In celebration of our nation’s birthday, The Learning Lab has curated a list of books written by homegrown authors for your child. As these books feature common sights and draw on local experiences, they allow your child to better relate to the characters and scenes, enlivening his or her reading experience. They also allow for a chance to bring your child to places described in the books to experience the sights, sounds and smells of Singapore.
What’s more? Check out our fun tips on how your child can best experience the book with your help and ignite or deepen his or her love for reading. Most of these titles are also available in our physical library as well as on SORA, our e-Library.
This is an eye-catching book that showcases Singapore’s National Day Parade through the eyes of Timmy and Tammy as they soak in the atmosphere of the event through sights and sounds! Children will also enjoy the bold and vivid illustrations capturing the spirit of our nation’s birthday. Parents will find this a great read for children before they attend the National Day parade or watch the celebration on screen.
About the author:
A writer of children’s literature, Ruth Wan-Lau hopes to inspire in her readers a love for Singapore. The Percy and Pam series as well as the Timmy and Tammy series cover themes and topics familiar to all Singaporeans, such as adventures in Botanic Gardens, Changi Airport and the Fire Station.
Ask your child some of these question:
It always helps to tap on your child’s existing knowledge before you lead them into reading about something new. This helps them ease into the reading process and excites them as they connect the new knowledge with what they previously learnt.
Reading tip #1
There are many sound words used in the book. Get your child excited by making the sounds together! Every time you and your child read out the sound word, it makes it easier for your child to remember this word.
Reading tip #2
Do you notice how the author repeats certain words and phrases? She even starts sentences in the same way. The repetition is there for a reason. It helps your child to remember how to start sentences and remember these words and phrases to use in the future. This helps them to become more independent readers and speakers.
Post-reading activity #1
In your second or third reading of the book, after the parade, you can ask your child if they saw or experienced the same things mentioned in the story.
Post-reading activity #2
Watch the parade with your child and get them to point out the sights and sounds mentioned in the book so that they can remember how to describe a celebration when they need to talk or write about it.
(They are available in our physical libraries!)
Percy enjoys nothing more than a prata breakfast with his best friend Pam. When Percy and Pam find the owner of Ramasamy's Prata in despair over a theft from his shop, the brave duo set out to catch the robber. But can a hungry polar bear surrounded by the delicious smells of nearby restaurants stay focused on the mission? And what mysterious characters will they meet in the middle of the night?
About the author:
A writer of children’s literature, Ruth Wan-Lau hopes to inspire in her readers a love for Singapore. The Percy and Pam series as well as the Timmy and Tammy series cover themes and topics familiar to all Singaporeans, such as adventures in Botanic Gardens, Changi Airport and the Fire Station.
When your child reads, pay attention to vocabulary and phrases that are used to describe food and the enjoyment of food. Some examples include:
Post-reading activity #1
This National Day holiday, bring your child to try some of the imaginative and fancy creations that Pam and Percy ordered in the book! After their meal, get them to use the vocabulary and phrases they learnt from the book to describe the meal they are having. This will help them with vivid descriptions of food when speaking or writing.
Here are some of the dishes mentioned in the book that Pam and Percy tried:
(* these are made-up creations in the book but some prata shops do allow you to customise your order!)
Post-reading activity #2
When you are having prata one day with your child, ask them what kinds of other bread they are familiar with. You can then introduce them to the different types of bread. For example: baguette, pita, croissant, panini, focaccia, etc. Not only will this expand their knowledge of breads, it also expands their vocabulary. You can buy some of these breads and enjoy them with your child, asking them to describe the texture and taste as well.
These are ways in which new words and descriptions stay in their minds as their senses are involved as they experience the world around them - all from reading one storybook.
(They are available on SORA, our e-library!)
Meet Sherlock Sam, Singapore’s greatest kid detective. In this first instalment, Auntie Kim Lian’s precious Peranakan cookbook goes missing! Sherlock Sam and his trusty robot Watson have to flex his detective powers to find it or he will never eat her delicious ayam buah keluak* again!
* Ayam buah keluak is a traditional Peranakan dish consisting of chicken (ayam), tamarind gravy and seeds from the Buah Keluak tree.
About the author:
Adan Jimenez and Felicia Low-Jimenez are a husband-wife writing duo known by their pen name, AJ Low. They are authors of the Sherlock Sam series, a bestselling detective book series centered around a Singaporean kid detective named Sherlock Sam. The series won first prize at the International Schools Libraries Network’s Red Dot Awards for 2013-2014.
Pre-reading activity #1
An heirloom is a valuable object that has belonged to a family for several generations like jewelry, clocks and even books. Ask your child this question: If you could pick one thing that could be passed down to the next few generations and will become a family heirloom, what will it be?
Pre-reading activity #2
Get your child to look at the cover of the book. Ask your child the following:
Understanding the author and/or illustrator's focus in the pictures on the cover page of any book is a great way to lead or entice your child to want to read or to discover if what they predicted earlier really happens in the story.
What are the clues that you have picked out while reading the book? Can you solve the mystery before Sherlock Sam?
Post-reading activity #1
This National Day, explore the Katong area and visit sites that Sherlock Sam went to like Chin Mee Chin Confectionary and Katong Antique House. Get your child to describe the surroundings of these places and ask if his or her descriptions match those found in the book.
Post-reading activity #2
While in Katong, get him or her to try some of the Peranakan dishes mentioned in the book!
(They are available on SORA, our e-library!)
Reading is a huge part of your child's learning process. We do not just equip your child with exam-ready knowledge and skills but we desire to help your child develop proficient reading skills as well as a love for reading.
This is an essential part of our language lessons, as we believe that reading plays a critical role in building a strong foundation in a language. Teachers also conduct storytelling sessions for our kindergarten students, which bring each child on a little journey out of the classroom and into the magical settings within the stories.
The comprehension and cloze passage exercises in our English lessons are commonly based off excerpts from popular children’s books in our TLL Libraries. This makes the exercises more interesting and engaging for our students, who often proceed to browse or borrow these books for leisure reading.
The Learning Lab is now at 9 locations. Find a location that suits your needs.
If you have any questions about our programmes, please email us at enquiry@thelearninglab.com.sg or call us at 6733 8711 and we will be happy to assist you.
Learn more about the fun and educational activities we conduct in class that can help your child can develop a love for learning.
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