Books with local content and topics can interest young children to read

Beautiful illustrations, such as this one from 'Xin & the Blue Dragon of Spring' will make books attractive to children. — Photo: LIM LAY KOON

DECADES ago, picture books for children with localised content were few and far between. There was Hikayat Sang Kancil, which was about the adventures of a small deer that had to be conniving to avoid facing problems with bigger animals in the forest. There were even TV shows and cassettes with Sang Kancil stories to attract kids to read via these tales.

The local picture book landscape has changed tremendously in the last decade, with illustrators and authors coming together now to produce wonderful reading materials to introduce kids to the joy of reading through depictions of their own culture.