We want to add a special thank you to our authors and illustrators who have continued to produce excellent new material for us to publish. I am referring to Emila Yusof, Evi Shelvia, Heidi Shamsuddin, Lay Koon Lim, Rossiti Aishah Rashidi, Chooi Ling Keiong, Yusof Gajah, Nor Azhar Ishak, Mohd Khairul Azman Ismail. A special thank you to you all!
2017 will bring new challenges as foreign books are being increasingly dumped in Malaysia at little more than the cost price to the publishers. However, at Oyez!Books we have a special niche in that all our books are quality publications, mostly in English, and mostly written and illustrated by Malaysians. I believe we are the only publisher to specialise in this field and many of those who come across our books express surprise and pleasure in finding such books. However, having said that we are constantly exploring the foreign markets to see if we can find picture books to publish that will bring pleasure to Malaysian children. Some of these will be available next year. On a personal note we will be welcoming Emila Yusof who will be joining us in January as our Creative Development Director. Among her other roles she will be launching our new initiative ‘Books & Gifts’. Books make the best gifts - they last a long time and can be 'used' and treasured over and over again. They can also be passed down. They reflect the values and thoughtfulness of the giver in selecting just the right books that will bring pleasure to the receiver. Finally, I wish everyone Happy Christmas and Happy New Year!
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For our Around the World in Picture Books Giveaway for October, here is a beautiful picture book from Spain!
Here are some lovely illustrations from this book: 
Latin American countries certainly produce very beautiful picture books. Do you know, Oyez!Books will be publishing a book from Brazil. The original language is Portuguese but we will be publishing it in Bahasa Malaysia. This is due out next year. Here is an illustration from the book, Na Janela Do Trem - Through the Window of A Train. 
Q2: How much research did you do to write this book? Quite a lot but thankfully everything was in her memoir (which is called 'No Dram of Mercy'). I also took a trip to Papan with my family to have a look at her house at No. 74, which is the title of this book. It was really fun. My kids and I snuck around her house and pretended to be rebels who used to knock on her back door!
 Dinner with the Kathigasu family Q3: Where do you like to work? I'm not one of those writers who can work in cafes and with other people.I only really like to work alone at home, in my special writing den, with the door shut and the curtains drawn. Yes, I like to write alone in the dark... Q4: What are you working on now? Lots and lots of things. The next Door Under the Stairs book will be about how tin was discovered in Perak by... elephants! I will also have a new picture book out called 'Chickaboo the Ostrich'. This book was inspired by the ostrich who was found running down the Federal Highway back in June this year and it's going to be illustrated by the great Lim Lay Koon! I can't wait for that one. Preorder The Case of The House At No. 74 now at a SPECIAL preorder price and get great savings as well as a free notebook! The book will be available for delivery from 15th October.
Jimmy Liao is one of Taiwan's most well-known illustrators. He has illustrated many beautiful picture books with his bright colours and in black and white. Our selection today is The Blue Stone.  Once there was a blue stone who remained for thousands of years deep within the forest. One day, it was broken into two and one part of it was taken away to build different things according to the whims of humans. It was made into a statue, a sign, a tombstone, a love pendant and so on. The blue stone witnessed human sorrow and love as it went through its different forms. It longed to return to the forest where it could lie in peace. Finally, the blue stone was broken into small pieces where the wind carried it back to the forest.     This is a bittersweet story that Jimmy Liao is well-known for. According to different interviews, his art started to change after he'd had leukemia and recovered. Although the colours of his illustrations are bright, yet the story portrays deep emotion such as alienation and loss. Jimmy's illustrations have also been created in virtual reality format. Wouldn't you like to step into his world? But for now, you may be the lucky winner of this book!
Korean children's picture books are some of the best in the world and they have won international awards such as the Bologna Ragazzi Award. Here we highlight two hardcover picture books which will be given away to two lucky winners who buy any books from oyezbookstore.com in the month of August.
  2. It's Fine
  We are giving away picture books from different countries each month as part of our Around the World in Picture Books year-long programme. Get a chance to win with any purchase from Oyez! online bookstore!
by Peter Duke
Elephants are the largest land animals, they live in a matriarchal society with a female leader. They are intelligent creatures and learn easily; that’s why they are used in countries such as Thailand to carry out heavy logging work. The white elephant has always been regarded as a royal beast and figures in Thai and Indian culture. Yes we love and admire the elephant because they demonstrate, like us, care for each other and social intelligence. Yet we are destroying them. Today, August 12th is World Elephant Day dedicated to saving the elephant and its habitat, combating illegal poaching, eliminating trade in ivory, educating handlers of working elephants to provide proper care and encourage people wherever possible to visit well managed sanctuaries so we may gain a better understanding of these beautiful animals. Oyez!Books has published a number of books on this majestic animal.
For one of our authors, a ride on an elephant as a child proved to be so unforgettable that when he grew up to become an artist he dedicated himself to drawing elephants. This is none other Yusof Gajah whose paintings and illustrations of elephants never fail to delight. Yusof's elephants are not always elephants - they do amazing things like becoming the alphabet or even a teapot! In addition, they have decorated banners adorning trees at the famous Nami Island in South Korea.
