Children's Book Week 2016 - Quintessentially Susanna Goho-Quek

Susanna Goho-Quek grew up in a large family and was surrounded by opera performers as her mother had managed a Chinese Opera troupe. She has published a book Fun At the Opera based on her experiences, and another book, God is Hu? which celebrates creation and nature, as well as a series of colouring books. Susanna is Singaporean and spends her time between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. She is actively involved in art classes for children and adults, encouraging their creativity to blossom. 

Susanna Goho-Quek

1. What inspires you?

Could be a whiff of smoke, a twinkling star so sparkly in the deep midnight sky, glorious colours of sunset, trill of a family of sunbirds, a baby's gurgle and when he or she stretches out their little hand and encloses your finger and promptly puts it to their mouth to suckle, pure unadulterated laughter, the "shrush  shrush" of waves, picking dead leaves and enjoying their myriad colours (as if God said, .."In your last breath, you die a glorious coloured death" and finding Magic in nature...I could go on and on  and write a novel about it.

2. What do you like to do on Sundays?

Why Sunday? What makes it different from other days? The sun rises  and sets...it's no different from any other days. Sometimes I would like to lie on a hammock, at times work myself into a frenzy. It's just like any other day except when we go to market and I cook up a storm.

3. What makes you laugh?

Laugh? What's that? Ha Ha!

Fun At the Opera by Susanna Goho-Quek

4. What are your 3 tips for writing/illustrating children's books?

Tips...As if, I, an artist can advice? Follow your heart and soul and let that motto guide you.

5. Draw or doodle something you enjoy.

​When I see little kiddos, I sketch and it sometimes inspires me to write wild cheeky stories.

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Susanna Goho-Quek will be conducting two Storytime and Craft sessions based on her book Fun At the Opera on Thursday, 2 June and Friday, 3 June at Children's Book Week 2016, happening at the Concourse, Bangsar Village II.

Listen to the tale about the magnificent Chinese Opera and learn how to make Chinese Opera Masks with Susanna!