Your S'pore Story: ‘I tap childhood memories to show children every connection matters'
Kid-lit author Rachelyn Gordon with her book Curly, which touches on self-identity and staying true to oneself. PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
Your S'pore Story: 'I tap childhood memories to show children every connection matters' She was called a boy for her short hair, but this author now draws on moments like these to inspire her stories
Ms Rachelyn Gordon still remembers the look of surprise on her students' faces when she unwrapped her breakfast packed in brown food wrap paper.
Many of them – international school students who had lived in Singapore for years – had never eaten their food this way. Some had never even stepped into a hawker centre. That was when the 36-year-old realised the Singapore she had grown up with was not the one her students knew.
Watch her video here.
Today, the former educator is a full-time author, and draws on personal memories to shape her stories. She writes picture books that spotlight everyday Singapore culture, showing children that even the smallest connections can be meaningful.
Whether it is a girl learning to embrace her short hair or a spider helping a grieving couple find joy again, her stories invite young readers to see the wonder in the world around them.
Ms Gordon with her son Samuel, whose everyday antics have been giving her inspiration for new stories.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
'When I was growing up, the only books I had were those by Enid Blyton about willow trees and scones with butter and jam.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, I was bored and wrote Rosie and The Mamak Shop, a picture book about the mamak shop uncle who would keep curry puffs for me 30 years ago when I was a child.
He was my first best friend and a trusted adult who even wanted to adopt me! I wanted a very Singaporean story and it became a really nice, important way to encapsulate Singapore tradition.
I never thought that it would be possible to become a children's author in Singapore. It's such a wild concept! I'm also self-published, which I'm told is career suicide. But self-publishing has given me a clearer path because I hold the creative rights and it's been powerful for me.
I am now focusing on creative writing and I talk about writing and reading in schools to parents and students. It's been a meaningful and fulfilling journey so far.
I tap a lot on my childhood memories to show children how every connection is important and I want to show them that you don't have to write about sitting under a willow tree and eating scones – you can also write a great story about eating char kway teow.
My second book, Curly, is about me again. I've always had short hair and I would get a lot of comments about me being a boy in primary school. I want to educate young girls on how there are different ideas of beauty and that they can have short hair too.
There is also a part that touches on bullying in the story which my readers use as a conversation starter with their parents.
My third book titled Frank (pre-order here) will be published in August. It's about a spider named Frank living in my home. After I lost my first pregnancy, I was vacuuming when I saw a little spider running for its life. It made me laugh when I really needed to most.
In the story, the spider cheers up the couple who returns home one day without a baby. It's most powerful when you write about things that happened to you and it makes your story unique. This is why I wrote Frank that features a failed pregnancy because it's something that happened in real life.
I now have a 10-month-old son, Samuel, who's such a funny, expressive little boy and he's already given me ideas for future stories. My ultimate dream is to launch a creative writing business that gives children opportunities to write about issues they are passionate about.'
For generations, The Straits Times has told The Singapore Story. To celebrate our 180th anniversary, we're putting the spotlight on our communities – for you to tell us yours, from all around Singapore. Discover the stories from your neighbourhood as the series continues at Your Singapore Story.
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