Mrs Tan-Soh Wai Lan, President of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA, UAS),
Mr Edmund Wee, President of Singapore Book Publishers Association (SBPA),
Distinguished guests, parents, and students.
Introduction
1. Thank you very much for inviting me to join you at the third Singapore Children's Book Festival.
2. I would first like to say a big thank you for all the work that you do. My deepest appreciation to all of you who are part of this ecosystem, making magic memories for all of us.
3. My boys are five and three. Bedtime is our precious moment of the day, where we settle down and read together. Interestingly, they become more awake as we read the books and by the third or fourth book, they are wide awake asking for more. Sometimes, as a parent we are tired and we just want to say, "Good night, go to bed." But, let me share with you a personal experience.
4. My kids never saw an otter, before they were read a book that had otters inside. It is a local Mandarin book. So, they learned the word "水獭" before they ever saw otters in person.
5. One day, we were at Bishan Park when we finally saw the Bishan family of otters. My older kid said "otters" while the younger one said "水獭". That was the moment we realised, as parents, that this was their magical world coming to life. It could have happened differently – they might have seen the otters first and then read the books – but for us, that was the sequence. Of course, as a parent, I was very proud of myself that I introduced otters and "水獭" to them, but I think for them it really felt like magic. They heard the stories, and then the animals appeared.
6. From then on, we purchased otter soft toys, more otter books, more otter keychains, and so on. I could see the sparkle in their eyes every time the animal appeared again. This is what the local books mean to us as parents. Again, thank you very much for the work that you do.
The Power of Stories to Spark Imagination, Especially Local Tales
7. My children are also starting to see the places that they are familiar with in the books that are read to them – I say read to them because they can't read just yet – and they are starting to notice environments like the playground, the airport, the control tower and all that. They are starting to recognise them, and gradually the book is not a fantasy world anymore. It is now a mirror of their own lives.
8. It is therefore very precious to many of us, that we now have our own creators and illustrators in Singapore. Because it is different when our children see an image of a control tower from another country in a book, as opposed to our own Changi Airport control tower. It is very different when they have the chance to open a book and see images that are familiar to all of us in Singapore.
9. I am glad that our local ecosystem is a strong one. I know many of you worry about AI and whether people can generate books through AI now. I hope you do not lose heart, because there are many families like mine out there waiting for the next book that you will create.
The Singapore Children's Book Festival and Its Initiatives
10. The power of stories is exactly why we are here today.
11. The Singapore Children's Book Festival is a celebration of that spark – of how local children's literature takes our familiar streets, our memories, and transform them into works for our children.
12. We see the fruits of the partnerships in the work of some of our 2025 winners, Cindy Callista Lim and Cathleen Briggita Kandou. They worked on the book Finding Missing Mali, and I understand they had to explore neighbourhoods across Jurong and Aljunied, photographing lift landings and void decks as references so that the details would feel authentic to all of our readers. It meant that they took their project out of the classroom into the real world. Today, we are very glad that their work has evolved from a student project to a published book launched here at the festival.
13. Through initiatives like the Student Illustrator Book Prize, students not only hone their craft but also gain valuable industry experience working with our publishers. This bridging of education and practice helps our young creatives build confidence and see viable pathways in the arts.
A Committed Publishing Ecosystem That Nurtures Local Creative Talent
14. Stories about our creators are possible because of a committed and supportive publishing ecosystem. It thrives because we have partners who believe in the value of local stories and are out there to support creators over the long term.
15. I want to thank the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and the Singapore Book Publishers Association for the work that they do, for championing our Singapore Literature in different languages, and developing and supporting our next generation of local creators, illustrators and artists.
16. Because of your efforts, we are now seeing more young creators step up and step forward with confidence. This year, we even have a 10-year-old author entering the professional 'Illustrator of the Year' category. Again, this is only possible with this committed ecosystem that we have that nurtures and believes in our local talent.
Conclusion
17. All of these – the prizes, the publishers, the partnerships – work towards that common goal of putting wonderful stories into the hands of our children, or the hands of parents reading to their children. I hope that one day, like Wai Lan, I can be standing here talking about the stories I loved in the past, even when my kids have already grown up.
18. I am excited that we can support all of our local literary works, which can also be purchased using SG Culture Pass credits.
19. To the 2026 finalists and winners: congratulations to all of you. You are helping our children see the stories that matter, so that one day they, too, can be storytellers like all of you.
20. I encourage everyone to enjoy the festival – enjoy not just the books launched but also the workshops and panel discussions that are happening over the weekend. I hope all of you support our local creators, pick up a book, and share the stories with the children around you.
21. On that note, I am delighted to open the third Singapore Children's Book Festival.
22. Thank you.