Every festival, I keep a look out for books that tell stories about the origin of the event and the festivities that go on, particularly for books in Chinese about Chinese festivals.

I feel it is important that children remain in touch with their culture and mother tongue, not solely for the sake of the exams, but also for the fact that it is an important part of their history and heritage.

We have plenty of children books about the various festivals that are widely celebrated by the Chinese in Singapore, such as the Chinese New Year, the Mid Autumn Festival and even the Dragon Boat Festival. We also have books about other festivals celebrated in Singapore such as Deepavali, Hari Raya, and also Christmas!

Interestingly, I don’t see many children books about the Hungry Ghost Festival, and even book sets talking about the various festivals often exclude this. It might be that the topic can be considered taboo, or that it is difficult to write about.

In any case, I have put together a short bilingual information sheet for the children to read. It is designed for printing on A4-size paper. Please feel free to download it via the link below, and share your feedback or comments!