Or will she act up … again?
You see, Emily actually has Sensory Processing Disorder, which is commonly defiend as the inability of the brain to correctly process information brought in by the senses.
Oops, a little difficult to understand? Never mind. You will, once you get to know Emily.

5 Keywords (other than themes): Party, sensory processing disorder, senses, patience

Brief Review (in under 50 words): An interesting story with illustrations that included the work from the author’s daughter. A useful launchpad for speaking about children who have challenges.

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

ISBN Number (if available): 981-05-6307-8

Submitted by (could be your preferred name, including pen name): Moses

List: Why Am I Blue?

Title of Picture Book: Why Am I Blue?

Author: Melanie Lee

Illustrator: David Liew

Publisher and Country (may be self-published): MPH Group, Malaysia

Publisher’s Blurb: Squirky realises that he looks very different from daddy, mummy and sister Emma, and wants to know why. His parents tell him the story of how he came to be part of their family. Squirky finds out that he’s not actually from Earth, but a mysterious place called Planet Q!

This is the first book in The Adventures of Squirky the Alien series and marks the beginning of Squirky’s quest to find his birth parents and discover where he came from.

5 Keywords (other than themes): Adoption, imagination, acceptance, identity,

Brief Review (in under 50 words): An intriguing story and a good launchpad for speaking about adoption.

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

ISBN Number (if available): 978-967-415-206-2

Submitted by (could be your preferred name, including pen name): Moses

List: Vanishing Material

Title of Picture Book: Vanishing Materials

Author: Jesvin Yeo

Illustrator: Jesvin Yeo, Quek Teng Wan

Publisher and Country (may be self-published): National Library Board and Basheer Graphic Books, Singapore

Publisher’s Blurb: Vanishing Materials is a children’s story based on the intrinsic meaning of the word ‘adaptable’. Drawn from the long history of traditional woodclay, a material originally used in the crafting of Chinese religious objects, its use had changed with the times. Woodclay has been gradually modelled into commercialised figurines souvenirs of early Singapore island settlers like the Satay Man and Samsui Woman. Also, one can see the assimilation of Western pop culture iconographies such as the Halloween pumpkin, Gingerbread man and candy houses into woodclay figurines.

5 Keywords (other than themes): history, culture, craft, Singapore, innovation

Brief Review (in under 50 words): This book is in an accordion-format with one side in English and the other in Chinese. It presents the story of a boy getting acquainted with a material, woodclay, which is used differently.

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

ISBN Number (if available): 978-981-09-4897-9

Submitted by (could be your preferred name, including pen name): Moses

List: A Stray

Title of Picture Book: A Stray

Author: Michael Wang

Illustrator: Neal Sharp

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

Publisher’s Blurb: A Stray is a story about Myra-Lou who longs to have a stray cat for a pet. Her parents are appalled and her brother disgusted, but Myra-Lou is insistent. After much haggling and a turn of events, Myra-Lou finally gets her stray.

This beautifully illustrated story deals with a young girl’s desire to improve the life of another and her parents’ journey to understand her better.

5 Keywords (other than themes): Pet, parents, adopting, caring, animals

Brief Review (in under 50 words): The twist in the story about what happened to the toy cat and later the pet cat which Myra-Lou was given before she got to keep them as the “stray” she wanted would seem odd to some readers. 

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

ISBN Number (if available): 978-981-47-5130-8

Submitted by (could be your preferred name, including pen name): Moses

Listing: Tokoyo – The Tomb of the Sea Serpent

Title of Picture Book: Tokoyo – The Tomb of the Sea Serpent

Author: Catherine Khoo

Illustrator: Teressa Ong

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

Publisher’s Blurb: In ancient Japan, Tokoyo must brave long distances and a fearsome sea serpent to reunite with her father, a banished samurai. How can one girl make a difference in the world?

5 Keywords (other than themes): bravery, girl, Japan, samurai, make a difference

Brief Review (in under 50 words): This retelling of a Japanese legend clearly shows that one girl can make a huge difference.

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

ISBN Number (if available): 978-981-07-6711-2

Submitted by (could be your preferred name, including pen name): Moses

Listing: The Lonely Boy and the Ugly Dog

Title of Picture Book: The Lonely Boy and the Ugly Dog

Author: Eliza Teoh

Illustrator: John Lim

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

Publisher’s Blurb: An awkward boy. A hideous dog. An unlikely friendship. Then, a terrible disaster … Whimsical and heartfelt, this is a story of friendship, loyalty, bravery and sacrifice.

5 Keywords (other than themes): fire, acceptance, history, art, loneliness

Brief Review (in under 50 words): A story written entirely in rhyme. Inspired by a painting by Liu Kang (Life by the River) and a historic fire in Singapore.

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

ISBN Number (if available): 978-981-09-7202-8

Submitted by (could be your preferred name, including pen name): Moses

Listing: Writing a Diary with Mum

Title of Picture Book: Timmy and Tammy – Writing a Diary with Mum

Author: Ruth Wan-Lau

Illustrator: Eliz Ong

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

Publisher’s Blurb: Timmy and Tammy are curious about Mum’s diary. What will they learn and could they start diaries of their own?

Join Timmy and Tammy as they explore and learn. Practice reading skills and celebrate family values at the same time!

5 Keywords (other than themes): writing, biscuits, siblings, mother, reader

Brief Review (in under 50 words): The text is clear and the illustrations colourful. A simple narrative about the children learning about diary keeping from their mother. Heartwarming albeit not a very exciting story.

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

ISBN Number (if available): 978-981-47-6515-2

Submitted by (could be your preferred name, including pen name): Moses