  One picture book that Yusof has illustrated is Dill the Little ELephant, a story of a baby elephant in search of its parents. This story was originally a German folktale, retold by Volker Wolf. Apart from the fascinating and touching story, this book contains a variety of Yusof Gajah's illustrations of different animals that can be found in the Malaysian forest.  Yet another picture book that Yusof illustrated was written by award-winning Chinese author Xiao Mao. How to Teach An Elephant to Jump was first published in China by China Children Publishing House and we hope to have the Bahasa Malaysia version next year! The elephant can do many things but can it jump? Read the book to find out!
 One more book we want to include is Alahai Anak Gajah by Nor Azhar Ishak who is also a mentee of Yusof Gajah. This simple and sweet story of a baby elephant wandering away from home and getting caught by a crocodile reminds one of Kipling's How the Elephant got its Trunk in his Just-so Stories. It's wonderful to have all these books by Malaysian authors and illustrators about the elephant. Have you read any children's books on elephants published locally that you would like to share? Do let us know in the comments below.
Today, 29th July is Global Tiger Day. This majestic animal can be found in Malaysia but is now facing extinction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified the Malayan tiger as "Critically Endangered", its numbers now reduced to an estimate of less than 300. How do animals become extinct? Mostly, it is through human carelessness and callousness. We hunt them and we destroy their habitat thoughtlessly. It is also ignorance. But we can correct this. Organisations such as the WWF are doing all they can to protect tigers. Individuals such as Rossiti Aishah Rashidi is doing all she can to educate children about caring for the environment and wildlife. Her three earlier books, Manja the Orang Utan, Puteri Tioman the Green Turtle, and Siti the Elephant highlight the plight of these animals. Now, almost two years in the making, Rossiti's next book is Pak Belang the Tiger, illustrated by Indonesan artist Widiyatno.  Pak Belang is a name commonly given to the tiger. Meaning Uncle Stripe or Mister Stripe, it is both a respectful and affectionate term.  The book engages children with its rich and realistic illustrations coupled with simple and clear text. Congratulations to author Rossiti for yet another wonderful book and we hope we will see more work from artist Widiyatno.  Pak Belang the Tiger will be published in Dec 2016.
We are pleased to announce that Oyez!books are now available as e-books in the pdf format for children to read on their tablets and smart phones. At present we have nearly 60 books released as e-books and will continue to add more in the near future. The books are uploaded on Google Play.  Children get enormous pleasure from reading our books and we would like to give them the option of having books downloaded on a tablet. The ebooks not only have lower price but also do not incur shipping costs. This is attractive especially for our customers overseas. In addition, the books are available for reading within minutes and not days.
You can access our e-books in a few ways : 1. EBooks listing on Oyez! website Browse the EBook menu on our website. Each e-book product will contain a link to Google Play where you can proceed to purchase.  From the EBooks product details, click the Google Play link  EBook can then be purchased from Google Play Store 2. Print books listing on Oyez! website The second way is by browsing our print books in the Shop menu on our website. Any print book that has an EBook available will have a Google Play link which you can click on.  3. Direct from Google Play Store Alternatively, you can browse for our titles in Google Play Store directly. Look for books published by Oyez!Books, or search for your favourite Oyez! author or title. At Oyez!Books, our philosophy is not only producing quality books but to keep listening to our customers. And we will keep working towards getting the books to you through as many channels and mediums as possible. We welcome your feedback.
Singapore's children's picture books are growing in numbers and there are several writers and illustrators who have made their name internationally. Here we highlight two books that were published in what can be said to be the early days of children's picture book publishing in Singapore. 1. The Bird Who Was Afraid Of Heights Writtenby Farah Bagharib-Kaltz, illustrated by Eeshaun, published by Straits Times Press Eddie was a mynah bird who lived behind an abandoned old house. Eddie was afraid of heights which was rather a problem. But Eddie had a good and only friend, Matt the rat and they got along just fine. However, one day, Matt was captured and Eddie had to find hidden resources within himself to save his friend. The line illustrations in flat colours are effectively used in this picture book. The illustrations will certainly encourage children to pick up their pencils and start drawing.
 2. Guai Wu the Chinese Elf Written by Adeline Foo, illustrated by Christine Lim Simpson
The detailed illustrations are a joy and complements the story very well.   We are giving away picture books from different countries each month as part of our Around the World in Picture Books year-long programme. Get a chance to win with any purchase from Oyez! online bookstore!
Chickaboo the runaway ostrich has been making news after jumping out of a car and racing along the Federal Highway last Thursday, 16 June. Reading the news, Heidi Shamsuddin was inspired to write a story based on Chickaboo while separately, Lim Lay Koon had drawn Chickaboo and posted it on her Facebook page. According to Heidi, "I saw the video of an ostrich running down the Federal Highway and almost immediately a story popped into my head. I was relieved that Chickaboo was found safe and sound, and returned to the farm. Afterwards, I found out more about Chickaboo's life and was inspired to write a story." "The fact that an ostrich sprinted along Federal Highway put a smile on my face. And I simply love her name, Chickaboo. When I shared my painting on Facebook, Heidi revealed to me that she also wrote a story. Basically, we were both inspired by the fine-feathered bird. I am looking forward to making this book with Heidi! " said Lay Koon.
It is a natural choice that the two should collaborate on a new picture book featuring Chickaboo and Oyez!Books is delighted to publish the book. Having just signed for a series of books featuring local animals, the publisher is happy to add another book to introduce animals to Malaysian children. The book's publication is planned for early next year.  |
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