Prints and a tote bag feature in a gift collection accompanying the release of children’s book Hong Kong from A to Z.
Source:
https://scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/3017230/z-hong-kong-childrens-book-alphabetical-odyssey Books
An A to Z of Hong Kong - children’s book an alphabetical odyssey through city
Artist Assia Bennani pays homage to her adopted home of 12 years with a loving portrait of the city co-written by Ellen Ng
Tale follows the adventures of a young girl and a lost frog as she helps him find his way home
Assia Bennani with her children’s book about Hong Kong. Photo: Jonathan Wong
In the lexicon of Hong Kong, that B is for Big Buddha and P is for pandas will come as no surprise to most young readers. U being for Upper Lascar Row and W for Winter Solstice Dinner might be harder to guess.
“Most of the choices were quite personal and meant something for us,” says Moroccan-French artist Assia Bennani, who provided illustrations to match co-author Ellen Ng’s words for the pair’s new children’s book, Hong Kong from A to Z.
The story recounts the adventures of a girl named Ayma as she helps a lost frog, Romer, find his way home. Their odyssey takes the duo across the city from Aberdeen to the Zoological and Botanical Gardens by way of every letter of the alphabet.
Bennani says she was inspired by a similar A to Z tale of Sydney she came across while on holiday in Australia. She teamed up with Ng, 37, a native Hongkonger and the founder of children’s product company miniFab, who devised a storyline that weaves each letter of the alphabet into a narrative that illuminates the city’s culture and history while exploring its rich tapestry of sights and characters.
“Working with someone from Hong Kong was important to me,” says Bennani, 38, who has lived in the city for 12 years. “We had different readings of the place; it was interesting to compare our visions.
The book’s images were created using a mixture of watercolour paints and digital effects for a style that Bennani says reflects the city’s dynamic.
“Hong Kong offers this contrast between the traditional and the modern,” she says. “The artistic rendering was also about this contrast. It’s a city of contrasts: both busy and quiet; urban and natural. I see this duality and tried to translate that in my work.”
As well as the 66-page hardback book, Bennani and Ng have produced a gift collection ranging from art prints and postcards to tote bags and calendars, each featuring drawings from the story.
Bennani says the book, which was a decade in the making, is her tribute to an adopted home that has provided years of inspiration.
“It’s a very visually dynamic environment that fills you with different energies and rhythms […] A to Z was my way of saying thank you to this amazing city.” Hong Kong from A to Z is available at minifab.com.hk.