Read :: Shakespeare Stories

Shakespeare is, to my mind, one of the greatest storytellers there ever was. I think few would disagree with that! There's a certain magic in his use of verse and turn of language that makes him one of the most quoted writers in history. 

My first encounter with Shakespeare was through my mother, who was a literature teacher for a season, amongst the various subjects that she taught in the course of her teaching career. I don't remember why or how it came up in conversation, but through repetition, I have her favourite quotes burned in my memory. She was fond of Macbeth, the result of which is that stirring pots, whether filled with soup or bubbles would automatically make "Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble" ring in my head. (Also because I'm geeky like that!) Till today, Macbeth remains one of my favourite literature texts because my mother made it come alive for me.

I intended to introduce Shakespeare to my kids at some point of time, and came across an unexpected opportunity when I chanced on these Shakespeare stories by Andrew Matthews while browsing in, err, a toy shop in Tanglin Mall.

Twelfth Night and Hamlet.

Sitting innocuously on the shelf, I was drawn to the Quentin Blake-esque illustrations. (The illustrator is actually Tony Ross.) I took a flip through and liked what I read -- concise re-tellings of Shakespeare's stories, well-written and paced, which succeeded in bringing across the dramatic and figurative themes of the plays. Since I am incapable of only buying one book at a time, I picked up six titles.

Noey plunged into them straightaway, and after coming home and reading them, I immediately regretted not picking up everything. Especially when I realised that at $4.90 each at this shop, they were a real steal! When I went back to the shop to get more, they were sold out.

I read through a few books with Noey and I thought it did a good job of explaining the sometimes complicated story lines in a way that was understandable to children while conveying the true (and sometimes dark and gruesome) essence of the story. What matters most is that he found them interesting enough to read all the books I bought. Each book starts with an introduction to the characters, the story, followed by a couple of pages with a summary of the themes and some additional background to the tale. Right at the end there is two pages on Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre, where most of Shakespeare's most famous plays were performed.

Altogether a good read, recommended as a first introduction to Shakespeare for 7 to 9 year olds. While surfing on Book Depository, I noticed that they sell these Shakespeare Stories as collections of 4 stories, which look to be more value for money. I might have bought these if I didn't buy the individual stories already.

Shakespeare Stories: Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, Anthony and Cleopatra
More Shakespeare Stories: A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest, Hamlet, Henry V

I also chanced upon Mr Shakespeare's Plays and Bravo, Mr William Shakespeare!by Marcia Williams, which I immediately snapped up because these are Shakespeare's plays presented in the form of comics, something which I think Noey is going to love. I'll update about this after it arrives.

Mr Shakespeare's Plays and Bravo, Mr William Shakespeare! by Marcia Williams.

Of course, the best way to enjoy Shakespeare is on stage. In this regard, I am particularly excited about the fact that this November, Shakespeare's Globe -- yes, the theatre company from the modern incarnation from THE Globe Theatre of Shakespeare's time -- will be staging A Midsummer Night's Dream, right here at the Esplanade Theatre in Singapore!

This play is one that I did study and know (or at least used to know) fairly well. I've watched the movie version and seen it performed in the park. But this version promises to be a treat for the senses, as the set will be a miniature version of the stage at the Bankside Globe, complete with the iconic pillars, balcony and hand-painted detailing!! I'm super excited about that, plus the Renaissance-style costumes and staging, which would, I think, give one a glimpse of what it might have been like back in Shakespeare's day. Unfortunately Noey's a little young for this (kids 6 and under would not be admitted), plus I doubt he would have the stamina to sit through a 3-hour long Shakespeare play. So I won't be bringing him but if you have older children, it's definitely worth considering. 

Ticketing and Show Information

Season: 13 to 16 November 2014
Venue: Esplanade Theatre
Performance Times: Thurs and Fri 8pm; Sat 3pm and 8pm; Sun 3pm
Ticket Prices: $148, $128, $118, $98, $78 (Matinee tickets are $10 less)
Duration: 2 hours 40 mins + 15 minute interval
Booking: Sistic at sistic.com.sg or calling 63485555

Which was your favourite Shakespeare text? Do you have any Shakespeare story book for kids to recommend?

Hairy Maclary and Friends: Full of Rambuctious Fun!

"Out of the gate and off for a walk went
Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy"

And walk he did, right on to the stage right here in Singapore!

It was with great anticipation that we went to catch the opening show of Hairy Maclary & Friends earlier this evening. My kids have been acquainted with Hairy Maclary and gang for some time now, thanks to their Godma who introduced them to Lynley Dodd's books. So they were understandably looking forward to seeing the whole crew in the flesh. I, on the other hand was most curious to see how Hairy Maclary was to be translated to the stage. Most of the charm of the stories comes from the selctively-repetitive-but-always-delightful rhythmic rhyming verse that the littlest ones love and which and encourages them to join in. Would that charm be lost in translation?

I was glad to discover that it wasn't. The production found its answer in the use of music. I knew it was going to be good when we walked in to find a keyboardist on stage playing live. Each story was told with a wonderful catchy tune, ably performed by the actors to live music. I'm still humming Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy as I type!

