Inspired by the author's father's childhood years, Little Hero by Emily Lim-Leh is a lovely story about a boy navigating life in 1940s post-war Singapore.
New book recommendation - Emily Lim-Leh's Little Hero. This middle grade book tells the story of Ying Xiong and his family navigating life in post-war 1940s Singapore. When Xiong's father returns to China, seven-year-old Xiong and his mother have to eke out a living in Singapore without Xiong's father and brothers. Xiong learns to make new friends and even meets dangerous gangsters, before finally understanding what it means to live up to his name Ying Xiong - hero.
I love stories set in olden day Singapore. They always bring me back to my younger days when I watched TCS (or even SBC - gasp!) drama series about Singapore in yesteryears, which I think children these days are likely unfamiliar with given the gamut of shows and books competing for their attention. This is a great story to expose your children to what it's like to live in pre-independent Singapore.
I especially love that this story is inspired by real-life events from Emily's father's childhood years, and the author’s notes about what happened to her family members in real life gives a beautiful closure and ending to this story.
At almost 100 pages, this junior chapter book is not too daunting for younger ones. I'd recommend this book to those age 8 years and above. You can now preorder Little Hero at Amazon SG at
https://www.amazon.sg/Little-Hero-Emily-Lim-Leh/dp/9815162071/ref=sr_1_1 and Kinokuniya online at https://singapore.kinokuniya.com/bw/9789815162073 before its release on April 30 🤗
Thank you, Emily, for sending this advance reader copy over and congrats again on your new book! 🥳
Disclaimer: My opinions and reviews here are strictly my and my family’s own.
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