Singaporean author Don Bosco has just released a new book in his Lion City Adventures Series. This one is called “Island of Legends” ($15.80 before GST at all major bookstores) and we were sent a copy for review.
7.5 year old K was home for one of those PSLE Oral days, so she happily delved into it and finished it in one sitting.
Sharon Lei’s (the series’ illustrator) characters are very endearing, with their large manga-style eyes. The vibrant colours in many pages of the book, make it a good book for emergent readers, especially those who are trying to transit from picture books to chapter books.
Basically, Don Bosco does it again, with his knack of writing adventure stories that Singaporean children can easily relate to. K had really enjoyed his Sherlock Hong Adventures series, and we’re glad for this additional series to all of his Super Cool Books. Don is a Super Cool Author himself, giving ukelele performances at his book-signing events!
The Island of Legends opens with members of the Lion City Adventuring Club receiving a mysterious box with 8 cards and a riddle. As the children go on their adventure, they discover 8 legends of the Lion City.
Apart from the adventure story, there is a colouring page in every chapter, some history notes, and an activity page with word puzzles and the like. So it’s both a fiction book, a non-fiction guidebook to Singapore’s ancient legends, as well as an activity book that can keep children engaged! Pack it in your travel suitcase already.
We are glad to own a copy, so the kids can fully utilise the book. K sagely noted that since the other book in the series she found was from the library, she would not be able to try out its activities. A pity, that!
Indeed, at a trip to the library a week before, we picked up “Secrets of the Heartlands“, which is Book 2 of the same Lion City Adventures series, and K thoroughly enjoyed it. So here’s a plug on it too!
I thought it was especially meaningful for Singaporean kids to learn the history of our heartland estates. I enjoyed reading it myself. There are so many things about these various estates that I never knew…
For instance, did you know that in 1853 British Engineer John Turnbull Thomson built a large road through the area near Toa Payoh, which was a swampland? Well, the road was named after him – Thomson Road!
The Secrets of the Heartlands book has interesting sections in every chapter – a history section, an “Instant Expert” section with fun facts, a “photo” section, a “Secret Notebook” section with an adventure/mystery fictional story, and an activity page! How’s that for variety?
GIVEAWAY TIME!
One reader stands to win a copy of Island of Legends!
To enter, complete all the steps below:
- Visit LilBlueBottle’s Facebook Page and Super Cool Books Facebook Page (While you’re there, we’d appreciate it a lot if you could “Like” the page)
- Leave a comment on this Facebook post with:
a) your email address; and
b) why you’d like to win it.
(It is not required, but we’d appreciate it if you’d share this post on Facebook or Twitter!)
The giveaway ends on 2359 hrs on 13 Sept 2016, and the winners will be contacted via email. The usual terms and conditions apply – the winners’ names will subsequently be announced as an update on this blog post. 🙂
The winner is Grace Ong! Congratulations!
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