And of course, there were the dogs. The kids squealed in delight as Hairy Maclary and each of his canine friends bounded their way onto the stage. Even if you were not familiar with the characters at the start of the show, I'm sure you will be at the end of it as the audience was encouraged to shout out their names, point out their pictures and join to perform the individual actions for each dog. Just in case you need an introduction, here's the crew:

The show was highly interactive from the start, which was something that my children absolutely enjoyed. Miss Plum and Samuel Stone did a great job getting the audience to shout, point clap and stamp along. I also enjoyed not having to shush them, though I did have to make Noey sit down at one point when he got too excited and stood on his seat. Definitely good fun for kids 2+ and up!

I think the only thing that we were disappointed about was that there wasn't a chance to get up close with Hairy and his friends at the end of the show. I had to stop Mei a couple of times in her attempts to climb over the seats in front of us because she wanted to "pat the doggies, Mummy!" Folks in the front row did manage to pat Hairy just before he disappeared off stage so that's something you might want to think about when choosing seats! 

There are only 6 more shows left for Hairy Maclary and Friends this weekend, so do get your tickets soon if you haven't!

Ticketing and Show Information

Season: 10 to 12 October 2014
Venue: Drama Centre Theatre, National Library Building
Perfomance Times: Friday 5pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am, 2pm, 4.30pm
Ticket Prices: $62 (Cat 1), $52 (Cat 2), $42 (Cat 3), $35 (Cat 4) (Quote ABA2014 and get 10% off all tickets!)
Booking: Sistic at sistic.com.sg or calling 63485555

Do check out www.hairymaclary.com to learn more about Hairy Maclary and friends. You might also like to check out the Hairy Maclary books by Lynley Dodd, in particular these ones, which the tales in this performance were based: 

• Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy
• Schnitzel von Krum's Basketwork
• Hairy Maclary's Bone
• Hairy Maclary's Hat Tricks
• Scarface Claw 
• Hairy Maclary and Zachary Quack 

There are also plenty of readings of Hariy Maclary which can be found on Youtube if you need some help getting acquainted! (Or if you would like someone else to read a book to your kids for a change!) 

Enjoy! 

*We were invited to watch this show for review purposes, which we did so gladly as we love Hairy Maclary! All opinions remain authentically our own.

A Date with a Very Hungry Caterpillar and Friends

Eric Carle's books are staples in our home library and The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Mixed-Up Chameleon and Little Cloud are among our favourites. So you can imagine how delighted the children were to get up close and personal with some of their favourite characters as they leapt off the pages of the books onto the stage in the stunning production of The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Other Eric Carle Favourites by the Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia.

I'd watched this production with Noey on a school excursion two (or maybe three) years ago and was fascinated by the magic of black light theatre. This year, thanks to Act 3 International, the kids and I were in for a treat as we were invited to step backstage, turn up the lights and learn a bit about how the puppets come to life. I was definitely as excited as the kids were.
If you are not familiar with black light theatre, it involves the use of UV lighting, a dark stage, black curtains, and fluorescent costumes to create a magical effect where the puppeteers disappear into the background, with the puppets and props appearing as if they are animated on their own.

Lights on...

… and lights off!

It is in theory a very simple concept, but we were soon to learn that it wasn't that simple at all to pull off! For one, the puppeteers work in complete darkness, dressed in black with black gloves and black hoods over their heads and faces. I was also surprised to realise that there were only three of them (two puppeteers and one stage manager) working all the puppets and shifting all the sets around. In perfect synchronisation too!

We were given the opportunity to try to manipulate the puppets ourselves and found that it was not that easy to make the puppets move in the same life-like fashion as they do in the hands of the professionals. The caterpillars (there are actually three used in the show) are actually made out of a thick cushion-like material, with the individual donut rings threaded together. Like all the props, they were all handmade in-house. I was personally wowed by how much the puppets resembled the original artwork.

Getting the caterpillars to "crawl" forward. The longer caterpillar has two poles which you can manipulate while for the smaller caterpillar, you simply pinch a segment in each hand to move it.

On Monday he ate through one apple, but he was still hungry.
You can see the flaps on the apple which the puppeteers would fold over as the caterpillar "eats".

We moved on to give the chameleon a go and the kids had fun re-enacting the scene where the chameleon shoots out its tongue to catch the fly. In the process we learnt that the flickering fly is created simply from twisting a two-sided painted fly-on-a-stick between your hands, and flying it around of course. The long tongue on the other hand actually affixed on a conveyor belt adjusted at an appropriate angle, which the puppeteer can pull in and retract easily. The kids tried their hands at this and hmm, maybe it didn't quite come out right, but they sure had fun!

The chameleon trying to catch the fly!

I thought Little Cloud might be easier to manipulate but was quickly disabused of the notion when we were taught how to move like clouds. You don't see clouds bouncing around do you? We were shown how to move smoothly and the kids eagerly volunteered to try out for the part. You can see that they took it very seriously, especially Mei, who I think did a great job with her footwork!

After the wonderful opportunity learning about what goes on behind the scenes, the three of us settled down to watch the show. And I was glad to note that it was as good as I remembered. Better, in fact, given the additional knowledge that we now had. Mei who has never seen the production before was utterly captivated, and got really excited when her favourite very hungry caterpillar came on stage. As for Noey, he was busy explaining to be the whole time how things were done. A little knowledge can be dangerous in his hands. It was a good thing that the whole show was very child-friendly no one batted an eyelid at the excited comments made by the young audience.

