Feng Zikai Book Award Winners

How high-quality picture books can encourage kids to read more

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 20 October, 2015, 4:00am

UPDATED : Tuesday, 20 October, 2015, 4:00am

Annie Ho life@scmp.com

High-quality children's picture books are the building blocks to a lifelong love of reading. When I disparage commercial products in book form that are based on cartoon characters, my friends protest, insisting their children love storybook versions of their favourite animated TV series.

I counter that recognising and enjoying stories about familiar television characters is not the same as filling one's mind with the artful words and drawings of quality picture books. The difference is that children who are fed a diet of Peppa Pig and Henry Hugglemonster may one day no longer want reading time when they outgrow these characters.

What will keep children wanting to read more are stories that evoke emotions ranging from sheer joy to profound sadness, from belly-aching laughter to fear.

Max, the boy with the furry wolf suit in Where the Wild Things Are, may be just as recognisable as any cartoon character, but this picture book will be etched in the memories of every child who has come across it because of Maurice Sendak's choice narrative, flawless wording and visceral illustrations.

When children are exposed to quality picture books, they will inhale the rich language and complex themes, they will increase their understanding of the world around them, and their lives will be enriched as a result. They will progress from Ludwig Bemelmans' Madeline to Philip Stead's A Sick Day for Amos McGee. Thereafter, when they become independent readers, they will be able to enjoy Charlotte's Web as well as Captain Underpants.

Children's picture books in the English language have a long and revered history, but this is not the case for Chinese-language ones. Thus, the Feng Zikai Chinese Children's Picture Book Award was formed, in order to promote them in the Chinese language and encourage authors, illustrators and publishers to create quality picture books. The award has two components: a biennial award for the best Chinese publications, and an accompanying conference and forum to share and enhance knowledge and understanding of Chinese children's picture books.

The winner of the 4th Feng Zikai Chinese Children's Picture Book Award is Kata Kata Kata, written and illustrated by Bei Lynn. It is joined by four honour books. Interestingly, although all five books have different styles and storylines, I would describe them all as "poignant", touching upon the themes of love and longing. While some of the stories have amusing moments, their humour is approached with tenderness rather than comicality.

Next month, these winning authors and illustrators will be feted at an award ceremony, which will be followed by a two-day forum. The theme of the forum is "Just For Fun! - Humour in Picture Books", and the keynote speaker will be award-winning author and illustrator Jon Klassen.

I cannot think of anyone in a better position to speak about humour than Klassen, whose picture books have been described as subversive and "charmingly wicked". This is Not My Hat won Klassen both the Caldecott Medal in the US and the Kate Greenaway Medal in Great Britain, and he is the first person to win both awards for the same work.

Klassen will be in Hong Kong for an author talk and book signing on November 19. Registration and details at bringmeabook.org.hk For a complete list of Feng Zikai award-winning titles, visit fengzikaibookaward.org

Annie Ho is board chairwoman of Bring Me A Book Hong Kong

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as A picture book's worth 1,000 words

Lunar New Year Books

Six great Lunar New Year story books for children

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 10 February, 2015, 6:03am

UPDATED : Tuesday, 10 February, 2015, 6:03am

Annie Ho life@scmp.com

For me, the essence of Lunar New Year is perfectly embodied in A New Year's Reunion, the award-winning picture book by Yu Liqiong. I didn't discover it until 2011, and since then I have read it countless times, not just during the season but throughout the year. I've read it not just to my children but at storytelling sessions all around town, and not only in its original Putonghua but also in Cantonese and English.

The story is undeniably timeless, but "timeless" can sometimes suffer from a case of "too many times". This year, I heartily embrace change and explore other books relating to Lunar New Year.

Karen Katz is a bestselling author of lift-the-flap books for toddlers. In My First Chinese New Year, Katz provides a lively introduction to the festivities surrounding Lunar New Year that even the youngest reader will enjoy. The story follows a young girl as she celebrates with her family, including watching the dragon dance at a Chinatown parade.

For a multicultural look at the Lunar New Year, author Janet S. Wong and illustrator Yangsook Choi teamed up to create This Next New Year, told in the first person by a Chinese-Korean. The story looks at holiday rituals through the eyes of the young narrator, as well as those of a cast of his friends from diverse ethnic backgrounds; and explains in simple terms the concepts of starting anew, and of welcoming good luck and good fortune.

