Growing Up with the Famous Five

I was at the library with Lil Pumpkin and the boy and saw these books while searching for some new books to read with her at night. The Famous Five series were my favourite books as a kid growing up that I used to read, and re-read them ever so often. Do you remember their stories? I even wanted a loyal dog named Timmy and wished so hard that I had a secret island to get away to for adventures!

My fave character was Georgina, or George as she preferred to be called :P Not so much because she was a tom-boy {I was quite the girly-girl even since young!} but more so because she is very brave and strong-willed, and not afraid to get into trouble for what she loves and believes in... Characteristics which I look up to. Plus, Timmy was her dog (^^)V

The Famous Five were also some of my mum's favourite books too and actually she was the one that introduced them to me, and helped me to grow my collection. We'd read them together, and build blanket fortresses, and sometimes, she'd even make me the lemonades, scones and macaroons that George and her cousins ate in the book to make the stories seem even more alive! Food that wasn't commonly available locally {not then, anyway} and I'm glad she was a good cook that can make such yummy treats. It gave me a small peek into the world of living in the UK, and probably set the foundation for my use of the English language.

Unfortunately, mum gave away my Famous Five books to my cousin when we moved house a long time back *sigh* Seeing them again brought back lots of happy memories and a wave of sweet nostalgia so I grabbed all the Famous Five books I saw on the shelf and borrowed them to read with Lil Pumpkin. Yes, all TEN of them! :P

Do you still remember the childhood books that moved you?

I'm sure most of you would have heard of the Singapore Memory Project {SMP}, which is a whole-of-nation movement that aims to capture and document precious moments related to Singapore; recollections not merely from individual Singaporeans, but also organisations, associations, companies and groups.

These memories are meaningfully collected so that future generations of Singaporeans to understand the collective journey of our one nation and the many facets of the Singapore that we call home. I've been supporting this project by tagging #sgmemory whenever I post on my Facebook, Twitter or Instagram accounts as well.

There are two showcases in line with the Books the Moved Me campaign, at the following venues:

1. Date: 20 June – 31 August 2014
Venue: Lobby, Level 1, National Library Building.

2. Date: 20 June- 31 August 2014
Venue: B1, Central Public Library, National Library Building.

The first exhibition features 40 reinterpretations of book covers, from local titles to international best-sellers and literary classics. A collaboration between SMP and KULT, artists from Singapore and overseas will present their take on book covers well-loved by the public, such as the works by Enid Blyton, Shakespeare and Catherine Lim. The artworks, accompanied by memories from readers, will be showcased in an SMRT train and at the lobby of the National Library Building. We found it all pretty fascinating.

SMP also embarked on a journey to reunite old books with old friends, and the result is a reunion showcase for avid readers with popular books of yesteryears and recent times. I think I might have had the same science book that Mahdhir found back :P If the video above isn't working, you can view it on Facebook here.

The second exhibition invites the public to contribute their memories of reading and books. Activities such as Character Puppet-Making, Paper Sculpturing, Kampong Toy-Making etc. will also be held over selected weekends for the public. You can also check out the Books that Moved Me album on SMP's Facebook page and see if one of the books there belongs to you or moved you, once upon a time!

All content submitted will be contributed to the Singapore Memory Project. Please visit iremember.sg to find out more.

Oh ya, there's also a Singapore Snaps booth near the exhibition at the National Library Building's lobby. If you bring your old printed photos there, they will help to scan and give you a disk of the digitised copies.. for free! :)

* Disclosure: This is a sponsored advertorial for Singapore Memory Project. All opinions are my own.

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