I was reminded that I was watching the show with an honest-to-goodness 6-year old though when Noey started protesting about the caterpillar making a cocoon. "It's not a cocoon, it's a chrysalis!" he said indignantly. "Only a moth makes cocoon, a butterfly makes a chrysalis! And it is not a hairy caterpillar! Moth caterpillars are hairy! Tell Eric Carle!" he ended rather huffily.

Cocoon or chrysalis notwithstanding, it was a very enjoyable show. The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Other Eric Carle Favourites has just ended its run here but I wouldn't be surprised if it or its other companion production A Brown Bear, a Moon and a Caterpillar: Treasured Stories by Eric Carle (which we have also watched) return again in a couple of years! Do also check out Act 3 International and join their mailing list to be first to know about other upcoming workshops and productions.

*We thank Act 3 International for the media invite to the workshop and show. All opinions are, as always, our own.

Child's Play at the National Museum of Singapore {Giveaway}

In addition to Masak Masak, Children's Season at the National Museum of Singapore this year also saw the launch of Play@NMS, the first dedicated area in the museum for young children. Tucked away on Level 3 of the museum, Play@NMS, unlike Masak Masak, is a permanent gallery designed with the purpose of helping children take their first-steps towards museum-going, with interactive exhibits and special activities that encourage learning through play. 

Stepping into the Concourse at level 1 of the museum, you will spy Play@NMS right at the top of a flight of stairs. Take the climb and this is what you'll find:

The EXPLORE gallery is the main play area, and this is divided into four sections, modelled after a home. Immediately past the door you'll find the Living Room, with a huge TV - and you as the star! The few times we visited, my little Miss enjoyed her "on-screen" opportunities, but what really got her attention were the comfy chairs, particularly the little one which was just her size. The big sofa on the other hand is an ideal slouchy spot and a great place to curl up with a book when you need a break from playing.

Not much my Mei loves better than to put on a show. Though she prefers it if no one's watching.

Puppets, to help you tell your own story!

Getting comfortable on a little chair made for little people.

Noey and his friends Dana and Isaac get comfortable.

Another popular area was the Kitchen. I don't know any child who doesn't love masak-masak, or pretend cooking, so as you can imagine, the kids were very happy messing in this area. There are two cooking stations, with one set a little lower for the smaller kids. You can also emboss a picture of a favourite Singapore dish, choosing between ice kachang, roti prata, chill crab and nasi lemak. You can later bring the picture over to another room to colour it. Personally I thought it would be better if they just set up a small table nearby for the kids to colour, that's exactly what they wanted to do once they embossed their pic.

Little T ponders the next dish he is going to whip up.

"Let's make Chilli Crab!" 

Getting familiar with the ingredients for different dishes.

Emboss a picture of your favourite Singapore dish.

The kitchen play area.

Colouring/Drawing on her embossed pic over in a separate room.

Behind the kitchen was Noey favourite area, the Bedroom. It was because of a comfy little tent which you could get into to watch some short films on the ceiling. He always spend a good amount of time in here every visit. In the other part of the Bedroom is a mirror with costume decals that kids can "try on" by positioning themselves accordingly. It was a bit of a letdown if you were expecting real costumes for dress-up. The kids didn't really bother trying them. 

Making themselves comfortable...

The last area is the Garden. It had a big tree and like a shape sorter, it had various flowers, leaves and fruit you could fit into it. Popular with the really little ones, though admittedly Mei's favourite thing to do was to carry the baskets for the shapes around!

Fitting in the leaves and flowers

Apart from the main hall, there is also an outdoor sundeck for kids to run around in and scribble on a giant chalkboard wall. This proved rather popular with our budding artists.

Scribble time!

In the weekends, there are also additional activities in the Create gallery where kids can do some art and craft. Play@NMS is recommended for kids aged 3-7, but I personally think kids 5 and under will enjoy it best. While I wish they had done more to make the play spaces more engaging and perhaps more relevant to the National Museum's positioning as a history museum, I am glad that there is now a dedicated space for kids, as I think this is the right step to getting kids (and parents) into the museum. Museums are in fact one of my favourite places to visit, and the kids and I have had many wonderful experiences in museums in Australia and the UK, and Play@NMS as a step in the right direction to make museums places of interest, fun and learning for kids.

Another way to reach kids is through books and in conjunction with the launch of Play@NMS comes Stacey Goes To The National Museum, a new title by author Lianne Ong. (We also previously reviewed her first book, Maxilla!)

Stacey is a little girl who goes to visit the National Museum with her mummy and ends up going on an unexpected adventure, with the help of a surprising little tour guide. As Stacey journeys through the museum, she encounters some of the Treasures of the National Museum and ends up at Play@NMS. I think it is a good initial introduction to the museum for the little ones, and a good read to pick up just before a museum visit. I particularly love the illustrations by James Tan as he manages to incorporate a wonderful amount of detail into his drawings and yet keep the style of the artwork simple and appealing to children.

This is the first book in an upcoming series -- Stacey and the Museums which will allow children to journey with Stacey through different museums under the purview of the National Heritage Board in Singapore. This sounds like a good idea and we are looking forward to seeing the rest of the series.

