[AFCC 2013] Asian Festival of Children’s Content 2013 – One Big Story!

To say that I am excited about this year’s Asian Festival of Children’s Content would be an understatement. I am very privileged to be part of such a hardworking team who continually strives to offer something different each year.

Artwork created by guest illustrator for 2013: Emila Yusof, whose illustrations are featured in the programme booklet and on AFCC’s website.

Press Conference

The AFCC Press Conference was held yesterday at the Hotel Grand Pacific, right across the Central Public Library, the official venue of this year’s festival.

Mr Rama Ramachandran, Executive Director of the Festival.

I call him the father of AFCC. He is truly a visionary – such a dynamic and passionate spirit. He has a keen eye for talent and he demands nothing that he is not able to do himself. Essentially, Mr Rama talked about the Festival’s objectives which can be summed up in three words: Develop, Promote, and Provide.

(1) Develop skills for creating stories with Asian content for children.

(2) Promote the publication and production of Asian content for children.

(3) Provide the world with access to Asian content event for children.

Mr Rama also spoke about the events that we should look out for in this year’s Festival. He spoke about the AFCC’s aim to be the future Bologna of Asia. There is a recognition of the huge and diverse market in this part of the globe and the hunger to create materials that children from Asia could resonate with.

Here is a snapshot of the seminars and masterclasses that are being offered this year:

The Chairman of the AFCC Board of Advisers also said a few words:

Ms Claire Chiang, Chairman AFCC Board of Advisers.

Ms Chiang also happens to be the Senior Vice President of Banyan Tree Holdings. Truly a powerful and beautiful woman blessed with charm and grace. She has shown such tremendous support for AFCC. Her advocacy for literacy and reading is inspiring.

AFCC’s Country of Focus: Malaysia, Truly Asia

I remembered being asked on Twitter just a few months ago as to whether I could recommend any Malaysian authors and illustrators. I believe it was Zoe from Playing by the Book who asked that question. I answered that she should come attend the AFCC! I have much to learn and know during this year’s festival and I am looking forward to knowing Malaysia’s luminaries when it comes to children’s literature and young adult fiction.

I am also hoping to do a series of brief interviews with our Malaysian visitors (and other international delegates and keynote speakers) here in GatheringBooks, so watch out for that.

Panel of Speakers – Tidbits, Trivia, and Teasers

Mr Rama also had a short and snappy interview with a panel of speakers for this year’s festival.

Teachers Congress and Parents Forum

From L-R: Mr Rama Ramachandran, Dr. Chitra Shegar (a colleague of mine from NIE), and Dr. Khoo Kim Choo

Essentially, the Teachers Congress and Parents Forum aim to provide teachers and parents with the skills, knowledge, and advice on how to nurture early reading and bilingualism in the home. The speakers also spoke about how crucial it is to be bilingual in today’s world and to watch out for sessions that would share more information about this.

Writers and Illustrators Conference

From L-R: Mr Rama Ramachandran, Emily Lim (award-winning Singaporean author), and the very talented illustrator Stephanie Wong (of the Diary of Amos fame)

I thought that it was brilliant to have Singapore’s very own local talents to speak about how important it is for emerging authors and writers to be part of this vibrant community of like-minded individuals who could provide them with valuable advice, tips and strategies on how to make it in the children’s book industry.

Media Summit

From L-R: Mr Rama Ramachandran, David Kwok (CEO of Tiny Island Productions) and Syahrizan Mansor (Senior Director and Head of Programming & On-Air Nickelodeon Asia).

Mr Rama spoke about how difficult it had been for him to convince media people to be part of the Festival during the early years of AFCC. He shared that it took a lot of convincing before the media people began to realize that this One Big Story (which is this year’s overarching theme by the way) can be transformed into poetry, theatre, a musical, a tv series, a movie, an iPad application – with rich and substantive content, the possibilities are limitless.

Shortlisted Candidates for Book Awards

From Left to Right: Jessica Alejandro (holding up her book: Extraordinary Losers), Ovidia Yu (Mudskipper), Illustrator Lak-Khee Tay-Audouard, and freelance writer Debra Chong.

The shortlisted candidates for the Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award was also announced yesterday, namely: The Mudskipper by Ovidia Yu, Extraordinary Losers: Pants on Fire by Jessica Alejandro, Farrer Park by Anna Peters and Where’s Grandma? by Edmund Lim. The winner will receive $10,000!

The new biennial SingTel Asian Picture Book Award offers $5000 to a writer and $5000 to an illustrator from Asia for unpublished work. Very exciting times indeed.

Children, Speak Up! Panel

This is one of my ‘baby’ panels for AFCC. I am moderating a session with young children, most of them are part of GatheringReaders, a book club I have initiated here in Singapore in partnership with the Jurong West Public Library.

I have always thought that children should be made part of a Festival such as this. We are after all discussing what ‘content’ we believe is best for them. Why not give a voice to children themselves and hear what they have to say about their favorite authors and illustrators and books that speak to them?

I am also very very excited to share that we have invited Erik from This Kid Reviews Books to be a part of this panel, albeit virtually. I am thrilled that his parents have given their consent for him to share his views even for just a few minutes via Skype.

Children Speak Up! Panel will be held on 28 May 2013, 530-630 pm at the Visitors’ Briefing Room of the Central Public Library. Do join us and share some love to these avid young readers!

AFCC Publications

As I have mentioned, AFCC is continually evolving. And part of this includes new sets of publications for the Festival! How truly amazing and vibrant. A total of six new books would be launched during the festival.

A book of poetry and three bilingual picture books.

I am also very proud to share that I am part of the two other publications of AFCC as could be seen below.

Project Splash! Asia

I am glad to be part of a committee who painstakingly searched and sourced for water-themed picture books from and about Asia. We are coming up with a bibliography of over a hundred titles that celebrate this stream of stories and the significant role that water plays in our lives. The book launch of this bibliography will be on 29 May 2013, Wednesday at 1:45-2:30 pm at The Pod, National Library Building. I am sharing the panel with the indefatigable Evelyn Wong who has remained on top of all this from day one. The session would be moderated by the fabulous and beautiful Corinne Robson from Paper Tigers who is also part of the Project Splash! Asia Committee.

