Book Launch: Hike It! Bras Basah & Waterloo

Our latest publication in the Autumn Wonders imprint is Hike It! Bras Basah & Waterloo. It is the first book in the new Hike It! series, which is supported under the National Heritage Board's Heritage Industry Incentive Programme.

Hike It! aims to provide student with a fun yet enriching introduction to the history, people, food and culture of Singapore. Armed with the books, children can discover the nooks and crannies of streets and back-lanes, and learn about their significance in Singapore’s history and culture.

We felt that a walking guide would be especially useful for children. Many aspects of Singapore’s history and culture cannot be properly appreciated without actually visiting the locations. Conversely, actually visiting older parts of Singapore can provide an intimate and powerful sense of historical events and cultural significance and an appreciation of what day-to-day life was like in the past. Walking tours therefore provide the potential for great educational value, particularly for Singaporean children, many of whom now live in sanitised housing and private estates, with no opportunities for visiting the older parts of Singapore.

The text was written by Chia Po Linn, and is in the form of an explorer’s journal. The writing conveys a sense of intrigue and the excitement of new discovery, and immerses children in the joy of exploration.

The design and illustrations are by the very talented people at OpalWorks, led by Xavier Comas. The finely crafted details in the illustrations will appeal to children’s natural curiosity.

The book will be launched at the Mint Museum of Toys this National Day (Sunday, August 9, 2009) at 1pm.

Admission to this beautiful and nostalgia-inducing museum is free for invited guests for this book launch. So, please email us (info@selectbooks.com.sg) if you'd like to attend. There are limited places so do tell us early.