If you'd like to meet the author Lianne Ong and find out more about Stacey,  good news! Lianne will be making an appearance at the National Museum of Singapore's open house on National Day (9 Aug). There will be an exciting storytelling session and interactive activities such as a scavenger trail for the little ones in the Singapore History Gallery. Sounds like a fun way to spend an afternoon to me!

Stacey Goes To The National Museum is stocked at the gift shop of the National Museum, and is also available online from Armour Publishing at the special web price of $13.64 (15% off the RRP of $16.05).

GIVEAWAY! 

If you'd like a copy of Stacey Goes To The National Museum, here's your chance to grab one because I have ONE COPY to giveaway! To join this giveaway, simply follow the steps of the Rafflecopter widget below. The more steps you complete, the higher our chances of winning.

This giveaway ends on Friday 15 August, 11.59pm, and is open to Singapore residents only. Winners will be picked randomly and contacted by e-mail. Winners have 3 days to respond with their particulars, failing which a new winner will be selected.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

P.S. Hop over to Owls Well to join their giveaway to get another chance at winning a copy of Stacey Goes To The National Museum! Don't miss their cute book trailer too.

Asian Spice Kids: Star Anise, Superstar! {Giveaway}

Being an almost 100% English speaking household, I'm more than little concerned about my kids' ability to master the Chinese language.

It's not that we haven't tried speaking more Chinese at home. In fact, when Noey was born, we seriously considered having one parent speak exclusively to him in Chinese. Except, erm, have you heard me speak Chinese? Right. I really didn't want any child of mine growing up speaking the kind of Chinese that I was speaking, with my limited vocabulary and questionable sentence structure. 

Noey's Chinese today is of a decent standard. About 40% of his school curriculum is conducted in Chinese and he has an English teacher and Chinese teacher in class with him the entire time, so I think he gets a fair bit of exposure to the language at school. I've beefed this up by sending him for Chinese enrichment class. (But of course. I am Singaporean after all.) I persist, not just because Chinese is compulsory learning in Primary and Secondary school, but because I fundamentally think that being Chinese, we need to know Chinese. My son's various attempts to insist that we are English, notwithstanding. 

I've always found reading Chinese books to be a great way to cultivate a love for the language. So I was very happy when I was approached to review Star Anise, Superstar! (八角，超级明星!), the first book by author Linn Shekinah in her bilingual series, Asian Spice Kids (亚洲辛香小孩). My kids were equally chuffed.

From the title, you would probably have guessed that the main characters in the story are Asian Spices. Star Anise is the star (ahem) and protagonist of this first title. Perhaps in a bid to live up to her name, Star Anise has big dreams of being a superstar, and goes all out to garner attention. Unfortunately, all this does is rub everyone else, from the other Spice Kids to the audience, the wrong way. Star Anise leaves in tears and disgrace, but redemption comes to her later when she learns what it means to be a true star.

Both kids enjoyed the book, Noey in particular, since at 5 years of age, he is better placed to understand the underlying message of the story. He grabbed the book when it arrived and devoured it, then immediately asked me for the second volume! He read it in English, naturally, but I was glad that he was still interested when I read the book to them in Chinese. I needed my trusty iPhone dictionary to do this effectively, but I'm glad I did it, as certain portions of text came across better in the more emotional Chinese language. I was happy to note in this regard that the story had been properly written in Chinese, and not simply loosely translated from English.

At the end of the book, there is a glossary which explains certain terms in English and Chinese, with the hanyu pinyin included. I found this really useful, and Noey, who is rather adept at hanyu pinyin had fun figuring out and translating the terms.

Another cool feature of this book is the nifty little handout that comes with it, with instructions for a snakes and ladders game, a word matching game and a little quiz. Noey really liked the simple snakes and ladders game and has made me play it repeatedly! There are also additional free downloadable activities available at www.asianspicekids.com.

I knew the book had really made an impact when, at a recent preview of the new children's science centre Kids Stop, Noey pointed out a little section on spices and excitedly told me, "Look Mummy! Asian Spices! There are 4 of them here!". He could even name a couple in Chinese, which I was particularly happy about.

We're looking forward to the next few books!

Asian Spice Kids: Star Anise, Superstar! is the first title of the The Asian Spice Kids series by local author Linn Shekinah and sponsored by the Ministry of Education's Lee Kuan Yew Bilingualism Fund. Each book in this collection of five pre-school bilingual picture books is written in dual languages and comes in two versions -- English-Chinese and English-Malay. Recommended for ages 4 to 8. You can purchase a copy of Asian Spice Kids: Star Anise, Superstar! at all major bookstores. The English-Chinese version is also available at Flip For Joy for $16.50.

GIVEAWAY!

TWO LUCKY READERS of this blog will walk away with a copy each of Asian Spice Kids: Star Anise, Superstar! To stand a chance of winning, simply follow the steps in the Rafflecopter widget below. The more steps you complete, the higher your chance of winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway ends on Friday 30 May 2014 and is open to Singapore residents only.

Shopping and Saving on Books at NoQ Store

It is no secret that I love buying books. When I see a good title, I simply cannot resist. With the proliferation of online bookstores with selections wider than you'd find in a physical bookstore, with lower prices to boot, I've been happily buying and (as I tell my husband) SAVING MONEY. Ah, love it when I can use that line!