Project Splash! Asia Committee Members: Ken Quek (Festival Director), me (Programme Director, AFCC Writers and Illustrators Conference) and Evelyn Wong (Partnership Director of the Festival Organizing Committee 2013).

Last but not Least…

Book cover and book layout courtesy of the talented Isabel ‘Pepper’ Roxas, one of our talented Filipino illustrators now based in New York and chapter contributor to this book.

One of the reasons why I am extremely excited about the festival. Book cover courtesy of Isabel ‘Pepper’ Roxas. Isn’t it gorgeous?

This inaugural AFCC Publication is a weaving together of various narratives and voices highlighting the richly-textured content coming from Asia. Using a multi-disciplinary lens, the book includes personal recollections of, narrations from, and conversations with children’s literature expert and historian Leonard Marcus, award-winning author Suzy Lee, prolific Singaporean author Jessie Wee and respected Australian author Ken Spillman. It also provides a distinct regional focus on Philippine authors and artists – AFCC’s country of focus last year (2012) – with contributions from Filipino National Artist Virgilio Almario, award-winning author and artists Candy Gourlay and Isabel Roxas and social scientists such as myself and my co-editor Jesus Federico Hernandez.

We are donating the proceeds of this book to AFCC with the intention of providing funds to the next round of delegates for the next country of focus in 2014! So, make sure you grab a copy!

So, what are you waiting for, dear friends?

Join us and register for the children’s lit event of the year! 

Click here to be taken to the official AFCC Website.

International Book Giving Day (IBGD) 2013 Blog Hop

Now that the IBGD fever is gradually dying down, we are inviting people to share their stories about how they celebrated Valentine’s Day now redefined as International Book Giving Day.

Here are the hosts for IBGD:

• My Book Corner (Australia)
• Playing by the Book (U.K.)
• Mommy Labs (India)
• Gathering Books (Singapore/Philippines/San Diego USA)
• Try Curiosity (Hungary)
• sharpread (U.S.)
• My Best Friends Are Books (New Zealand)
• Jojoebi Designs (Japan)
• Kids Indoors (Brazil)
• Toddler Approved (U.S.)
• se7en (South Africa)
• Asia in the Heart (Philippines)
• Delightful Children’s Books (U.S.)

This blog hop will remain live through March 21st and will be up as a sticky post here in GatheringBooks. For those without blogs, you can share your stories through the Comments section here and the linky that you can see below. You can also share photos via Instagram or Twitter by adding the tag #giveabook. You are also invited to email photos to amy (dot) broadmoore at gmail (dot) com, and the stories will be shared at the International Book Giving Day’s website.

Book Drive in Singapore for Pertapis Children’s Home

I thought that the International Book Giving Day was the perfect excuse to do some community service here in Singapore. Thanks to Twitter and a few colleagues, students, and GatheringBooks readers who were willing to share some book love, we managed to collect quite a number of books to be given as donation to Pertapis Children’s Home. Here are a few books that I managed to ‘gather’ in around two weeks’ time.

“Do not read, as children do, to amuse yourself, or like the ambitious, for the purpose of instruction. No, read in order to live.” 
― Gustave Flaubert

“Isn’t it odd how much fatter a book gets when you’ve read it several times?” Mo had said…”As if something were left between the pages every time you read it. Feelings, thoughts, sounds, smells…and then, when you look at the book again many years later, you find yourself there, too, a slightly younger self, slightly different, as if the book had preserved you like a pressed flower…both strange and familiar.” 
― Cornelia Funke, Inkspell

This was truly a huge loot. Many thanks and special shout out to Pei Yu for sharing her collection of well-loved books with us. I know that this must have taken a great deal from her. I know how attached I am to my books. Pei Yu’s generosity of spirit is indeed much appreciated. I am positive that the children from Pertapis would view these books as portals to enchantment, a breathing space away from life’s troubles.

“The world was a terrible place, cruel, pitiless, dark as a bad dream. Not a good place to live. Only in books could you find pity, comfort, happiness – and love. Books loved anyone who opened them, they gave you security and friendship and didn’t ask anything in return; they never went away, never, not even when you treated them badly.” 
― Cornelia Funke, Inkheart Trilogy: Inkheart, Inkspell, Inkdeath

Special thanks as well to Santhi who made a Twitter brigade which led to a pretty neat collection of books all over Singapore.

“Man reading should be man intensely alive. The book should be a ball of light in one’s hand.” 
― Ezra Pound

We received an entire box filled with new treasures from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous. Horrible Science, Horrible History, Geronimo Stilton, Captain Underpants are just a few of the books found in this box of goodness. And yes Emily Gravett’s Spells. May you be blessed a thousandfold for this.

“Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I’ll have a long beard by the time I read them.” 
― Arnold Lobel

My Own Book Donation

Here are the titles that I specifically bought from Bras Basah to be given to the children from Pertapis.

“When the Day of Judgment dawns and people, great and small, come marching in to receive their heavenly rewards, the Almighty will gaze upon the mere bookworms and say to Peter, “Look, these need no reward. We have nothing to give them. They have loved reading.” 
― Virginia Woolf

“Books should go where they will be most appreciated, and not sit unread, gathering dust on a forgotten shelf, don’t you agree?” 
― Christopher Paolini

Finally the Books are Ready to be Delivered

“When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young.” 
― Maya Angelou

“Perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” 
― Mary Ann Shaffer, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

With Madam Haloyah Atan, Administrator from Pertapis Home. Many thanks to my husband for printing these lovely International Book Giving Day shirts.

