The Lonely King and Queen

Title of Picture Book: The Lonely King and Queen

Author: Deepa Balsavar

Illustrator: Deepa Balsavar

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

Publisher’s Blurb: A lonely king and queen hear a voice calling out for them. They look inside their home, their garden and beyond, searching in vain, while all the time it grows louder ….

Author and illustrator Deepa Balsavar says, “This is the story we made up for our little girl. As a baby it was her night-time favourite, accompanied by much acting and searching around the house. She grew up knowing that adoption is just another way in which families are created. And so it should be.”

Written like a bedtime story and illustrated with gentle humour, this book leads the reader to discover what ‘family’ really means without mystifying the fact of adoption. More, it reaffirms the right of every child to be loved and to have a home.

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

5 Keywords (other than themes): adoption, search, home, sari, loneliness

Brief Review (in under 50 words): Simple ad charming tale dealing with the interesting topic of adoption.

Where to buy or borrow (if available): National Library Board, Singapore

ISBN Number (if available): 978-81-8146-943-4

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

The Shepherd and His Cloud

Title of Picture Book: The Shepherd and His Cloud

Author: Natalia Pang

Illustrator: Drewscape

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

Publisher’s Blurb: Shai is a shepherd, but not the ordinary kind. He is a shepherd of the clouds in the sky.

He is often lonely, but one day, a mischievous little cloud turns his world upside down.

A story about the delicate bonds of friendship.

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

5 Keywords (other than themes): clouds, imagination, friendship, loneliness, feelings

Brief Review (in under 50 words): A whimsical tale with depth.

Where to buy or borrow (if available): National Library Board, Singapore

ISBN Number (if available): 878-4266-35-2

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

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