So the latest bookstore that I've been saving money at is NoQ Store. For the uninitiated, NoQ Store is the online bookstore of the Times Publishing Group, one of the most reputable names in publishing, printing, distribution and retail in this part of the world. It shouldn't be surprising then to know that NoQ Store offers a touted 14 million titles and boasts the cheapest book prices in Asia. All your favourite books, stationery, and reading accessories are available at your fingertips without the hassle of heading out the the store and queuing. (Hence their name: "No Queue" - geddit?)

I made several purchases from NoQ Store and here is what I thought. 

What I like about NoQ Store:

• Wide Range
  One of NoQ Store's major selling points has to be the range of books and reading paraphernalia available. There are fiction and non-fiction titles for the whole family, sorted into 37 categories which you can readily browse. There are also two special categories that I found useful: 
  
  -- Special Feature where you can find the bestsellers and staff picks, and books of particular interest. Like Geronimo Stilton and Lego, for example, which my son love.
  -- Bargain Books need no further explanation. Here you'll find the cheapest books and the ones with the deepest discounts. 
  
  If you're looking for something specific, pop that in the search bar to call it out. Aside from books, NoQ Store also stocks textbooks and assessment books, magazines, stationery like notebooks, journals and notepads, diaries, calendars and e-book readers.
  
• Great Promotions and Offers
  The prices you find at NoQ Store are very competitive and lower than what you can find in bookstores around town. These are also frequently augmented by special discounts and offers, which come around fairly regularly. I scooped up a bunch of Little Golden Books during a recent Easter promotion and got a further 20% off the books, which were already very affordably priced at $4.19 each (before GST). I was chuffed to find that these offers make the already good prices even better!

• Free Shipping (with a minimum $25 purchase)
  Even with the low prices, shipping within Singapore is free with a minimum purchase of $25, which I believe isn't difficult to meet. If your order comes up to less that $25, shipping within Singapore is just a flat rate of $5. The books took about 14 days to arrive, which is comparable to other similar online bookstores.
• Doorstep Delivery
  I was pleasantly surprised to find that the even though shipping was free, my books were delivered via courier right to my doorstep instead of being unceremoniously shoved into my letterbox. The books in the box were beautifully wrapped in brown paper and arrived in pristine condition. I was also alerted to when they would be delivered via SMS.  

What I was not so keen on:

• Reflected Prices do not include GST
  Do bear in mind that the prices of the books reflected on the website do not include GST, which is tagged on at the end when you checkout. So if you're making a comparison across different bookstores, you might want to account for this in your calculations.
  
• Post-purchase Out-Of-Stock Notification
  I placed two orders and both times I was informed after my order had been placed that a book was out-of-stock. My order total was adjusted accordingly and I was not charged for the out-of-stock books and did not need to seek a refund. I guess I suffered no loss save the disappointment of having my hopes of getting a much-sought-after book crushed. I personally would much rather be told at the outset if a book is out of stock, but I understand that the reason for this later notification is that NoQ Store operates via a drop-shipping process, where books are only imported from overseas suppliers upon receipt of orders. Hence, NoQ Store is only able to inform customers of the fact that some books are out-of-stock after orders have been placed and suppliers have confirmed their availability. This process is a bit longer and more tedious but it is how NoQ manages to keep prices low. 
  
• Search Function
  The search function for the site is a bit difficult to use in that using a portion of the title is often insufficient to find a book. Your best bet is to use the full title, or the full author's name.

Overall, I think that while there are some blips in the shopping experience at NoQ Store, these are not insurmountable, and for me at least, the attractive offers do outweigh some of these setbacks.

And here's a special offer to sweeten the deal, just for readers of this blog! Simply use the coupon code "SMALLTHINGS" under the voucher and promotion code tab at checkout and get 15% OFF ALL PURCHASES! If you have yet to check out NoQ Store, this might be a good time to do some shopping. 

[P.S. While we are on the topic of books, do check back on Tuesday for a book review and giveaway!]

* I was invited to shop at NoQ Store for the purpose of this post. I do not earn any commission from the use of the coupon code -- it is purely an offer from NoQ Store to the readers of this blog. (Thanks NoQ Store!) All opinions reflected are my own.

Maxilla: Book Review {Giveaway}

There is nothing my little boy loves more than getting new books.

So you can imagine how his eyes lit up when a new book arrived in the post for us to review -- Maxilla. I might not have mentioned it, but my son really loves bugs and insects. He's constantly asking us to stop on walks to peer at little creepy crawlies and is quite fascinated with them. This book, therefore, was right up his alley.

The first book by local author Lianne Ong, Maxilla is based on the true events that happened when Lianne's family was living in the Bay Area, California. A little boy named Reuben finds a caterpillar in his school garden one day and decides to keep her for a pet. He names her Maxilla and looks forward to seeing her grow into a butterfly. Unfortunately Reuben soon finds out that Maxilla is a special caterpillar that can only thrive in her natural habitat. Should Reuben keep Maxilla or release her back into the wild? That is the tough choice he has to make.

I wouldn't spoil the story for you but suffice to say that Reuben learns the important lesson about respecting nature and love. 

