Interview by Rui Pastorin
The “Little Explorers - A Place of Discoveries” has recently been published, offering youngsters a fun and light way of learning about Macau.
The children’s book, the official launch of which is set to take place tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. during an exhibition of illustrated books in Chinese and Portuguese at the Nostalgic House of the Taipa Houses complex, is a joint publication between the International Institute of Macau (IIM) and publisher Mandarina, with sponsorship and support from the Generations-International School in Coloane.
The exhibition is part of the 6th Encounter in Macau – Arts and Culture Festival between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (PSCs) coinciding with the Lusofonia Festival.
With a print run of 1,000 books, the Chinese-English-Portuguese hardcover illustrated book is a compilation of four previously sold-out periodic books in Chinese and Portuguese, now also enables English-speaking readers to enjoy it, IIM Secretary-General António Monteiro told the Post at the IIM headquarters earlier this week.
Those picking it up will be able to get a glimpse of Macau’s heritage, main festivities, food, and professions across four sections, while there is also a “How do you say?” section at the end that offers vocabulary in the three languages. The main goal of the book is to teach kids about something in a fun rather than formal way, Mandarina’s founder and the book’s author Catarina Mesquita, interviewed with Monteiro, pointed out.
The compilation is also about a lot of modern things happening in the city, Mesquita noted, with each page showing daily life and the things that one can see in Macau as a tourist destination. Kids will be able to view and relate to things like the places that they go to and see around the city, involving them as they read on. “We try to show them that they are part of this story as well”, Mesquita said.
Featuring games, illustrations and activities, “Little Explorers – A Place of Discoveries” is an interactive book. Citing a chapter on A-Ma Temple as an example, Monteiro explained that readers will not only have a glance at, or read about what the temple is, but the book also allows them to engage in the activities that are mentioned in it and build connections with their parents, which is, he pointed out, of great importance.
“We want the parents to pick up the book and read to their kids”, which could create “very good moments”, Monteiro noted, adding that it also allows for different types of learning through its activities and games.
The book may also be a starting point to learning about local history and be a way to develop self-identity, according to Monteiro, with the simple text accompanying things about Macau such as its heritage sites and festivities covered throughout the book, which may spark discussions with the young readers’ parents and encourage them to do more research when they grow up. “At least they understand it in a very fun way”, Monteiro noted.
Speaking of their experience gained while promoting the book at local schools, Mesquita remarked that kids actually know something about Macau and its different places, but they don’t know exactly what all this means. “If you show A-Ma Temple, most of the kids, they’ve been to A-Ma Temple or at least the Barra area, but they don’t know that it’s the main place in Macau or at least where the story begins”, said Mesquita. “So this is extra information that we have added to this book because, yes, they look and they see and they recognise their lives in the book, but these little details are what we want to give them with the book”.
Moreover, Monteiro emphasised that the book is not something to just be read at a library, which is why they think the school [Generations International School] and students wanted to support the project. “They want to pick up this book and go outside to explore Macau”, circling back to the book’s title and the idea behind writing it.
It’s an activity book, Mesquita said: “You have to write things down. You have to explore the images and pick up the book”, and perhaps even go outside and compare the illustrations with the real places. Schools can also use it to conduct activities, noted Mesquita. “You just have to be creative…that’s what we want, just to be a small seed for bigger things”, believing it will be an important guide for school activities.
One should “try not to be so formal in the way of learning and experience the city”, according to Mesquita, who added that the book should not be thought of as something to just go through, with adults having “to do an extra job with the kids…You have to be a little explorer. That’s what the book says. It says that Macau is a place of discoveries. So, let’s discover Macau.”
The book is priced at 180 patacas and sold at various bookshops in Macau. The book will also be on sale during tomorrow’s launch.
International Institute of Macau (IIM) Secretary-General António Monteiro (right) and Mandarina’s founder and the book’s author Catarina Mesquita pose with a copy of “Little Explorers - A Place of Discoveries” at the IIM headquarters in Nape earlier this week.
Photos taken earlier this week by Rui Pastorin
This poster provided by the International Institute of Macau (IIM) promotes tomorrow’s launch event at the Taipa Houses.
