Books – Pepperdog Press

Oyster Girl

Admin — Thu, 25 May 2023 00:48:12 +0000

Xiao Wei’s grandma is an awesome hawker, well known for her Hokkien oyster cakes. But Xiao Wei always wanted to know why this snack was so special to her. One day, when Xiao Wei visits Ah Ma at her stall, all is revealed. Ah Ma’s tale transports Xiao Wei and readers back to Hui’an, China long ago where, as a child, she harvests oysters by the sea and eventually, sails to Nanyang for a better life.

Oyster Girl is a charming celebration of family ties. It is also author Joyce Chng’s tribute to her late grandma who was indeed an awesome hawker and whose traditional oyster cake recipe is included in the book. Ah Ma’s story captures a slice of Singapore’s pioneering past and the hardworking Hokkiens who settled in Singapore a long time ago. It is a peek into Singapore’s diverse hawker heritage, which is listed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

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The Little Singapore Book (2022 edition)

Admin — Thu, 25 May 2023 00:33:15 +0000

For those unfamiliar with this modern Singapore children’s classic, The Little Singapore Book is a fun-filled romp through Singapore’s history, packed in four chapters. It starts with a simplified history of Singapore from the 14th century through nation building and to the present day, then on to a whirlwind tour of the historical districts of Singapore.

Flitting from past to present, it reveals the fascinating origins of neighbourhoods such as Chinatown and Little India, and how they have changed. For instance, did you know that Serangoon was once cattle farmland? Or that there was a real fort that once stood at Fort Road? This is followed by the final chapter on the way we live and what Singaporeans are all about, from the rich colourful language that we call ‘Singlish’ to our collective love for food. Sprinkled within are also activities for kids, from walking routes to games and quizzes, and sidebars of fun facts to pique children’s interest.

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WE SHALL REMEMBER: THE STORY OF SINGAPORE AT WAR

Russell Gomes — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 04:29:52 +0000

Did you know that many resistance fighters in the Malayan jungles were just teenagers? That one of the first large-scale coded messages created in Changi prison was inspired by girl guides? And that many university students from Malaya and Singapore returned during the war as commando-spies?

We Shall Remember: The Story of Singapore at War is the fascinating story of World War II and the Japanese Occupation in Singapore.

In addition to the more familiar events, this book also uncovers little-known but no less exciting stories of Singapore’s war experience, such as the secret school in Sime Road Prison, the courageous quilters in Changi Goal, the multi-racial volunteers of the Burma-Yunnan Road, the grandmother who became a fighter, and many more. Hear from teenage resistance fighters, fearless commando-spies, the unbreakable war heroine, soldiers who chose death over dishonour, and many other unsung heroes. The people who march through its pages with their stories of courage and sacrifice are multi-racial and multi-national, which show the war as it truly played out in Singapore. What happened on the Malay Peninsula is also captured here to an extent as both lands were integrated under colonial rule at that time.

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Tiger Tales

Russell Gomes — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 10:33:33 +0000

With much of old Singapore still covered in jungle, encounters with animals were not uncommon for those who lived here. Tiger Tales brings to life some of these little-known episodes, from a crazy rain of fish and the discovery of a giant croc in the Rochor River, to a conundrum with tapirs and the delights of a zoo in our very own Botanic Gardens.

Of course, no compendium of Singapore’s animal stories can go without the legend of Sang Nila Utama—did he really see a lion, we wonder? —and the dramatic story of the tiger under the billiard room. Along the way, readers also meet a cast of colourful yet real people from the past—including Colonel William Farquhar, the First Resident of Singapore, the famous Ming Dynasty admiral Zheng He, and Charles Phillips, the former principal of the Raffles Institution who marches into these pages in his pyjamas.

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The House on Silat Road

Avril Lee — Wed, 20 Feb 2019 04:04:50 +0000

This playful, fun-filled children’s book is based on the childhood experiences of 83-year-old first time author, Si-Hoe S.S. who is the ‘real’Sing. Based on the childhood of 85-year-old author Si-Hoe S.S., the authors hope to bring readers into the life of an ordinary family in Singapore in these tumultuous times—from how unprepared people were for the reality of war to their tenacity and resilience when the worst actually happened.

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The House on Palmer Road

Avril Lee — Wed, 20 Feb 2019 04:02:03 +0000

This playful, fun-filled children’s book is based on the childhood experiences of 83-year-old first time author, Si-Hoe S.S. who is the ‘real’ Sing. In the House on Palmer Road, young readers will fall in love with the large but lovable family, and relive a magical though tumultuous time in Singapore’s past. Within the series of charming short stories, children will also gently encounter aspects of Singapore’s history through vividly-described landscapes, snatches of overheard conversations among the grown-ups, and the many people they ‘meet’, from itinerant hawkers to coolies and night soil men. The book is published with the support of the National Heritage Board.

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The Little Singapore Book

Avril Lee — Wed, 20 Feb 2019 03:28:43 +0000

The Little Singapore Book contains five chapters. It starts with a simplified history of Singapore from the 14th century through nation building and to the present day, then on to a whirlwind tour of the historical districts of Singapore. Flitting from past to present, it reveals the fascinating origins of neighbourhoods such as Chinatown and Little India, and how they have changed. For instance, did you know that Serangoon was once cattle farmland? Or that there was a real fort that once stood at Fort Road?

The post The Little Singapore Book appeared first on Pepperdog Press.