I'll also tell you a funny thing that happened to us just before we read the book: we ourselves found a little caterpillar at home. I'm guessing that it must have followed us back after our excursion the previous day. Whatever the case, the children were both tremendously excited. We nudged it gently into a container and they both spent a long time observing the caterpillar, which Noey promptly christened Boobee.

The children hastily went to pluck leaves from, erm, my neighbour's plants to give to Boobee but when he proved to be uninterested, Noey got worried. I told him that we'd do a bit more research to find out what Boobee might like to eat, but while I was away on an errand subsequently, he got my helper to bring him downstairs to release Boobee into the garden patch at the bottom of our block. "So that he can find his own food," Noey said.

So as you can imagine, Maxilla really struck a chord with him. "I give it 6 out of 5 stars!" he said. His favourite bit was the beautiful illustrations by Shing, an acclaimed artist who is based in Japan. I also liked the little section on the life cycle of a butterfly at the end of the book -- a little learning point that tied in neatly with the story. My only complaint is the uneven handwriting font for the text which I felt was not the nicest or easiest to read.

Now you also have a chance to win a copy of Maxilla for yourself as I have THREE COPIES (each worth $9.90) to give away! To enter, simply follow use the Rafflecopter widget below. The more options you complete, the higher your chances of winning. Two winners will be selected at random.

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Wait, there's more!

I also have ONE BUTTERFLY KIT to give away! With this butterfly kit from Oh Farms, you can have the opportunity to keep a caterpillar in and watch it's transformation into a butterfly. The butterfly kit and one copy of Maxilla will be given to the person who leaves me the most interesting comment on this blog (as judged by me) to the question "Why do you want to win the butterfly kit and a copy of Maxilla?" The winner must be able to pick up the butterfly kit from a central location.

If you'd like to find more about Maxilla, Lianne Ong will be making a couple of public appearances at the following times and venues:

• 15 March (Sat) @ MPH Bookstores Parkway Parade, from 1 to 2pm
• 21 March (Fri) @ Woodlands Regional Library Programme Zone, from 12pm to 1 pm.

Do also visit Maxilla's Facebook Page for the latest updates.

If you'd like to find out more about butterflies here are some places which you might wish to consider visiting:

1. Butterfly Park & Insect Garden ($16/ adult, $10/child)

Located in Singapore's Sentosa Island, surrounded with lush tropical greenery, Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom showcases the stunning beauties of a different variety of beautiful butterflies and interesting insects. A must - see outdoor experience for children, tourists and nature lovers alike, Butterfly Park & Insect Kingdom has wowed visitors from all over the world. With the scents, sights and sounds of an authentic tropical rainforest, it's a multi - sensory, interactive experience that's guaranteed to engage you from start to finish. 

2. Oh Farms Butterfly Lodge (Guided tour at $5/person)

The Butterfly Lodge is a butterfly-friendly flight cage which is created to allow visitors to observe and enjoy the butterflies in a landscaped garden environment. Visitors get to learn about the ecology and conservation of butterflies as well as appreciate the diversity and beauty of Singapore's butterfly fauna.

The habitats within the Butterfly Lodge are carefully designed to allow the butterflies to fly freely and go about their daily activities with as little interference as possible. The plants - featuring both butterfly host and nectaring plants, are selected to best encourage sustainability and survival of the butterflies and to illustrate the close relationship between butterflies and plants in nature.

One of the main objectives of the Butterfly Lodge is to provide an educational facility for students and enthusiasts to learn about butterflies, understand their behaviour and how to enhance the biodiversity and promote butterfly conservation efforts in Singapore for future generations to enjoy these Nature's Flying Jewels.

3. Hort Park Butterfly Garden (Free, but currently closed)

This used to be our favourite place to observe and get close to butterflies. Unfortunately, it's recently been closed to make way for a bigger enclosure. There is no information on when it will be re-opened.

4. Changi Airport Butterfly Garden (Free, Terminal 3, Departure Transit Lounge Level 2 & 3)

Nestled in Terminal 3 is the home to over one thousand butterflies. The butterfly garden, an all-time favourite, is the first of its kind to be featured in an airport. Educational corners and individual enclosures allow visitors to gain insight into the life cycle of a butterfly. You can even witness the birth of a gorgeous butterfly as it exits its pupae stage and takes its first flight at the Emergence Enclosure.

This is within the transit and departure lounge so something to note the next time you take a trip!

* We were provided a copy of Maxilla for the purpose of this review. Copies of Maxilla for giveaway are kindly sponsored by MPH. I'm sponsoring the butterfly kit on my own.

Mr Men And Little Miss At The Groovy Giraffe + A Great Promotion!

This weekend, my little girl turns three. Yes, three already! Time is really flying by.

To celebrate, we're had a very small party with family and a handful of friends and neighbours. I asked the little girl who she's like to invite to her party and she named "Papa!" and "Kong Kong and Popo!" and "Nainai!" and all of our nearest and dearest. Our Nomi loves nothing better than having the whole family together so all her favourite big people are coming to celebrate, and some little friends too.

Of course, me, being me, I can't have a party, however small, without a theme, so I decided to based this party on Noey and Nomi's current favourite books and make it a Mr Men and Little Miss party. It was a fun one and I can't wait to share it what we did with you.