Showing readers that you don't have to be Chinese to celebrate this holiday, this award-winning classic is available in English only, Chinese-English bilingual, and Korean-English bilingual editions.

Grace Lin, author of Newbery Honour novel Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, presents a brightly illustrated story of Lunar New Year traditions in Bringing in the New Year. It follows a Chinese-American family as it prepares for the holiday, and features rituals such as sweeping the floors, making dumplings and wearing new clothes.

Another entertaining interpretation of the rituals relating to Lunar New Year is Demi's Happy, Happy Chinese New Year! Demi's interest in Eastern traditional celebrations is informed by her husband Tze-si Huang, and she has written and illustrated a number of children's books about not only Lunar New Year, but also Buddha, the Dalai Lama and Chinese folktales. Happy, Happy Chinese New Year! is filled with informative descriptions and detailed illustrations. In addition to the rituals of washing and cutting hair, clearing debts and setting off firecrackers, Demi also explains the symbolic meaning behind preparing and eating certain traditional foods such as pork, fish and rice.

While the above titles focus on the rituals surrounding the festival, Lai Ma offers a hilarious look into the origins of the Chinese Zodiac in The 12 Animals of the Chinese Zodiac, a Chinese picture book with bilingual CD.

Lai Ma's version, of how each animal came to be included in the zodiac and in its particular order, may not be the most loyal to the original legend, but it is the most playful and amusing. He ingeniously incorporates into the plot the different traits of each animal, thereby fulfilling the adage, "Your personality determines your destiny."

Lai Ma's illustrations of anthropomorphic animals are full of zany details that beg to be revisited again and again.

Popular storyteller Angie Lin will be reading The 12 Animals of the Chinese Zodiac and other picture books in Putonghua on February 16 and 17. Interested families can sign up at the Bring Me A Book website.

May your coming year be filled with peace and kindness, two traits associated with the goat.

Annie Ho is chairwoman of Bring Me A Book Hong Kong bringmeabook.org.hk a leading advocate of family literacy in Hong Kong

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Children's tales for Lunar New Year

Anthony Browne

Between the lines: Kids go ape over shapes with award-winning illustrator

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 19 November, 2013, 8:42am

UPDATED : Tuesday, 19 November, 2013, 8:51am

Annie Holife@scmp.com

Anthony Browne is a British children's book creator whose works are loved throughout the world. Bestowed with the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2000 and honoured as Britain's Children's Laureate in 2009, Browne is also the only author-illustrator to win the Kate Greenaway Medal twice.

He has published more than 40 books and is known for his illustrations of primates, from the hauntingly beautiful beasts in Gorilla to comically expressive chimpanzees in the Willy the Wimp series.

With more than a dozen books by Browne in our home, we we were excited to meet this creator of thoughtful and surreal picture books on his first visit to Hong Kong. We joined him at the Central Library for 90 minutes of storytelling and playing the Shape Game, which Browne and his brother "invented" and played in their childhood. Browne thought it was unique until he started playing the Shape Game with his fans and learned that children around the world have also played variations of it.

There were 30 children, accompanied by their parents, at the Hong Kong event.

Browne engaged the children in the Shape Game with just a whiteboard and some coloured pens. One child would draw an abstract shape, another would transform that shape into something recognisable, and all the children would try to identify the object. According to Browne, children are much better at the Shape Game than adults because they have that pure sense of imagination unfettered by self-consciousness and social norms.

As each child was given a turn at the whiteboard and parents chuckled good-naturedly at the children's drawings and guesses, I was able to distinguish children from local or international schools. For example, when presented with an inverted triangle with rounded corners, the local schoolchildren interpreted the shape more literally, as a stone or an ice-cream cone. Those from international schools, on the other hand, saw the shape as the side profile of a duck's head, or even "an upside-down princess in a ballgown".

I wondered if I was stereotyping local versus international school education by making such a distinction. After all, it could just be that those children with unconventional responses were raised by parents who valued and nurtured their creative development.

In any event, all the children were enthusiastic and eager to participate, which resulted in a highly interactive Shape Game session.

After playing, Browne read two of his stories, Into the Forest and Gorilla. Children and parents alike were enraptured. The biggest draw was having Browne pause to point out certain images and share his thought process and intentions when he created them. Often, the background to the main story illustrations held many hidden symbols and imagery.

