Starchild: Malaysian children celebrate the joy of reading

Jodie Tan Li Juen, 12

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ITEM: Imagine that you are an architect who is going to design a special house.

Would it look like the willow-tree house built by Mike, Peggy, Nora and Jack from Enid Blyton’s The Secret series? Or will it be like SpongeBob’s pineapple-shaped house on 124 Conch Street in Bikini Bottom, Pacific Ocean? Or perhaps a simple kampung house surrounded by lush greenery? Or maybe a modern home with solar roof panelling, lift and fountains? Starchild wants to know.

Send us your drawing and tell us about your house.

E-mail your contributions to [e-mail] by Sept 3. Please put “STARCHILD: My Dream House” in the subject line of your e-mail.

Scanned drawings should be in jpeg format, with a resolution of 200 dpi. Your contributions must carry your full name, age (open to children aged 12 and below only), gender, phone contact, and address.

What type of books do you like to read? Do you prefer fantasy, folklore or mystery?

Reading is important because it helps us learn new things and expand their knowledge. Many children also enjoy reading story books because they are an escape to a different, exciting and sometimes enchanting world outside their own.

Have you heard of award-winning author Christopher Paolini who wrote the Inheritance Cycle series (comprising the books Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr and Inheritance)?

Paolini was only 15 years old when he first wrote Eragon. A film adaptation of the book was released in 2006.

If you like to write, keep writing. With a bit of luck and a lot of practice, you too could be like him or author Flavia Bujor who wrote The Prophecy Of The Stones (published in 2002) when she was 13!

Recently, Starchild asked readers to send in letters on the topic: My Favourite Book. Let’s see what they have to say.

Rajeswary Narayanamurthy, 11, enjoys both fictional and non-fictional books. “My favourite character is Darrell Rivers from author Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers series of novels. I believe anyone would like Darrell as she is a friendly, responsible and hard-working student. Malory Towers’ compilation is one of Enid Blyton’s best hits. Reading books is a never-ending journey for all the book lovers out there.”

Rajeswary Narayanamurthy, 11

Jayden Tan Li Sheng, eight, also likes stories by Enid Blyton. “I like Enid Blyton’s The Secret series. There are seven books in this adventure series. The story is about three siblings and a friend who run away from their aunt and uncle to a secret island. There are many fun moments in the books, including their escape, how they built their house and adventures hunting for food. I also enjoy Marvel’s action comics.”

Jayden Tan Li Sheng, 8

Jodie Tan Li Juen, 12, loves to read fiction books including J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series of books, Jeff Kinney’s Diary Of A Wimpy Kid and Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. “I love the characters Harry Potter and Hermione Granger in Harry Potter. I enjoy the books because there are interesting dialogues written for characters like Moaning Myrtle who lives in a bathroom. The stories are interesting and thrilling.”

Eight-year-old Sophie Yap Jyn Qing also likes to read the Harry Potter series. “J.K. Rowling had the idea for the book on a train journey. I can’t put the books down because I want to see what happens next. I laugh out loud at the jokes and look forward to the exciting adventures that the characters embark on. My favourite character is Harry Potter because he will do unbelievable and brave things when faced with danger.”

Sophie Yap Jyn Qing, 8

Younger sibling Claire Yap Jyn Wei, six, likes to read the Disney Frozen princesses’ books because she likes stories about princesses. “I like Princess Elsa because she has the ability to create snow. Plus she wears dresses in my favourite colour, blue. I am still learning how to read, and my dad helps to pronounce difficult words. We read together before bedtime.”

Claire Yap Jyn Wei, 6

Debria Preethi Jeyarajah, 10, writes: “My favourite books are Matilda, Fantastic Mr. Fox and The BFG. These three books are written by Roald Dahl who is one of the most popular authors of children’s books in the world. His stories have an unusual ending, and they are fun and extremely entertaining. I can go on reading for hours just to complete a book!

Debria Preethi Jeyarajah, 10

“I like to read comics containing adventure stories. I like Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man. Dog Man is my favourite fictional character. Dog Man is a playful police character who likes to chase Petey the cat. Dog Man comic books make me laugh. I enjoy Dav Pilkey’s imagination because it helps me to also create my own short stories and draw when I’m bored,” says Gauravdeep Singh Chahil, eight.

Gauravdeep Singh Chahil, 8

Younger sibling Asher Wang Qi Chuen, three, says: “I enjoy browsing the books about big vehicles by Jim McMullan and Kate McMullan. My parents read it to me often. I can memorise parts of the books which tell the important jobs that these big vehicles do daily. I Stink! (a story about a rubbish truck) and I’m Dirty! (about a digger) are two of my favourite books.”

Asher Wang Qi Chuen, 3

Aatirai Prabu,12, writes: “I have nurtured the reading habit, thanks to my grandparents who read the newspaper each day. My mother enjoys reading books and she’s inspired me to read books too.”

Lim Jo Ern, 7

Seven-year-old Lim Jo Ern’s favorite storybooks are Disney Princess fairy tales. “Most of them have very nice designs and drawings. The story is also very interesting and always has a happy ending. Among all the Disney fairy tales, I like the Little Mermaid because the story is heart-warming.”

Low Alyssa, 6

Low Alyssa, six, writes: “I like Princess Rapunzel’s story. I hope I can have long and silky hair like Rapunzel.”

Low Alynna, 6

Older twin Low Aynna, six, says: ‘I like the Little Mermaid’s story because Princess Ariel is amazing with her mermaid tail. I hope she can swim happily in the ocean.”

Mandy Tang, 4

“I like to read Spot And His Adventures because I like dogs. I like the book because it teaches me important lessons in Spot’s own entertaining style,” writes Mandy Tang, four.“I love books on the topic, Godzilla. The stories are full of suspense and I really enjoy reading it,” writes Irshad Afif Mohd Masrul, nine. – Compiled by Sheela Chandran

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