“The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives. She went on olden-day sailing ships with Joseph Conrad. She went to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and to India with Rudyard Kipling. She travelled all over the world while sitting in her little room in an English village.” 
― Roald Dahl, Matilda

Storytelling Time

I read a few books with the children. Such pleasure. What a beautiful beautiful way to spend Valentine’s Day. My eleven year old daughter helped me read out a few parts as well. I read David Ezra Stein’s Because Amelia Smiled and Stars by Mary Lyn Ray and Marla Frazee – the latter they loved unequivocally.

“A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead.” 
― Graham Greene

“Long before I wrote stories, I listened for stories. Listening for them is something more acute than listening to them. I suppose it’s an early form of participation in what goes on. Listening children know stories are there. When their elders sit and begin, children are just waiting and hoping for one to come out, like a mouse from its hole.” 
― Eudora Welty, One Writer’s Beginnings

“People take on the shapes of the songs and the stories that surround them, especially if they don’t have their own song.” 
― Neil Gaiman, Anansi Boys

Books Looking for a New Home

Similar to Fats’ story (which you can read in full here – and please do take the time to visit, such a beautiful heartfelt narrative), I also left a few books around with little notes saying “Please take me home. I’m free! Happy International Book Giving Day!”

That same day that we delivered the books to Pertapis Home, I also had a mass lecture with more than 160 teacher-students in my institution in the evening. It’s a graduate class on Educational Research and I made sure that I left two books around in the classroom randomly for the taking. I also read oliver jeffers’ the heart and the bottle as my international book giving day and valentine gift to my teacher-students at the end of my lecture.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

“A man who tells secrets or stories must think of who is hearing or reading, for a story has as many versions as it has readers. Everyone takes what he wants or can from it and thus changes it to his measure. Some pick out parts and reject the rest, some strain the story through their mesh of prejudice, some paint it with their own delight. A story must have some points of contact with the reader to make him feel at home in it. Only then can he accept wonders.” 
― John Steinbeck, The Winter of Our Discontent

Paul Theroux’s Saint Jack

“Do not, under any circumstances, belittle a work of fiction by trying to turn it into a carbon copy of real life; what we search for in fiction is not so much reality but the epiphany of truth.” 
― Azar Nafisi, Reading Lolita in Tehran

I also left a few books around: in a fast food chain, my daughter’s school, a waiting shed/bus stop. I am hopeful that my books have found a new home.

Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell

“We don’t want to feel less when we have finished a book; we want to feel that new possibilities of being have been opened to us. We don’t want to close a book with a sense that life is totally unfair and that there is no light in the darkness; we want to feel that we have been given illumination.” ― Madeleine L’Engle, Walking on Water

The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World by e.l. konigsburg

“You forget everything. The hours slip by. You travel in your chair through centuries you seem seem to see before you, your thoughts are caught up in the story, dallying with the details or following the course of the plot, you enter into characters, so that it seems as if it were your own heart beating beneath their costumes.”
― Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary

Lloyd Alexander’s Book of Three

“We don’t need to have just one favorite. We keep adding favorites. Our favorite book is always the book that speaks most directly to us at a particular stage in our lives. And our lives change. We have other favorites that give us what we most need at that particular time. But we never lose the old favorites. They’re always with us. We just sort of accumulate them.”
― Lloyd Alexander

The Picador Book of Contemporary Chinese Fiction edited by Carolyn Choa and David Su Li-Qun

“What better occupation, really, than to spend the evening at the fireside with a book, with the wind beating on the windows and the lamp burning bright…Haven’t you ever happened to come across in a book some vague notion that you’ve had, some obscure idea that returns from afar and that seems to express completely your most subtle feelings?”
― Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

“As you read a book word by word and page by page, you participate in its creation, just as a cellist playing a Bach suite participates, note by note, in the creation, the coming-to-be, the existence, of the music. And, as you read and re-read, the book of course participates in the creation of you, your thoughts and feelings, the size and temper of your soul.” 
― Ursula K. Le Guin

How about you, dear friends, how did you celebrate International Book Giving Day? Please add your links to the linky below.

GatheringReaders 2013: A Book Club for Young Readers in Singapore

And we are back for the New Year! I am very happy to share that the book club for young readers that I am facilitating at the Jurong West Public Library would be continuing its run this January – June 2013. Here is the poster that was created by the fabulous NLB People.

Book Talk: First Session

We just had our first session yesterday, and as per usual, it was devoted to ‘booktalking’ whereby we nominate and decide on the books that we would be reading for the next five months. And the children have spoken, the books have been selected.

Photo courtesy of Meena from NLB.

February: Poetry

3 February  Virtual Discussion (http://gatheringbooks.wordpress.com)
17 February  Jurong West Public Library, 2nd level, 11-12nn

The kids were given a choice of whether we would be reading Requiem: Poems from the Terezin Ghetto by Paul Janeczko, Margarita Engle’s Surrender Tree or Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends. And the children’s choice is:

March: Email an Author/Meet a Book Artist

10 March  Virtual Discussion

17 March  Jurong West Public Library, 2nd level, 11 am – 12nn

Since this is quite a busy month for most of the kids, we are hoping to invite an author, book artist, storyteller for our face-to-face session on the 17th of March and hopefully the kids can also get in touch with an author of their choice.

April: Fiction

7 April  Virtual Discussion

14 April  Jurong West Public Library, 2nd level, 11 am – 12nn

I was very pleased to see that the kids came prepared for this session. Most of them brought their ‘favorite’ books for nomination as could be seen in the spread of books here, and they gave pretty good justification as to why they think the books should be read by the rest of the group.

Many thanks to Meena from NLB for taking this picture.

Thank you Meena for taking this lovely photo.

I also shared a few titles alongside neat book trailers. And the children have chosen this book for April:

May: Award Winning Book

5 May  Virtual Discussion

12 May  Jurong West Public Library, 2nd level, 11 am – 12nn

We have quite a few nominees for this one: The Giver by Lois Lowry, from the mixed up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by e.l. konigsburg and Brian Selznick’s Wonderstruck. And the children’s choice is:

June: Graphic Novel

9 June  Virtual Discussion

16 June  Jurong West Public Library, 2nd level, 11 am – 12nn

The nominees for this category include Kazu Kibuishi’s Amulet Book One: The Stonekeeper, Gene Luen Yang’s Level Up, David Almond’s Slog’s Dad, and Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol. And the children have chosen:

Looking forward to our upcoming sessions. For people who may still be interested to join, do email gatheringbooks (at) yahoo (dot) com to register.