But first, I'm here to talk about the favours. My favourite party favours are books since a) I think reading is a great habit, and b) I think books go a longer way than sweets and snacks. So I've always managed to incorporate a book for our little guests to take home. For Nomi's first birthday, it was How To Catch A Star, for her second birthday, it was a series of Charlie And Lola books. This year, I bought Mr Men and Little Miss books, naturally.

But because everyone loves them and has a few copies of these books themselves, I was extra thrilled to find variations of these books with different stories at my favourite remainder bookstore, The Groovy Giraffe!

I've previously told you about the great deals you can get at The Groovy Giraffe, so you can imagine that I was thrilled to find these: 

Mr Men and Little Miss stories, in a nice big size AND at a nice discount! Win-win-win, I say. 

I bought the lot including some for my own kids, and I hope the other children enjoy them too. 

Speaking of The Groovy Giraffe, they have recently achieved more than 1000 likes on their Facebook Page, and to celebrate, they are running a promotion to give readers a 15% discount on all books in the Children's Category! (Which yes, includes the Mr Men and Little Miss books!) Just key in the coupon code "GET15OFF" to enjoy this discount! Valid from now till 19 March 2014, so move fast!

Here are some of my book recommendations, if you're wondering what to get:

1. Dr Seuss Classic Collection (20 book box set collection) -- $99.90 (RRP: $251.58)

Dr Seuss has been a favourite for generations, and this 20-book box set like The Cat In That Hat, Green Eggs And Ham, and Oh The Places You'll Go. This not-always-in-stock set is a great deal so grab it before it goes out of stock!

2. Charlie and Lola: My Completely Best Story Collection (5 books plus CD) -- $38.90 (RRP: $79.95)

Charlie and Lola are some of my kids' favourite characters and I love them too because they are so cute and the best siblings ever. In this box set, you get 5 hardcover books PLUS an audio CD, to read the books for you! Included in the set are two books that my kids enjoy: Snow Is My Favourite and My Best, and I Won, No I Won, No I Won. I think this would make a great gift and have bought one myself for an upcoming party.

3. Stuck by Oliver Jeffers -- $9.90 (RRP: $14.17)

Oliver Jeffers is one of my favourite children's authors for the lovely simple yet creative and somewhat kookie stories he writes. Stuck is one that I love because the story is so ridiculous! A little boy gets his kite stuck in a tree and goes to great extents to get it down. Read this for a good laugh.

4. Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen -- $6.90 (RRP: $8.88)

This book is described as "an affectionate storybook tribute to that truly wonderful place: the library." I have not read this book but it comes highly recommended by trusted sources and from reading the description, I love it already! Needless to say, the library is one of my favourite places.

5. Someday by Alison McGhee - $9.90 (RRP: $19.99)

Another book that came to me highly recommended, I picked this up in a recent school book order, and it is a sweetly touching ode to life told from the perspective of a mother, watching and anticipating her child's process of growing up. Definitely a book that all Mums will be able to identify with -- more than the kids, I feel! But definitely worth a read.

6. One Snowy Night by Nick Butterworth -- $12.90 (RRP: $16.45)

The kids received this book as a gift from my friend and it is a lovely story of friendship between Percy the Park Keeper and the animals in the part where he lives. The book is beautifully illustrated and the kids love pouring over the pictures.

7. The Enid Blyton Faraway Tree & Wishing-Chair Collection -- $26.90 (RRP: $30.76)

Enid Blyton needs no introduction. Needless to say, I was a huge fan when I was a child and these two series were among my favourites. A quick and convenient box set so you can make sure you have all the titles at hand.

Have fun reading!

Reads :: Back To School Books

In the lead-up to Meips' big first day, we, like all parents, tried to ease the transition for her by doing various things. She was already somewhat familiar with the environment, having gone with me on numerous occasions to pick Noey up, so that was certainly a plus. We also spoke to her about her teachers and what she would be doing in school, and of course, read a number of books about starting school. I'm a firm believer of using books to help the kids articulate their thoughts and fears so this was the perfect opportunity to whip out some books to help set the stage for the big first day. 

Here are some of our favourites:

1. Puddle's Big Step by Amber Stewart & Layn Marlow

Description: 'When Puddle was barely more than an egg, he couldn't wait to start duckling school.' So begins this story about feelings of excitement, anticipation, and understandable nervousness that surround an approaching first day at nursery school. Puddle, a little duckling, is like so many pre-school children in desperately wanting to be grown-up enough to go to school and to have his own school bag. But as the day draws nearer, Puddle begins to feel rather wobbly about the whole concept! Luckily Mummy knows just what to do. She packs items into Puddle's school bag that will help him through his first day - one of her softest feathers to remind him she is never far away, some home-made biscuits for him to share with his new friends, his Cuddly for the afternoon nap - and, as the story unfolds, we discover how Puddle's enjoyment of his first day builds each time he finds one of Mummy's tokens in his bag. Puddle spends a happy day counting caterpillars, matching ladybirds, leaping from lily pad to lily pad, and decorating a leafy twig. So, by going-home time, he can put his twig in his bag to take home for Mummy.