The Shape Game, Browne's picture book, is different from the game. I expected the book to be a collection of shape drawings. Instead, the reader is treated to an intimate glimpse of the fictionalised Browne family going through their first visit to the Tate Britain museum.

When the family characters stop in front of Augustus Egg's painting Past and Present No1, they dissect the painting for its literal explanations as well as its metaphors. Through the rich narrative and introduction of a number of paintings, Browne succeeds in explaining how art is experienced through the eyes of adults and children.

In a way, Browne continues to play the Shape Game in his picture books, from a bicycle wheel that transforms into an apple in Changes, to a giant's leg among a forest of trees that is only revealed upon closer inspection inInto the Forest.

Annie Ho is board chairwoman of Bring Me a Book Hong Kong, a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving children's literacy by reading aloud to them (bringmeabook.org.hk)

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Going ape over shapes with award-winning British illustrator

Chen Chih Yuan

Taiwan author's modern fables teach kids to be themselves

Tuesday, 24 September, 2013

Annie Holife@scmp.com

When it comes to tales about accepting and celebrating oneself, no one tells it better than Chen Chih-yuan. An author-illustrator in Taiwan, Chen created an international sensation when Guji Guji was translated into English. This beautifully written story of a "crocoduck" was an American Library Association Notable Children's Book and appeared onThe New York Times bestseller list.

Chen's ink drawings in muted grey and brown tones belie the riotous antics of a crocodile adopted into a family of ducks. The crocodile grows up as a duck, but upon meeting some crocodiles and seeing how similar in appearance he is to them, he is torn about what and who he truly is.

Guji Guji has the makings of a classic modern fable. I can read it again and again without ever tiring of it.

For bilingual children, I recommend the Chinese-language version of this picture book, which includes an English translation and bilingual CD at the back.

In his author's notes, Chen explains that the story was inspired by a Korean friend who was adopted by an American family. Someone who looks different from family members and the community must first embrace or overlook those differences before he can expect others to do so.

In Chen's The Featherless Chicken, the protagonist is shunned by his feathered peers. He is finally invited to join a boat trip when bits and pieces stick to his muddy body like beautiful plumage. Everyone on the boat learns the "beauty is skin-deep" message when the boat capsizes.

Chen's latest offering, The Very Slow Snail, comes with an English translation and bilingual CD, and is a 2013 Feng Zikai Chinese Children's Picture Book Award honours book. The snail talks slowly and moves even more slowly. One day it decides to go to a grapevine to eat grapes.

Along the way, it encounters creatures that ridicule its quest, teasing that all the grapes will be gone by the time the slow snail reaches the vine. Only one creature encourages the snail - a caterpillar who thinks eating grapes is a great idea. The snail offers to piggyback the caterpillar, and their friendship grows on their journey.

This adorable and funny story about the beauty of taking things slowly is a good antidote for my daughter. Her natural disposition is that of a cautious observer who is slow to react. As a result, she hears "hurry up" and "quickly, quickly" countless times a day.

At home, we are always rushing to finish the morning routine and head to school. At school, she is constantly told to eat her lunch or finish her worksheets faster.

Rather than share a tale about the misfortunes that await dawdlers, I comfort my daughter with this story of a snail and a caterpillar who are content with their lack of speed.

The Very Slow Snail reminds us to savour a slower pace. It is a wonderful allegory for enjoying childhood and not rushing the process of growing up.

Annie Ho is board chairwoman of Bring Me a Book Hong Kong, a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving children's literacy by reading aloud to them bringmeabook.org.hk

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Fables teach kidsto be themselves

Feng Zikai Book Award

Chinese picture book award sparks hope for genre

Tuesday, 10 September, 2013, 9:38am

Annie Holife@scmp.com

Yu Liqiong's A New Year's Reunioncarries the distinction of being a Chinese-language picture book that won accolades before and after its translation into English.

The Chinese-language version was winner of the Feng Zikai Chinese Children's Picture Book Award in 2009. Its English translation won The New York Times Top Ten Children's Books Award in 2012.

The Feng Zikai Award is important as it encourages authors, illustrators and publishers to create Chinese language children's books of a high standard, that are originally written in Chinese, rather than translated from English.

The vision of the award is to improve childhood literacy for the Chinese reading public.

From my perspective as a mother raising bilingual children in Hong Kong, I also appreciate this ready-made book list. Knowing that this selection comes from a panel of experts means I don't need to sift through the countless titles myself.

