"A Boar at My Door" and other delightful Singapore children's books

Thanks to Tan Sijie and his awesome students from the Raffles Ecological Literacy programme, I got to be a kid again yesterday afternoon.

For the launch of another three children's books written by the students. At the magical Children's section of the National Library.


The three  children's books are: A Boar at My Door – A delightful story about wild boars; Walking in Great-Grandpa’s Tracks – A journey back in time to find out more about our present Rail Corridor; and Eden’s Adventure at the Forgotten Fort – A girl’s history-rich adventure at Labrador Park

The students shared about the programme and what they have gained from it.

The students also shared how and why they wrote their books. It's so inspiring.

The authors of each book shared more about how and why they wrote the book. Ecological Literacy students have written three children’s storybooks based on our local heritage.

Clearly, the experience was a meaningful and enjoyable one.

The authors collaborated with their fellow schoolmates from the Raffles Art Institute to bring these stories to life through their beautiful illustrations. I was delighted to hear more from the student artist who illustrated the book about the wild boar.

 Sijie showed me the beautiful originals of her artwork. Wow.

 I love the charm of these artworks which captures so well our beloved wild boar.

You can find out all about the student authors and student artists as well as more information about the creatures and places featured at the back of each book.

The book launch was graced by Minister Desmond Lee who unveiled the books appropriately in the presence of kids!

The session ended with story-telling, to the delight of kids and parents!

The books were a big hit!

These three books join a large and growing number of books already written by previous batches of Eco-Lit students. Including my favourite "You Been to Ubin?". Here's more about the books previously published under the programme.

One of the books, 'Paddy the Flying Pulai' has even been transformed into a paper cut out activity sheet.

And an animated movie!

One of the key people behind this programme is Tan Sijie. A dear friend who loves nature and now so clearly passed this love on to many batches of youths. I didn't manage to get a proper photo of Sijie, he was so busy taking care of everything.

It is so heart-warming to know that Singapore youths are writing stories of Singapore wild places and wildlife for Singapore children. Bravo! Thank you Sijie and all the students at the Raffles Ecological Literacy programme!