Puddle's Big Step is one of Meips' favourites and she's asked for it to be read everyday! I think actually like all the books in the series by Amber Stewart and Layn Marlow and this is a sweet one which I think would help boost the confidence of young ones starting pre-school. (You can get this book from The Groovy Giraffe and use the "GET5OFF" code to get an additional 5% off the price!)  

 2. Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes

Description: Wemberly worries about everything. Big things. Little things. And things in between. Wemberly worried about spilling her juice, about shrinking in the bathtub, even about snakes in the radiator. She worried morning, noon, and night. "Worry, worry, worry," her family said. "Too much worry." And Wemberly worried about one thing most of all: her first day of school. But when she meets a fellow worrywart in her class, Wemberly realizes that school is too much fun to waste time worrying!

Wemberly Worried is one of those Kevin Henkes' classics, and I think it does a good job of relating to young children and the worries that they may have. Noey at 5 years old enjoyed this one more than Meips (2.5 years old) as she found it a bit wordy. But they both enjoyed the bright colourful illustrations which I thought did a good job of conveying emotions.

3. I Am Too Absolutely Small For School by Lauren Child

Description: Lola is not so sure about school. After all, why would she need to count higher than ten when she never eats more that ten cookies at a time? Once again, it's up to ever-patient big brother Charlie to persuade Lola that school is worthwhile — and that her invisible friend, Soren Lorensen, will be welcome, too.

We are big fans of Charlie and Lola and this delightful book is one of my favourites. There are many books in the Charlie and Lola series, but many of these are adapted from the TV series. Only 3 titles are "original" Lauren Child: I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato, I Am Not Sleepy and I Will Not Go To Bed, and this -- I Am Too Absolutely Small for School. There are some other good ones in the adaptations, but I think the original Lauren Child books are a class above the rest. She somehow manages to combine quirky humour with her trademark collage style illustrations to produce a book that is funny and endearing at the same time. In this book, each time Lola tells Charlie she doesn't want to go to school, he would ever so patiently give her an outlandish reason why she should. This is a wonderful book which will have kids laughing and will help calm those first-day-of-school nerves. The large hardback version of this book is also available at The Groovy Giraffe with 5% off with the same "GET5OFF" code. 

4. The Berenstain Bears Go To School by Stan and Jan Berenstain

Description: A sympathetic story about Sister Bear, who conquers her fear of starting kindergarten. The book begins with Brother and Sister Bear getting ready to go to school at the end of summer. Sister Bear is starting kindergarten and she wonders what school will be like. Mama Bear brings Sister to meet the teacher for lunch and all goes well. But the first day arrives and Sister is a little hesitant about going. Despite her fears, she goes and meets her classmates realises that there's nothing to worry about. School is fun!

I loved the Berenstain Bears when I was a child so it's nice to see my kids enjoying the same books I did. The Berenstain Bears Go To School is a classic tale of first day jitters. I find most of the Berenstain Bear books a great resource for teaching kids positive behaviour and attitudes and this book is no exception.

5. My Teacher Sleeps in School by Leatie Weiss

Description: Because Mrs Marsh is always in her classroom before the students arrive and always stays after they leave, Mollie becomes convinced that her teacher has no home other than the school. Join the children in Mrs Marsh's class as they search for clues to prove their teacher sleeps in school, and enjoy their surprise when a mystery bus trip ends in front of a nice white house with a blue door - a house much like the ones they live in themselves. 

Meips particularly enjoyed this title and it has become one of the staples in her bedtime story routine. It's got cute pictures too and both kids always giggle over the pictures which show the teacher changing and getting ready for bed in the classroom, and sleeping on the bookshelf or piano. A fun story which fires the imagination then brings the reader round to see that a teacher is really not that different from the rest of us.

6. First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg

Description: Everyone knows that sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach just before diving into a new situation. Sarah Jane Hartwell is scared and doesn't want to start over at a new school. She doesn't know anybody, and nobody knows her. It will be awful. She just knows it. With much prodding from Mr Hartwell, Sarah Jane reluctantly pulls herself together and goes to school. She is quickly befriended by Mrs Burton, who helps smooth her jittery transition. This charming and familiar story will delight readers with its surprise ending. Fun, energetic illustrations brighten page after page with the busy antics surrounding Sarah Jane. First Day Jitters is an enchanting story that is sure to be treasured by anyone who has ever anticipated a first day of school.

This was one of the books Noey's class read to start the year and I thought it was a good one! If you haven't guessed from the description, the main character getting the jitters is revealed at the end of the story to be the teacher, not a student as you might have thought. I thought it was a good twist to the story. Certainly made me smile!

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Speaking of first days and being back at school, here's a little shout-out on the Back To School Sale on going at The Groovy Giraffe. Get an ADDITIONAL 20% OFF all books in the EDUCATION category with the code GET20OFF!

For those with school-going kids, there are plenty of assessment books available. with some going for as low as $2.90! I haven't arrived at that stage yet and am instead eyeing these 3-D pop-up reference books which I know my kids, especially Noey, will love. 

 Digital 3-D Pops: 1. Space | 2. Earth | 3. Dinosaur

[Edit: I've just been told these are DIGITAL 3-D pops, not actual pop-up books. Aiyah.]

Hope everyone had great start to the school year!