This year's award winners were announced last month. The winner and four honoured books were selected from 27 shortlisted works that were culled from hundreds of entries.

Liu Bole's I See a Bird (pictured) won the top prize for its meticulous illustration of a variety of species. Interestingly, this winning choice is completely unlike A New Year's Reunion, with its patriotic theme of how a modern family celebrates Lunar New Year.

In I See a Bird, a mother tries to guess the identity of a new bird her daughter saw for the first time. This story encourages children to get closer to nature and teaches them how to observe birds in their natural environment.

According to one of the judges, esteemed children's book editor Tang Ya Ming, texts such as these are especially relevant in today's world, where children increasingly live in urban settings where learning comes from electronic devices.

In the judges' notes, Tang says of creating quality picture books: "Illustrating a book is not about self-expression. It is not like creating a painting.

"Rather, it is a tool with which the artist can bring joy to children and allow them to discuss and connect with their feelings."

Keeping the child in mind is the essence of creating a good picture book. Furthermore, the greatest picture books transcend cultures and eras.

How exciting it is to create Chinese language picture books with timeless appeal that can be loved by children around the world. I hope that I See a Bird will follow the footsteps of A New Year's Reunion and have an English version published soon.

A full list of 2013 Feng Zikai Book Award winners and runners-up can be found at fengzikaibookaward.org

Annie Ho is board chairwoman of Bring Me a Book Hong Kong, a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving children's literacy by reading aloud to them bringmeabook.org.hk

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Timeless tomes transcend time and place

Feng Zikai Manhua: Original Chinese Cartoons

Cartoons offer a child's eye view of China
BETWEEN THE LINES Annie Ho (familypost@scmp.com) May 27, 2012
Feng Zikai was China's pioneer in children's cartoons. He taught art and music in Shanghai in the first half of the 20th century and was also known for his essay collections on art and music, as well as his translations of Russian and Japanese texts into Chinese. Feng was a keen observer of nature and children, and this was reflected in his art, with many of his paintings created in the style of childhood reminiscences. The style of his cartoon drawings, known as Zikai manhua, were influenced by the changing social and political climate in China between the two world wars, his Buddhist beliefs and his years living in Japan. While Feng had many admirers, he knew others could not accept his style, and once made this comment about them: "Some people take one look at my paintings and cry out in alarm: 'But this person has no eyes or nose, only a mouth!' or, 'The four fingers on this person's hand are all stuck together!' ... Such remarks aren't worth responding to, so I ignore them." (From Geremie Randall Barme's biography An Artistic Exile: A Life of Feng Zikai [1898-1975]) I first came across Feng's name when I bought a complete set of 2009 winners and runners-up of his namesake award-winning books. The Feng Zikai Chinese Children's Picture Book Award was established in 2008 to encourage the creation of original Chinese-language children's picture books by recognising the best writers and illustrators of such books. Since then, I have joined the board of the Feng Zikai Award and witnessed first-hand the diligence and devotion with which the organisation has promoted its good cause. It's a delight to discover and read aloud Chinese picture books that aren't merely translations of English-language books. Original Chinese-language children's books are important to learn about contemporary Chinese family life, and perhaps to observe the Chinese sense of humour. Among the Feng Zikai Award books is one that comes with a leaflet with English translation as well as a CD with readings in Putonghua and English. Ander Y.'s Me and My Bike is a poignant story about a boy who wishes for a new bicycle. His mother promises it to him if he gets good grades. Told in the first person, the little boy admits that he is not a very good student, but he studies very hard for the sake of his promised new bicycle. When he gets a top grade on his test, he can barely contain himself and runs home to show his mother. However, through his mother's tone and excuses, he realises the family cannot afford a new bicycle. In the end, the little boy "chooses" to buy crayons as the reward for his good grade. His old bicycle gets a new coat of paint and he rides off with a wide grin. This story is a wonderful example of the style of myriad Chinese children's book authors who depict the hardships of modern life through a child's eyes. I hope publishers will translate more books into English to share with a wider audience of readers. The Hong Kong Museum of Art's new show, Imperishable Affection: The Art of Feng Zikai, features more than 200 of his paintings.    RTHK will be airing a one-hour programme Compassion for All - The Cartoons of Feng Zikai at 7.30pm, Saturday, June 9 Annie Ho is a board governor of Bring Me A Book Hong Kong (bringmeabook.org.hk) a non-profit organisation devoted to improving children's literacy