Pages & Musings

I ’m sure that growing up, many Singaporeans would have heard about Elizabeth Choy. I learnt about her when I was in primary school and she was introduced to me as a WWII she-ro. I was amazed by her tenacity to endure the torture methods carried out by Japanese officers. However, I never really knew anything about her early years, which shaped her perspectives and actions in the later stages of her life. And that was until I read “Elizabeth Choy: Singapore’s Kind Heroine” from the ‘Our Amazing Heroes’ series.  Elizabeth Choy: Singapore’s Kind Heroine (Our Amazing Heroes) 2025 Published by: WS Education Written by: Shawn Seah, Illustrated by: Patrick Yee This book was a moving narrative that explored different stages in Elizabeth’s life, allowing readers to reflect on the motivations behind her actions. This was my personal favourite read out of the series (though I have to admit, I thoroughly enjoyed all three books).  “Moved by the plight of the prisoners and wanting to help ...

Today I read ”Ee Peng Liang: Singapore’s Father of Charity” written by Shawn Seah and Illustrated by Patrick Yee (this book is my second read from the ‘Our Amazing Heroes’ series. Link to my first review can be found here ).  Ee Peng Liang: Singapore’s Father of Charity (Our Amazing Heroes series) 2025 Published by: WS Education Written by: Shawn Seah, Illustrated by: Patrick Yee This year, Singapore is set to celebrate its 60 years of independence, which is a result of contributions from countless brave souls who resiliently fought against the Japanese during WWII. One of such fighters was Ee Peng Liang and this book narrates his story.  “Peng Liang bravely stepped forward. [...] The Japanese officer was impressed! [...] Instead of executing Peng Liang and the two other volunteers, he told them how much he admired their courage.” Peng Liang’s unwavering courage is one to be remembered for ages to come. The Japanese officers had powerful weapons that would instill fear in anyo...

If you have been regularly following my blog posts, you would know that I'm an avid fan of creative non-fictions aimed at Singaporean children. And my most recent book reviews have revolved around the 'Our Amazing Pioneers' series, written by Shawn Seah and illustrated by Patrick Yee.  So, when both of these amazing creators come together to create yet another new series, of course I would be eager to get my hands on it as soon as possible?? I came to know of this series through the author's Instagram post (link can be found here ), in which he explained his motivation behind creating such books. It was truly inspiring; and to my readers: I'd suggest you watch it too! As a Singaporean, I agree with the author that we have a huge responsibility to pass the knowledge of our ancestors to future generations so that we could all collectively appreciate the way Singapore has developed into a formidable sovereign state. And 'Our Amazing Heroes' series is an ambitio...