Celebrate the love for reading, books and children’s content at the Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC) 2016.
The five-day festival takes place at the National Library Building from 25 to 29 May 2016 and promises to be the biggest in its history with a mix of free and ticketed activities for authors, parents, children and the general public.
This year’s AFCC 2016 features 140 ticketed events, 50 free-entry programmes and a record number of exhibitors at its signature AFCC Book Fair.
It promotes the creation and appreciation of children’s literature with a focus on Asian themes. This year, the festival’s Country of Focus is Japan and special showcases will be held to highlight the work of Japanese content creators.
AFCC Book Fair
From 25 to 29 May 2016, visit the Plaza at the National Library Building to view and purchase the latest children’s books, young adult titles and educational resources for children and teenagers aged 0 to 18 years old. 42 local and international exhibitors will be at the book fair.
At the Japan Pavilion, attend storytelling sessions, kamishibai (a form of Japanese street theatre and storytelling) demonstrations, mini manga workshops and meet with Japanese authors.
Book Illustrators Gallery
The work of local and regional artists go on show at the Book Illustrators Gallery. 130 beautiful children’s book illustrations will be displayed at the exhibition which takes place from 14 May to 3 June at B1 of the Central Public Library.
Parents Forum
At the AFCC Parents Forum, parents can be get tips on how to nurture early learning and bilingualism at home using diverse media. This ticketed event, with separate pre-school and primary school tracks, takes place on 29 May 2016.
Book and Product Launches
35 new children’s titles will be launched at this year’s AFCC. These include The Little Singapore Book by Sim Ee Waun & Jacqueline See Tully, The Abominable Norman by Chrissy Lim and Nine by Ben Lai and Jeannie Ang. There will be the opportunities to meet the authors at the launches.
Free Activities and Performances
Also planned over the five-day festival are many free, family-friendly activities.
Join in a sing-along session with Japanese stars, watch illustrators duel it out and participate in a Story Wall activity to string together a story with others. There will be free performances as well, such as 1000 Paper Cranes, a touching story about how 1000 origami cranes brought about new hope.
Get more details on the free activities and performances at the AFCC here.
R Ramachandran, Executive Director of the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS), which organises the AFCC, said, “Since our first edition in 2000, AFCC has worked to promote quality Asian and Singapore-produced children’s content. The public programmes provide visitors with access to a wide range of children’s content from around the region, and we hope they will be inspired to take a greater interest in books and visual content produced right here in Singapore and Asia.”
For more information, visit the AFCC 2016 website.
