Author: Lynn Wong
Country of original publication: Singapore
Language: Bilingual English-Simplified Chinese
~ Pages: 26
~ Lines per page: 1
~Pinyin: No
Available in Singapore NLB: no
Picture this – we were sitting in KK Women’s & Children’s hospital, sick toddler on my knee, waiting for the nurses to attend to us. My tired, sore and grumpy toddler was sick of hearing from me for the zillionth time not to pull of their face mask, nor to touch things. Being a patient patient is tough for little one. And then, out of the blue, we get passed a picture book! A gift! It’s for us to keep, filled with bright colours of familiar places in Singapore, telling a story of hope and courage.
Yesterday we were surprised to receive the book “I Wonder” (我想知道) authored by Singaporean Lynn Wong, and creatively illustrated by her husband (Eugene) and nine year old daughter (RaeAnne). It was a breath of fresh air for us, and appeased all our frayed nerves. My toddler instantly recognised the front cover as a familiar scene ….. even in the hospital waiting room, the seats are crossed out for social distancing. We noticed that every child – and family – who was handed the book instantly started to read it and smile.
The book sends a great message of support, as is written from the perspective of seeing a crisis (in this case, Covid) through the eyes of a child. There’s a message in there for all of us. It will inspire the reader to see the challenges we’re going through with the open and optimism of a child. I had previously written on this blog about our family’s learnings from COVID crisis here and here, and this book really just sums it all up so perfectly and simply.
I won’t write too much, because I think in just a couple of pictures, it will tell it all. Such a wonderful effort from a mother and her family. Good news, there is a version in bilingual Chinese too.
Physical copies of the book are being sold as a fundraiser for the price of S$12.90, of which proceeds donated to The Courage Fund and other beneficiaries. I Wonder is certainly something I’d like to keep on our bookshelf forever, as a reminder of this unique point in history which we are living through, and that there is always a rainbow after the rain. We’ll be buying more and sharing on with friends too. For those not physically able to buy a copy, there’s also a PDF version. To support this amazing charity effort, please visits the author’s website here.
The author has already donated 1500 books to children and families from vulnerable backgrounds through KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (which is how we received it – HUGE thank you!), along with Family Service Centres and Families for Life. How special is that!
