When Mr Lee Kuan Yew passed away in March this year, I wrote about my thoughts on his legacy in this post, and we talked to Noah about him. We wanted to bring him to pay our respects, but didn’t in the end, as we thought he wouldn’t be able to queue for that long. Instead, we visited a tribute centre, where we got to look at display boards about Mr Lee’s work, and I helped Noah to make a simple craft before that, so that we could leave it there.
Looking at pictures
Watching the coffin being transferred from the Istana to the Parliament House
Working on the craft
At one of the tribute centres
Interestingly, Noah has been quite keen to learn more about Mr Lee, and would exclaim, “Hey, that’s Mr Lee!” then start chanting, “Lee Kuan Yew! Lee Kuan Yew!” whenever he saw his photo. Guess he picked that up when he watched the funeral procession with us that rainy afternoon. He had tons of questions then, about why it was raining, and more importantly, why Mr Lee had died. He wanted to know why there were so many people lining the streets despite the heavy downpour, and why they were in tears. These are big questions, and I confess that I didn’t know very much about many of the policies put in place by Mr Lee. Thus, I was pleased to see that the Timmy & Tammy DISCOVER Series: Lee Kuan Yew covered his life quite thoroughly, and in simple enough language for school-going children to read and understand.
The Timmy & Tammy DISCOVER Series: Lee Kuan Yew book is categorised under Genius Level 4, which means it contains complex stories with several chapters for confident readers. I think it is probably most suited for children in the upper primary levels, though strong lower primary readers should also be able to handle it.
Timmy & Tammy DISCOVER Series: Lee Kuan Yew
As you can see from the Contents Page, there are 14 short chapters covering everything you need to know about Mr Lee. I liked that the key events in his life are summarised neatly, which make it easier for children to read and digest. Some children might have more questions about certain sections, which is a good thing, because that shows that they are engaged and actually thinking about what they have read. I would suggest asking them to do their own research on those events, so that they can take responsibility for their own learning.
Throughout the book, you’ll find bits of interesting anecdotes and information presented in smaller boxes. The photographs and illustrations will appeal to visual learners and younger readers, and I think the “Words to Know” section is very helpful to help readers understand the more complex vocabulary. I don’t know about you, but when I was a child, I didn’t like having to stop reading just to look up a word in the dictionary, and almost never did it, choosing to just skip the word instead.
Noah is only three this year, so there are many sections in this book that are beyond him. I didn’t quite plan on reading it to him when it first arrived, but he insisted on reading it. I wasn’t sure if he liked the book initially, but he has picked it out from the bookshelf on a few separate occasions, just to flip through the pages, and look at the pictures on his own, so I’m guessing that means he likes it. He is particularly concerned about the Bukit Ho Swee fire, and always asks me why the fire happened, whenever he gets to that page. He also likes looking at the pages covering Mr Lee’s funeral, and chats with me about the images, as well as what he saw that day on television.
One of Noah’s favourite sections
Flipping through the book before his nap
If you’re looking for a book to help your child (or even yourself) understand Mr Lee’s legacy better, I think this book is a good option, as it is rather comprehensive, and the information is presented in an interesting and non-intimidating manner. I particularly like the list of quotes at the end! You can also use the handy quiz to check if your child has understood what he has read. (Sorry, I’m an ex-teacher, and old habits die hard!)
Quotes
The quiz
Happy reading!
Buy the Book Timmy & Tammy DISCOVER Series: Lee Kuan Yew from Armour Publishing Timmy & Tammy DISCOVER Series: Lee Kuan Yew is also available at Kinokuniya and Popular Bookstores
*Disclaimer: I received an autographed (woohoo!) copy of “Timmy & Tammy DISCOVER Series: Lee Kuan Yew” from the author. All photos and opinions are, as always, my own.
*******
GIVEAWAY TIME!
We have a copy of Timmy & Tammy DISCOVER Series: Lee Kuan Yew to be given to one lucky reader of Growing with the Tans! To participate, please complete the Rafflecopter widget below. Terms and conditions apply.
Terms and Conditions: This giveaway will end on Friday, 14th August 2015, at 2359h, and is open to Singapore residents only. The winners will be contacted via the particulars provided when entering this giveaway, and will have 24 hours to respond, failing which a new winner will be selected. All incomplete entries will be disqualified, and all entries will be verified before the winner is announced. To be fair to our sponsor, please note that all fake Facebook accounts (accounts set up purely to take part in contests, with no or very few real friends), will be disqualified.
*******
<div align="center"><a href="http://growingwiththetans.com" title="Growing with the Tans" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u391/growingwiththetans/ddfe71e0-1833-4e8f-a5d8-44a1ccef101b_zps78fef841.jpg" alt="Growing with the Tans" style="border:none;" /></a></div>*******
If you’ve enjoyed reading this post, do like my Facebook page to get updates. You can also follow me on Twitter (@GrowingwtheTans), Instagram (@GrowingwiththeTans), and Dayre (@GrowingwiththeTans), for short updates on what’s going on in our lives. Thank you! 🙂
Comentários