Award Winning Books Reading Challenge 2013

Thank you once again, Iphigene, for these lovely widgets/posters.

And yes, we are back! We are once again hosting the Award Winning Books Reading Challenge this 2013. I am inviting you all beautiful people to sign up yet again for the Award-Winning-Books Reading Challenge that shall begin from January until December 2013. We have basically the same set of guidelines as last year’s:

We are not restricting this to children’s and YA book awards.

We are also not restricting this to books that have received recognition for 2013 – you can include books that have won an award for any year. 

We also welcome entries on adult literature such as books that won the Man Booker Prize, Man Asian Literary Prize, the Pulitzer, and other recognition of exceptionality in literary works.

This is not restricted to international awards. Local/regional award giving bodies would likewise be honored.

If you want to  have a complete list of children’s and YA book awards from different parts of the globe, click here to be taken to a comprehensive list prepared by the UCalgary. Library Quine from Loons and Quines has also provided us an updated version from the web site of the Book Trust (UK) which provides links to newer UK awards. For the Carnegie and Kate Greenway Awards, you may want to check out this website for a more updated archive. The Scottish Book Trust lists Scottish awards here. Many thanks to Library Quine for all these links.

Other examples would include the Newbery and Caldecott Honor/Medal from the United States, the Pura Belpre, Coretta Scott King Award, Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, Michael J. Printz Award, Cybils Awards among others.

Here are the detailed guidelines for your participation:

1. The Award-Winning-Books Reading Challenge would run from 1 January 2013 to 30 December 2013.
2. There are four levels of participation:
   • Level 1 (10 books or less) – Bronze Medal
   • Level 2 (11-25 books) – Silver Medal
   • Level 3 (26-35 Books) - Gold Medal
   • Level 4 (over 35 books) - Platinum Award
3. Picture books, YA lit, adult literature – are all welcome as long as they have received an award or recognition – it does not matter what year they won the award.
4. We know that you must be participating in a number of reading challenges, so you’re more than welcome to have your reviewed books overlap with other reading challenges you will be joining for 2013 (we’d probably do the same thing).
5. You would have to write your reviews of what you have read for the challenge. We would be creating a page where you can put the links up for your reviews (watch out for this). While we appreciate your linking reviews for anything written before 2013, they would not be eligible for prizes.
6. No, you do not need a blog to participate. Goodreads, Shelfari members are welcome to join – a weblink that leads us to your post should be enough.
7. Monthly book prizes await courtesy of the very generous Pansing Books!
8. How do you sign up? Sign up here if you wish to join in our challenge and include the url/link of your post (not your website) which announces your intention to join in this Reading Challenge – and the level you are aiming for. Feel free to grab these cutesie buttons that Iphigene has created for our challenge and post it in your blog.

Here is a sampler of book prizes that Pansing Books has generously pledged to the monthly winner for the first quarter of the year.

So what are you waiting for, dear friends, join us!

Launch of Asian Children Literature Collection at the Woodlands Regional Library

Photo taken by my husband, Roel Bacsal.

Two days ago, the 20th of April, marked the official launching of the Asian Children’s Literature Collection at the Woodlands Regional Library here in Singapore. This 15,000 volume collection was originally housed in the National Library as part of the Reference Asian Children’s Collection.

Speech by Chief Executive Officer of the National Library Board, Mrs. Elaine Ng. Photo taken by Roel Bacsal.

The collection is likewise mentioned in UNESCO’s website as one of the items in the “List of Nationally and Internationally Significant Collections held in each institution” (http://www.unesco.org/webworld/mdm/administ/en/annex8.htm). The amazing thing is that over 7,000 books would now be made available  in open-access shelves in the Asian Children Literature Room located on Level 4 at the Woodlands Regional Library.

Photo taken by Roel Bacsal.

There are still items that would be displayed within glass cabinets for the public to see – these are the items considered as not suitable for lending, deemed to be quite fragile, as well as out of print titles and gems.

I am seated on the 2nd seat from the farthest right.

And yet another photo, courtesy of my husband.

Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim, the Minister for Information, Communication, and the Arts was the Guest of Honor and he gave the opening Speech as could be found in the photos below.

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Guest of Honor, Minister for the Information, Communication, and the Arts. Photo taken by Roel Bacsal.

Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim, Guest of Honor.

In his speech, Dr. Ibrahim noted that these books would be valuable for children to gain an appreciation of their heritage as well as prove to be a wonderful bonding activity for both parents and children.

This is me, trying to look stern and forbidding inside the library.

I was also very privileged to have been requested to give a short speech on the importance of Asian Children’s Literature. Since quite a number of people asked for a copy of my speech, I thought of just sharing the entire contents of the speech with all of you here, alongside the fabulous photos that my husband took during the event (special thanks and shoutout goes to Mr. Roel Bacsal for his patience and his time in taking all these pictures).

This is me giving my speech.

I would like to express my gratitude to the National Library Board for their kind invitation to have me here today on such a special occasion. It is truly a privilege to be here. The pleasure is doubled since I have the opportunity to talk about one of my greatest passion: books – in my favorite place in the world: the library. I have read in one of my readings this week that Librarians are the Guardians of Good taste. I would put one up over that and claim that in Singapore, Librarians are the Guardians of Great taste.

Let me begin with a quote from Paul Hazard, a French author who did an extensive study on children’s literature as early as in the 1940s. “Give us books, say the children, give us wings.”

These lines, I believe are in keeping with what we are celebrating today as we launch the Asian Children’s Literature Collection in the Library. This is something that we can never take for granted. In an age where books are increasingly being set aside, where we hear news of international libraries losing their funding to acquire more books, and as we move towards a digital age where the smell and the feel of the books are not as valued as they should be, today is indeed a celebration.

