Danger Dan gets a dose of culture

On Sunday, Lesley-Anne and I held the launch of our book, Secrets of Singapore: National Museum at...where else but the museum, and it was wonderful.

Frankly, we didn't expect such a great turnout. There were about 40 kids plus their accompanying parents - the place was packed. The museum told us some of them turned up specifically for the event, while others recognised the Danger Dan standee and registered for the event on the spot. How very heartening to know that Danger Dan has gained traction among kids!

We explained how we got to writing the book and cited examples of artefacts that were featured. There were at least a couple of kids in the audience who had already read the book cover to cover because they could tell us about the artefacts and even spouted back Danger Dan jokes to us!

Photo: Epigram Books

A treasure hunt was conducted where kids were given clues and had to run wildly wander around the museum and locate artefacts. The kids made us laugh a lot. "Can we take home the artefacts?" was one of the questions, which immediately made me imagine them doing a Mission Impossible-type heist.

Photo: Epigram Books

Elvin Ching, the illustrator of the book, did a live demo of the teams that won the treasure hunt. He is amazing.

Photo: Epigram Books

Winners got to take home a personalised drawing:

After that was the autograph session and again, I was astonished - there was a line! I feel almost...famous.

We signed lots of books and took many, many pictures.

Posting this one because Elvin is hilarious. He makes everything that much more fun.

At the end of the day, that's what writing the Danger Dan books mean to me - it's about making kids happy, and we met lots of happy kids that day. For all of those who came down, thank you for the support!

And here's something from a serious hardcore fan:

This is Sophie. 

Sophie is 7 and she loves spaghetti. 

But not as much as she loves Secrets of Singapore. 

Sophie has read Secrets of Singapore about a million times (she has lost count). 

She is an expert on facts about Singapore. 

She knows all the jokes by heart. 

She is Danger Dan’s number one fan. 

Be like Sophie.

National Museum Children's Season: Meet us and see illustrator in action!

It's the school holidays and I'm sure all your parents have given your kids one month off to play and relax! No? Okay lah, I understand. Singaporeans parents mah, must include something educational during the school hols.

Well, here's an activity that will be both fun AND educational for your kids these holidays. And the best part is...it's FREE!

On Sunday, 25 June 2.30pm, make a date with Lesley-Anne and me at the National Museum for a launch of our latest book - Secrets of Singapore: National Museum.

Here are five reasons why you should attend the event with your kids:

1. Lesley-Anne and I will share interesting stories about some artefacts in the museum and why we wrote them the way we did.
2. Elvin Ching, illustrator of the book, will make a rare appearance and do live demonstrations of his drawings (trust me, you don't want to miss this - he's amazing!) 
3. There will be mini games with prizes - winners will get a drawing from Elvin...wah!
4. If you have a copy of the book or buy a book at the event, all three of us will autograph your copy (yes, we will sign your other Danger Dan books as well!)
5. After the event, you can do a tour of the museum using the book as a guide.

The event is held in conjunction with the National Museum's Children's Season. Here are the details:

Secrets of Singapore: National Museum – Uncover the Secrets behind the Pages
Reading and Illustration Session by Authors and Illustrator

Sun, 25 Jun | 2.30pm (45 min)
Singapore History Gallery, Level 1
Free (but you must register on-site at 2pm)

Hope to see you there!