Little Wayang Kid 戏曲男孩

A bilingual picture book supported by Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism

Raja, a good-natured and active boy, is expected by his parents to pick up an activity for his development.  Little do they know Raja chooses to practice Chinese opera.  Can he go against all odds: language, culture, and his disapproving mother to master the craft?  Join Raja as he ventures into the fascinating performance in “Little Wayang Kid”.

“Little Wayang Kid” is adapted from the short film "Wa Is For Wayang".  The film, spoken in both English and Chinese, premiered on Racial Harmony Day 2011.  It was later chosen by the Singapore Discovery Centre (SDC) as an exclusive resident feature for a period of 30 months.  It becomes the longest playing locally produced short film in Singapore.

Many audiences of all races and background, who watched the film, expressed their love for the movie.  They were inspired by the storyline and the way Chinese opera was portrayed.  In addition, they shared their concern about the difficulty for these traditional art forms to survive in this modern era. 
Therefore, the children’s picture book, “Little Wayang Kid” intends to introduce the traditional art form, Chinese opera, to the younger generations, in an entertaining yet inspiring manner.  The book, consists of high quality illustrations with a simple description both in English and Chinese, is designed for children aged 3 to 9.  The descriptions in two languages will also facilitate the language learning process, as children who are well-versed in English can easily pick up vocabulary in Chinese, and vice versa.
 
 
印族男孩学华族戏曲
《戏曲男孩》——跨文化，跨种族的儿童绘本
 
由本地电影工作者陈睿翰创作，Joey Ng Kai Woon绘图，讲述印族男孩学华族戏曲的《戏曲男孩》(Little Wayang Kid )，已经以双语图画书的形式面世。
《戏曲男孩》是在李光耀双语基金的赞助下出版，绘本内容取自陈睿翰导演的电影短片《戏曲娃娃》(Wa Is For Wayang) 。陈睿翰也是绘本的故事人。
《戏曲娃娃》电影短片于2011年的种族和谐日以华英放映后，被新加坡知新馆选为独家电影短片，放映长达30个月，成为新加坡最长寿的本地制作电影短片。
电影短片说的是一个印族男孩想要学华族戏曲的心路历程，尽管面对家人、亲友的反对，尽管学习过程中面对种种困难，但他还是坚持要把这件事做好，最终跨越了文化界线，在戏曲舞台上获得了热烈的掌声。
 
许多来自不同种族和文化背景的观众都深深爱上这部短片，为其温馨的故事情节和传统戏曲表演方式所吸引，并关注传统戏曲表演艺术所面临的困境和发展局限。
 
延续电影的主题精神，《戏曲男孩》绘本以更富娱乐性和启发性的方式，将华族传统戏曲表演艺术介绍给新一代各族新加坡人。
本书以精致细腻的插图、简单易懂的华文和英文说明呈现，让3岁至9岁的孩子能畅游于传统戏曲的瑰丽世界。双语呈现方式也能促进孩子学习语文，让习惯单一语文的孩子从中学习华文或英文词汇。
 
很多年轻朋友并不熟悉传统戏曲，甚至完全不知道这门艺术的存在。因此，本书除了能加强孩子对传统文化的认知外，也希望能培养孩子们对传统戏曲的兴趣。