I would also like to note that over and beyond the physical acquisition of reading materials and accessibility of resources, what this launch means is that young children, library goers, the larger public are provided with a space to enrich and deepen our understanding of our cultural heritage. It will give us a chance to gain an appreciation of Asian talents, artistry, craftsmanship when it comes to both the science and art of storytelling.

Let me also share with you a few facts and figures about children’s books and the representation of Asian literature internationally. In the recent study conducted by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2007, they noted that there are approximately 3000 children’s books in English published in a year. And out of those 3000 books, there is an average of 65 books representing Asians – which accounts for approximately 2% of books published. This was in 2007. I would like to think that since then, the voice of authors, illustrators, artists coming from the region has grown considerably. And our launching this Collection in the library is a testament to that growing voice.

A short skit on Rikki Tikki Tembo by the JRAs

All too often, whenever we speak of Asian Children’s literature, typically the countries that are represented include China, Japan, Korea, India – I would like to emphasize that there is also a need to explore literature coming from neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar. The tendency of people to lump Asians together as a seemingly-homogenous group may be challenged through greater exposure to literature coming from different regions and listening to varying voices and enjoying their distinct artistry. In one of the manuscripts I have just recently read by Yokota in year 2009, he noted that: “Lumping Asians together in one homogenous group, rather than giving them culturally specific voices can have negative consequences. So can generalizations across cultures or including some cultures and not others.”

The Minister viewing the rare collection in glass cases.

Thus, as we go over the books that we share with our children or students, we need to be aware of whose voices are being represented in the narratives. How authentic is the voice? How accurately are characters portrayed – do the books as amazing as they may originally appear to you, accurately represent the food, rituals, clothing, cultural practices of the said country? What is the background of the author? What are his intentions in creating the book? We can not just be passive consumers of reading materials. If the book is meant to be a historical narrative, parents/teachers should look for historical notes that would provide some evidence of the historical information shared in the book.

As we enjoy and look at some of the delectable spread that we have before us today, I know that most of you may be wondering about which books would be most suitable given your children’s age ranges, which ones could teachers and parents alike share with their own kids or students in the classroom, this would be my cue then to invite you to the upcoming Asian Festival of Children’s Content which will be held on the 26^th of May until the 29^th. I only have a few minutes of your time so I won’t be able to engage you in a great deal of booktalk about literature that has moved me immensely or share with you some of the titles that have literally blown me away and left me awestruck, but there will be a lot of opportunity to do that when you do attend the AFCC which, by the way, is doing a regional focus on the Philippines.

This launch provides us with the dual function of deepening our aesthetic awareness and nuanced understanding of our heritage and provides us with an expansive knowledge of who we are and our place in the world. While we are made aware of our collective heritage and our individual differences based on our geographical locations, we also need to take on a more global perspective as the world is seemingly becoming smaller (yet paradoxically larger) each day. One of the ways through which we can gain this kind of global awareness is through exposure to literature that would open children’s eyes to become more discerning members of the global community.

According to another expert in children’s literature, Huck in 1989: “Through literature, children can begin to develop a sense of their humanness; they can develop new insights into the behavior of others and themselves. Literature can add a new dimension to life and create a new awareness, a greater sensitivity to people and surroundings. It can educate the heart as well as the head.”

My hope in this launch is that it will give the much-needed space to promote and build a community of readers who will develop a passion of reading for its own sake – since books open a universe of infinite possibilities to the reader who manages to find the right book at the right time in their lives. I think of myself as a book hunter, I search for books that will speak to me and whisper their secrets to my ears so that I can ‘drown in the words’ – this is a phrase that my own ten year old daughter used when she devoured Gene Luen Yang’s outstanding graphic novel “American Born Chinese.”

As I started with Paul Hazard’s very beautiful line, let me end also with his words:

“Children’s books keep alive a sense of nationality; but they also keep alive a sense of humanity. They describe their native land lovingly, but they also describe faraway lands where unknown brothers live. They understand the essential quality of their own race; but each of them is a messenger that goes beyond mountains and rivers, beyond the seas, to the very ends of the world in search of new friendships. Every country gives and every country receives – innumerable are the exchanges – and so it comes about that in our first impressionable years the universal republic of childhood is born.”

May this launch be the signal of that burgeoning universal republic of childhood here in Singapore.

Prepared by: Myra Garces-Bacsal, PhD

An enchanted tree inside the Woodlands Regional Library!!

*All photos of the event are taken by Roel Enrico D. Bacsal. Thanks, Tatay.

[Pre-AFCC Glitter] Meet Festival Director Kenneth Quek

I am doing a series of interviews with invited guest speakers and other conference attendees: a Pre-AFCC 2013 Glitter, if you will. A shower of golden fairy dust and pixie glitter and virtual confetti to signal the coming of the Asian Festival of Children’s Content this year!

Today, I am very excited to feature one of the key organizers of AFCC, the Festival Director himself, Mr. Kenneth Quek. He is known as Mr. Grace-Under-Pressure among people who know him. Even when there are looming deadlines, unexpected last-minute changes, and clashing ideas and personalities on the table, he remains unruffled as he seems imbued with an amazing inner calm. Let’s hear what he has to say about this year’s AFCC.

What are the highlights of being the AFCC Festival Director – what do you love most about it?

I’m not too sure yet, it’s been quite stressful…

What are some of the *new* events/seminars/workshops that you have in store for us this year?

Something new that we are trying out is two sessions which include a teleconference element, with speakers from the United States. Fingers crossed that the internet connections hold up! I’m also really excited about AFCC Publications launching 6 (six!!) new books.*

One of the goals of AFCC is to get people from everywhere connected during the conference – who are you most looking forward to meeting during this year’s festival?

I’m most looking forward to meeting EVERYONE. Seeing returning speakers and delegates from previous AFCCs is always very nice (and reaffirming!), while meeting new people who have a passion for children’s books is also fantastic.

