Bedtime stories turned into children’s books by Hong Kong mother who found diverse representation lacking in kids’ literature
- When the pandemic meant Conny Wong could not go on holidays with her family, she decided to write a book instead and take them on imaginary trips through Asia
- Wong’s books also tackle what she considers to be a lack of diversity and Asian representation in mainstream children’s literature today
Conny Wong had big adventures planned for her little family. Then the pandemic took hold. But shattered itineraries haven’t stopped Hong Kong-based Wong and her children – Nathaniel, four, and two-year-old Charlotte – from travelling the world a little differently.
“The kids hop on my bed and we take imaginary trips across Asia,” she says. “One day we’ll be weaving through Bangkok’s bustling traffic on a tuk-tuk, the next on a bike exploring Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temples.”
Other days, she says, are spent flying a magic carpet over India’s Taj Mahal or trekking through the jungles of Borneo.
The storytelling ritual became the inspiration for Wong’s children’s book, Mama’s Bedtime Tales and the Wonders of Asia, which was released this month.
“It’s the perfect pandemic book about family love and childhood imagination,” says Wong, adding she also wanted to showcase the region’s cultural and natural landmarks.