Can’t believe summer is half over!
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been kind of in “slow sluggish summer mode” lately. Kids are home a lot (hence productivity going waaaay down 😅), and routine is kinda out of window!
Last month, the annual Book Fair was held in Hong Kong.
For those who may not be familiar with it, this “book fair” is kind of a big deal.
The name “book fair” sounds so cute and dainty. And because there isn’t anything like it here in North America, I feel like everyone imagines book fairs to be these cute little small-scale scholastic events held in school gyms or libraries.
Welp. Not so with this “Hong Kong Book Fair”…
The annual Hong Kong Book Fair is held in the largest convention centre in Hong Kong, and welcomes 1 million+ visitors in just one week! 😳 (for comparison, the ROM gets 1.34 million visitors in a YEAR)
Many publishers/authors release titles around this time to line up with the book fair, and local celebrities often hold events at the fair that draw significant crowds!
So while I cannot attend the book fair in person (def feelin’ the fomo), I thought I’d use this Book Rex to highlight some interesting titles from the fair so you can bring them to your own library!
An Adventure through Nature's Four Seasons: An Encyclopedia of Everything You Can See and Hear in Hong Kong’s Ecology
🦖 Rex notes: Little Woods Education is a wonderful organization that offers high-quality classes, tours and nature experiences to young children to explore all that nature has to offer in Hong Kong. For this year’s book fair, they released this non-fiction children’s book that captures the biodiversity in Hong Kong across the seasons!
Make a request at TPL with the following info:
Title: 聽得到看得見的香港生態百科 大自然四季日夜奇遇記 [Rough Translation: An Adventure through Nature's Four Seasons — An Encyclopedia of Everything You Can See and Hear in Hong Kong’s Ecology]
Author, Performer or Director: 小樹林自然教育
Publication/Release Date (Year): 2023
Format: Book
Audience: Children
Language: Chinese Traditional
ISBN: 9789888828784
Publisher: 明窗出版社
Notes: The book can be found here: https://books.mingpao.com/product/%e8%81%bd%e5%be%97%e5%88%b0%e7%9c%8b%e5%be%97%e8%a6%8b%e7%9a%84%e9%a6%99%e6%b8%af%e7%94%9f%e6%85%8b%e7%99%be%e7%a7%91-%e5%a4%a7%e8%87%aa%e7%84%b6%e5%9b%9b%e5%ad%a3%e6%97%a5%e5%a4%9c%e5%a5%87%e9%81%87/
[For York Region Libraries] Content: Non-Fiction
Little Chinchilla Restaurant #2: The Grand Lunar New Year Dim Sum Showdown
🦖 Rex notes: I thought first book in this series was so cute, so I’m super excited to see the author-illustrator release another title at this year’s book fair. It’s an adorable graphic novel featuring a group of chinchilla friends who live and “work” in a traditional dim sum restaurant. Using short stories told from the perspective of these made-up chinchilla creatures, the author documents a lot of traditional customs inside a Hong Kong dim sum culture (from how customers “rush” dim sum carts when they come out, to how we “wash” dishes with hot tea, etc). Note: There is some questionable content, so please pre-read!
Make a request at TPL with the following info:
Title: 籠龍貓酒家2 新春點心大作戰 [Rough Translation: Little Chinchilla Restaurant #2: The Grand Lunar New Year Dim Sum Showdown ]
Author, Performer or Director: 卡奇
Publication/Release Date (Year): 2023
Format: Book
Audience: Children
Language: Chinese Traditional
ISBN: 9789888809851
Publisher: 非凡出版
Notes: The book can be found here: https://www.chunghwabook.com.hk/book/detail/id/1378029545429738213
Other titles in the series:
籠龍貓酒家 芝麻鼠的奇妙之旅 (ISBN: 9789888807734)[For York Region Libraries] Content: Fiction; Format: Graphic Novel
A Cooking Journey
🦖 Rex notes: Join award-winning chef, William Tsoi, as he takes readers on a gastronomic voyage through his culinary milestones, from his decision to attend the prestigious Chinese Culinary Academy, to when he outcompeted his peers to earn the esteemed title of “Chinese Master Chef”!
As an experienced instructor to parent-child cooking classes, he believes that cooking together as a great bonding opportunity. So inside his new book, you'll find delectable recipes perfect for creating treasured memories together, from “Thousand Islands Seafood Pancake," "Swan Lake's Harmony Pancake," "Hong Kong-style Egg Yolk & White Lotus Seed Mooncakes,"
Make a request at TPL with the following info:
Title: 廚藝旅程 [Rough translation: A Cooking Journey]
Author, Performer or Director: William Tsoi
Publication/Release Date (Year): 2023
Format: Book
Audience: Children
Language: Chinese Traditional
ISBN: 9789888822775
Publisher: 紅出版 (青森文化)
Notes: The book can be found here: https://www.red-publish.com/book/3016
[For York Region Libraries] Content: Non-Fiction
Experience Hong Kong through your Senses
🦖 Rex notes: A neat little book that takes readers on a journey to use that senses to explore Hong Kong!
From sound (the sounds of the tram’s “ding ding”s, and Cantonese opera), to taste (delicious bolo buns, and bittersweet Chinese teas), to smell (vibrant aroma of incense, and the shrimp paste from the rural villages), to sight (the world-class nightscapes, and the dazzling film industry), and touch (the sensory richness of the beaches in Hong Kong, and the craft of handmade lanterns) —— this is a great book for getting to know different parts of Hong Kong!
Make a request at TPL with the following info:
Title: 五感識香港 [Rough Translation: Experience Hong Kong through your Senses]
Author, Performer or Director: 新雅編輯室
Publication/Release Date (Year): 2023
Format: Book
Audience: Children
Language: Chinese Traditional
ISBN: 9789620881954
Publisher: 新雅
Notes: The book can be found here: https://www.sunya.com.hk/tc/book_details.php?refid=2711&category_id=5
[For York Region Libraries] Content: Non-fiction
My Bus Hero
🦖 Rex notes: This award-winning and locally published title features two really good friends 城仔 and 小新, who love the same superhero — the Bus Hero! However, one of them had to move away , and they’ve been separated from each other since. They miss each other a lot — but can Bus Hero do something about it?
Set in Hong Kong (the illustrative details feature high-rises found there, as well the actual buses that run locally), this is a fun title that’s a mix of superhero fantasy and a sweet friendship between two young boys!
Make a request at TPL with the following info:
Title: 我們的巴士俠 [Rough translation: My Bus Hero]
Author, Performer or Director: 陳渝英,吳浚匡
Publication/Release Date (Year): 2023
Format: Book
Audience: Children
Language: Chinese Traditional
ISBN: 9789882167322
Publisher: 小皇冠
Notes: The book can be found here: https://s-mall.com.hk/product/%e6%88%91%e5%80%91%e7%9a%84%e5%b7%b4%e5%a3%ab%e4%bf%a0
[For York Region Libraries] Content: Fiction
It was sooo hard to whittle things down to 5 titles because everything looked so good! So there may be more stuff from the book fair in the September Book Rex haha (unless of course, there are other new and better titles that get released in that time 😜)
P.S. Do y’all like prefer highly curated (and therefore fewer) recs per newsletter? Or would you actually like to see more (say, 7-10 titles?)