Singapore is a lovely country with gorgeous new buildings and really great restaurants. If you were to give recommendations to our overseas friends who are coming to the festival about super-secret-out-of-the-way places frequented by locals, what would those places be?

I’m not great at stuff like this, but a couple of months ago, I recommended Haji Lane (which is a ten minute walk from the National Library) to visiting author Lisa Yee, and she loved it! (She wasn’t too keen on durian cream puffs, but that’s another story.) Lots of small funky shops and cafes there.

What do you love most about AFCC?

For a book nerd like me, it is always the Festival bookstore. Bookaburra does such a good job of bringing in the best new children’s books. 

*Look out for the new AFCC Publications:

1. Beyond Folktales, Legends, and Myths (edited by Myra Garces-Bacsal and Tuting Hernandez)

2. Water (written by Christopher Cheng, illustrated by Susanna Goho-Quek) 

3. 3 bilingual picture books: Purple by Wang Chu Qiao, Something Special by Evelyn S Wong, Adil’s DIning Table by Rilla Melati Bahri

4. Splash! Asia bibliography

Breathe in and out, Ken. It will be over before you know it. You’re doing a fantastic job!

BHE (53): Book Finds in the Philippines

Before I left for the Philippines, I told myself that I won’t indulge in any book-buying spree. A couple of days before my flight, one of my dearest high school friends left a message in the group chat that I created, saying that they would take me to this thrift store called Bookayukay. I knew right then and there that I won’t be going back to San Diego without any book in tow. The following were books I purchased during my short stay in the Philippines. Most of the books I bought were local picture books since (1) I don’t have access to any of those; and (2) sending international packages nowadays is expensive. All book photos were taken by me.

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

I bought this book a few days before I left for the Philippines. It was on sale at Barnes & Noble for $7.99 so I thought why not? I love that my Mo Willems collection keeps growing!

The Missing Piece and The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Like Mo Willems, who does not love a Shel Silverstein on their shelves? The Missing Piece was the first Shel Silverstein book that I fell in love with. I actually grabbed these two Shel Silverstein books from my mini-shelf in the Philippines. I wanted my copy of The Missing Piece so it could sit side-by-side with its sequel, The Missing Piece Meets the Big-O, which I bought from Book Off several weeks ago. As for The Giving Tree, I want to give it to Daniel’s six-year-old nephew. I’m sure it’s something that he would enjoy reading.

Ang Kapatid ng Tatlong Marya
(The Brother of the Three Marias)

Labindalawang Masasayang Prinsesa
(Twelve Merry Princesses)

Ang Mahiwagang Kuba
(The Enchanted Hunchback)

All stories retold by Christine S. Bellen
Illustrated by Frances Alcaraz, Abi Goy, and Sergio Bumatay III, respectively

All stories taken from the archives of Lola Basyang

Severino Reyes, known as the Father of the Tagalog zarzuela, created the character of Lola Basyang. In the Philippine tradition, grandmothers are known to tell stories to their grandchildren. Lola Basyang is a well-known fictitious character who has a lot of stories to tell her grandchildren. I have acquired three of ten Lola Basyang stories published by Anvil Publishing, Inc. In order to cater to a wider audience, local publishers have now come up with editions in which local stories are told in both Tagalog and English. I can’t wait to write about these fabulous finds for our theme, From Asia with Love.

The Cardinal and the Cats by Lina Diaz de Rivera and Frances Alcaraz

The Cat Painter by Becky Bravo and Mark Salvatus

Both books have lovely covers and was delighted to find out that both are stories that involve cats. While not particularly a feline lover myself, I do enjoy cat stories once in a while. The latter, The Cat Painter, won first prize for the short story category in the 2004 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. Hoping to also feature these for our theme, From Asia with Love.

Nanay Coring: The Story of National Book Store’s Socorro Ramos
by Yvette Fernandez and Liza Flores

Naku, Nakuu, Nakuuu! by Nanoy Rafael and Sergio Bumatay III

National Book Store in Glorietta. Click on the image to be taken to the websource.

Speaking of National Book Store, all of the lovely picture books above were purchased from National Book Store in SM City Masinag. National Book Store is the Barnes & Noble of the Philippines, although the former sells more office and school supplies than the latter. Nanay Coring is a fabulous find to be featured for Non-Fiction Monday, and Naku, Nakuu, Nakuuu!’s book cover is simply luscious. The latter also won the 2008 PBBY-SALANGA Silver Anniversary Prize. More books for our theme, From Asia with Love.

A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Click on the image to be taken to the websource.

Remember what I wrote above about my friend taking me to a thrift store? Well, we didn’t get a chance to go after dinner. HOWEVER, my awesome best friend and her boyfriend took me to Bookayukay that same night. It was a small thrift store near Tomato Kick at Maginhawa St. Good finds, but you need patience in browsing the shelves, as they are not arranged alphabetically or by authors. I was debating whether or not I should go for Murakami or the UK edition of Stephen Chbosky’s Perks of Being a Wallflower (gorgeous cover!). In the end, I chose Murakami. His books are hard to come by. I don’t see a lot of Murakami books at Barnes & Noble. Besides, I got this for $10. I also bought John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars for $10 at National Book Store. I wanted a hardcover, but a cheap paperback would do. So happy I have both books!

FEATURED BOOK OF THE DAY

Love, love, love!

Hanging Out with the Dream King:
Conversations with Neil Gaiman and His Collaborators
by Joseph McCabe

I would grab any Neil Gaiman book I could find. With book edges in black and Neil’s gorgeous face on the cover, I knew I had to get this book. Only worth a little over $10, here’s the latest addition to my Neil Gaiman collection. Yay!

What are your book finds this week?

[Pre-AFCC Glitter] Meet Stephanie Wong

I am doing a series of interviews with invited guest speakers and other conference attendees: a Pre-AFCC 2013 Glitter, if you will. A shower of golden fairy dust and pixie glitter and virtual confetti to signal the coming of the Asian Festival of Children’s Content this year!

