I’m delighted to share that I will be speaking at the upcoming Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC) 2025!

This is my first time being a part of this festival, so I am really excited and looking forward to it.

I will just do my best.

Organised by the Singapore Book Council, the AFCC is the leading literary festival in Asia for children’s stories and young adult literature.

Aimed at authors, illustrators, translators, publishers, educators, and media professionals, the festival offers a range of programmes, including panel discussions, presentations, workshops, masterclasses, and networking sessions that promote children’s stories and young adult literature with a focus on Asian themes.

This year, the 16th edition of the AFCC will take place from 22 to 25 May 2025 as an in-person event at the Singapore National Library.

My speaking slot will be on Saturday, 24 May 2025, 10.30am to 11.30am.

What Will I Be Sharing at AFCC 2025?

My talk is called: “Discovering Singapore’s History: Adapting War Narratives into Meaningful and Engaging Children’s Stories!”

Historical storytelling, especially on topics like war heroes, is sometimes seen as difficult to adapt for younger audiences.

However, these stories help children discover their country’s history, introducing them to darker times and the heroes who arose to overcome the odds and shape the present.

By appreciating these narratives, children can imbibe enduring values like courage, compassion, and contributing to society, and hopefully feel inspired by those who made a difference in trying times.

In my talk, I will be sharing the approaches that I have taken in my children’s book series, Our Amazing Heroes, towards translating these complex topics into engaging and accessible stories for children.

I will share what I consider some of the best practices in historical storytelling and creating dramatic action to engage children, balancing between excitement and maintaining gravity.

I also share about how we might best use illustrations to accompany text and give weight to words. The talented artist, Patrick Yee, helped to bring my visions to life.

And I also share about how writers might be able to weave in values and virtues into the stories.

I will also be touching on utilising episodic storytelling, akin to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, from my prequel series Our Amazing Pioneers.

This “historical cinematic universe” that I have created can help to make history appealing, relatable, and convey challenging messages.

Other Interesting Nuggets

One interesting nugget is that the AFCC also has a long-standing partnership with the Puttnam School of Film & Animation (LASALLE College of the Arts) for a content adaptation challenge. I am not revealing any spoilers here, but AFCC is collaborating with them on something exciting. And as one of the featured authors, I am definitely looking forward to seeing the eventual outcome at the festival grounds!

Another featured author at the AFCC 2025 is the award-winning author, Lianne Ong! In all my interactions with her, she has been most kind and encouraging (once, she even gave me guidance on how to write children’s books and told me about the importance of social media).

On 25 May at 9.30am, Lianne and Kenneth Heng will be speaking about the first Singaporean picture book on homelessness, The Uncle Downstairs, in their presentation titled, “Children Need to Know: Writing About Social Concerns, including Homelessness, for Today’s Children“, according to AFCC’s website.

Another interesting titbit is that there might be many South Korean attendees this year. After all, as this year marks 50 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and South Korea, the AFCC 2025 features South Korea as the Country of Focus!

For Kind Support

To support a Singaporean writer’s children’s book series, Our Amazing Heroes or Our Amazing Pioneers, please visit:

Our Amazing Heroes (full set)

Our Amazing Pioneers (set of five)

However, and I really do sincerely apologise, the AFCC is a ticketed event (unfortunately, it is not a free public event). Discounts are available for students and seniors.

To get tickets to AFCC 2025, please visit: https://afcc.com.sg/2025/page/tickets

Thank you for reading. And I look forward to seeing you there!

Cheers,
Shawn Seah