Today, I am excited to have Stephanie Wong in GatheringBooks. We did a feature of Stephanie for our Illustrator’s Sketchpad several years back. She is the talented illustrator of the Diary of Amos Lee series. Welcome Back, Stephanie!

What is the event/session that you are most looking forward to attending during this year’s AFCC?

The business of Digital Content for Kids, Children, Speak up!, The Future of Publishing in Digital Space and Media Mart. I deal mainly in print, so it’s interesting to see what the digital media can offer and how can we make that sustainable. Also, it’s always great to hear from the kids, they live in a different era from when we were kids, so it will be interesting to listen to what they think/say.

Share with us your involvement in this year’s festival and some of the sessions that you will have.

I’m involved with the artist duelling session on the panel of “Asian Illustrator’s panel: Injecting Asian Flavour into your work”.

One of the goals of AFCC is to get people from everywhere connected during the conference – who are you most looking forward to meeting during this year’s festival?

Emila Yusof who did the illustrations for the program booklet. And Jessie Wee, because I grew up reading Mooty. I had the entire series, not sure where it is now, after we shifted house a couple of years back.

Singapore is a lovely country with gorgeous new buildings and really great restaurants. If you were to give recommendations to our overseas friends who are coming to the festival about super-secret-out-of-the-way places frequented by locals, what would those places be?

Loysel’s Toy for really really good coffee and decent food. And the CSHH Coffee Bar, a brunch place, but Loysel’s Toy is next to Kallang River (you can rent bicycles there as well) so you can pretend you are in Paris or Italy, having a cuppa next to a river (well, it’s actually a giant canal) with your favourite book.

For something old school, it will be steamboat with chicken rice at Yet Con at 25 Purvis Street. Don’t expect much service, but the food is good, managed by a Hainanese family and it won’t break the bank. Win, win all round.

Just next to Yet Con is the thai restaurant (coffeeshop style), called first thai. I’m recommending it, not because my friend’s family owns it, but because I have yet to find fresher and silkier steam fish. Tom Yam is really good too, and the servings are huge, so it will be great for very hungry people. Same, don’t expect service, but the food is good and it won’t break the bank. 

If it is a watering-hole with live music by local bands in a laid back environment, I would highly recommend Timbre. A great place to relax one corner with a glass of wine and some yummy duck pizza.

What do you love most about AFCC?

Catching up with people, meeting new ones, blowing cash on books and taking note of what other people in the region are doing.

Thank you so much, Stephanie, see you at the AFCC!

[Pre-AFCC Glitter] Meet Corinne Robson, PaperTigers Lady

I am doing a series of interviews with invited guest speakers and other conference attendees: a Pre-AFCC 2013 Glitter, if you will. A shower of golden fairy dust and pixie glitter and virtual confetti to signal the coming of the Asian Festival of Children’s Content this year!

I am very happy and excited to feature one of our inspirations in the kidlitosphere and the blogging community, a real rockstar lady from the amazing PaperTigers website (which just celebrated its 10th year anniversary, talk about longevity!), the beautiful Corinne Robson!

Taken in Singapore, May 2011.

She and the other PaperTigers ladies showed us such welcoming warmth when we were just starting out in the blogosphere that we feel as if we have been doing this forever! PaperTigers also has an incredible outreach program that you may want to check out here. Truly they are ladies after my own heart.

You will be moderating a masterclass session on “Transforming Facts into Riveting Reading”. Do let us know what to expect during this panel discussion.

This panel session will feature author Chris Cheng (Australia), author/publisher Shirin Yim Bridges (USA), and author/editor Mio Debnam (HongKong). Together they will discuss how they turn dry fact into happy, riveting reading. While fiction looks like it has a flashier bag of tricks for enticing readers, there’s a knack to writing non-fiction that can lure kids into enjoying what could otherwise be a dry and dull read.Chris, Shirin and Mio will share their knowledge and expertise with us. 

Another session that you are moderating is our Project Splash! Asia presentation – do give our readers a sampler of what to look forward to in this panel.

Project Splash! Asia is a project near and dear to my heart as I was invited to be involved on the organizing committee. The United Nations has designated 2013 as the International Year of Water and the National Book Development Council of Singapore thought that to celebrate, it would be great to put together an annotated bibliography of water-themed children’s books from or about Asia.

This bibliography will be unveiled at the AFCC and we will have a special Project Splash! Asia session on Wednesday, 29 May, from 1:45 – 2:30pm. I invite everyone to come out and celebrate the bibliography launch with us. Learn more about the team behind the project (including the amazing bibliography illustration team), find out more about the themes generated for the bibliographies and the books listed, meet some of the authors and illustrators whose books are included and more!

Our hope is that the bibliography (which includes over 100 books!) will be a useful resource for parents, teachers, storytellers, librarians, and more! In addition we hope that the Project Splash! Asia bibliography will not only inspire Asian children to treasure their Asian heritage but will showcase Asian children’s literature to the world and at the same time highlight the universal importance of water in our lives.

What are you most looking forward to during this year’s Festival?

The people! It is such an inspiring feeling to be surrounded by those who share the same passion for children’s literature, who are always so warm and welcoming, and who are eager to share their areas of expertise with others.

This is your second time in Singapore (am I right?), what are the places you are excited to visit this time around?

My first visit to Singapore was for the 2011 Asian Festival of Children’s Content and I’ve been looking forward to returning ever since. I was so enamored with the city that I wanted to pack my bags and move there. I loved that I could go out for a stroll and return to my hotel a few hours later feeling like I had just traveled the globe; the sights, smells and sounds of Little India, the Arab quarter, Chinatown, the Colonial District and more! I love the diversity in Singapore – it truly is a gathering spot for people of many ethnicities and religions and in part that makes it the perfect spot to hold AFCC. When I’m not at the AFCC I just want to get out walking and absorb the different vibes that each Singaporean neighbourhood offers.

Very excited to see you again, Corinne! Safe travels!

Check out these posts about the Asian Festival of Children’s Content done by PaperTigers:

Looking for a little Pre-AFCC (Asian Festival of Children’s Content) Glitter?

Shortlisted candidates for the Singtel Asian Picture Book Award (Author)

Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award and SingTel Asian Picture Book Award Shortlists Announced!

Illustration done by AFCC’s Guest Illustrator Emila Yusof

Excitement building for the Asian Festival of Children’s Content ~ May 25 – 30, Singapore

Project Splash! Asia to be unveiled next month at the Asian Festival of Children’s Content in Singapore!

Part 2 ~ Project Splash! Asia to be unveiled next month at the Asian Festival of Children’s Content in Singapore!

2013 is the International Year of Water

Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC) announces an online illustration contest!

Poetry Friday: Janet Wong Double Feature

The 31st election to the Senate of the Philippines just recently ended. It was held last Monday, April 13th, the same day I was scheduled to fly back to San Diego. Considered a holiday, I made it to the airport in about half an hour. For that, I was grateful! I never got a chance to participate in the Philippine elections. I do, however, receive updates from Facebook and The Filipino Channel. Election day is always a crucial day in which the people exercise their right to vote.

Whether or not it’s official, I wasn’t too happy with the result of this year’s elections. The masses need to be educated more effectively on who to vote for. At the end of the day, the election is really all about choices, regardless of what the people know or don’t know. And so, for this week’s Poetry Friday, I am sharing two Janet Wong poems taken from her poetry collection, Declaration of Interdependence. Here’s to our bimonthly theme, From Asia with Love, and for making your ballots count and choosing wisely during election days.

Click on the image to be taken to the websource.

Make Your Ballot Count

Darken the circles completely
(neatly, not outside the lines).

If you don’t know what to do
ask the helpers (follow the signs).

When you punch the holes, be firm
(no worm-like hanging chad).

When your vote is done,
your vote is gone.

A wrong vote? That’s too bad.
A wasted vote: so sad.

Click on the image to be taken to the websource.

How Do You Choose?

Uncle Al once told me
you can judge a man
by his shoes.
Practical?
Sturdy?
Or shiny and slick?

But of course it’s not enough
to look at shoes
when you’re choosing
a president.

Really.

We need a close look
at the socks, too.

What about you?
When does election take place in your country?
What poem have you got for us today?

Photo Journal: 안녕하세요, 한국! (Hello, Korea!)

Guess who’s back at Gathering Books? =)

I just got back in San Diego on Monday, April 13th, from my two-week stay in the Philippines. It was too short for a vacation but too long to be away from my desktop and writing for Gathering Books. But now I’m back! Yay! For my comeback post, I decided to post pictures from my recent trip, and I realized just now how perfect these photo journal posts are for our current theme, From Asia with Love. It wasn’t my first time flying alone, although it’s my first time paying for a full price roundtrip ticket AND flying alone after more than five years of living in San Diego. I decided to fly via Korean Air, and it was such a wonderful experience. Thanks to BBC’s Sherlock, my 13-hour flight from Los Angeles to Seoul, Korea only felt like 5 hours, maybe less. The food was delicious and the flight attendants were so friendly.

It was my first time at Incheon International Airport in Korea, and I loved it! It didn’t look like an airport at all but a huge shopping mall. It was very clean, the signs were huge, and shops were everywhere. Two hours would go by fast just walking around the airport. On my flight back, there was a group of violinists playing in one of the main hallways. I was thrilled to find lots of coffee and dessert shops as well as a book shop! It was a whole lot of fun. Here are the pictures I took while walking around Incheon. By the way, it’s so easy to connect to their Wi-Fi. I love it! All photos were taken by me and edited through my phone. Enjoy!

This looks like a shopping mall with holiday decorations.

This is where travelers can check departure times.

Incheon has a lot of stores for cosmetics and perfumes.

While every hall looks the same, you won’t get lost since signs like this are everywhere.

Airport clock. My waiting area is in Gate 10.

If you’re too tired, they have walkalators you can use.

Next time I stop over at Korea, I’ll be sure to try going inside the Korea Traditional Cultural Experience Center. I forgot to ask how much for their services.

Books, K-Pop CDs, stationery, and all that good stuff. Books are expensive, but only a little over the dollar prices.

A more close-up view of the walkalator.

Of course, they also have escalators.

Kids that get on your nerves? No problem. Here’s a mini-playground for them!

If you live in a city like San Diego where Dunkin’ Donuts are hard to come by, they have it here! Yum!

Spacious waiting area with comfortable seats.

A partial view outside.

 

What about you?
Have you been to Incheon International Airport in Korea?
What’s your favorite airport?

Singapore Book Exchange 2013

It’s that time of the year again! Time for the annual Singapore Book Exchange organized by the amazing National Library Board (NLB).

The information I am sharing here is culled from NLB’s Official Website.

Date: Saturday 18 May 2013
Time: 8.30am – 6pm
Venue: The Plaza, National Library Building

3 easy steps to exchange your books for new reads:

1. Bring your used books* to any NLB Public Library (except library@chinatown) from 27 April to 12 May, 11.00am to 8.00pm. From 12 May to 18 May, used books will be accepted at the Central Public Library only.
2. Drop off your used books* and get a book exchange coupon indicating a one-for-one exchange for each of the books accepted. In the meantime, you can share your stories about books & reading at the NLB’s facebook page. 
3. Bring your coupons to The Plaza, National Library Building, on 18 May to redeem other books.

Terms and Conditions
* Used books for exchange should be in good condition. Adult and children’s fiction and non-fiction books (e.g. cookbooks, travel guides and romance novels) in the four official languages are eligible for exchange. Used library books bought from NLB Library Book Sales are also eligible for exchange. Textbooks, magazines and audio-visual materials will not be eligible for exchange. Each person can exchange up to 50 books. For enquiries, please call NLB Helpdesk at 6332 3255 or email: helpdesk (at) library (dot) nlb (dot) gov (dot) sg.

If you want to find out what my book loot was from last year’s Singapore Book Exchange, click here to find out.

So, will I see you there?