AFCC Day Two: Picture Books and After Reading Activities with Ying Chang Compestine and Dr George Jacobs,

a volunteer, Vasantha, Kenneth and Adan Living the Singapore StoryLike a bird of prey circling its victims, it was only a matter of time before the talons of the cough I felt coming on the previous night, snatched the last vestiges of my health yesterday morning. Hack! Cough! Phlegm!

So I downed a couple tablets of paracetamol, chugged down my  a variety of cough syrup. It's not dangerous to mix two different kinds, is it? Oh, well, if it is then perhaps my books will eventually sell well. Denise, I bequeath you sole distributorship of all my books and some of my original author illustrations!

The weather here hasn't helped things so after three showers, I made it down to the Library for the second day of AFCC, the Parents Forum. I was scheduled to moderate Picture Books and Activities for After Reading  with best-selling and award-winning author Ying Chang Compestine and Dr George Jacobs. 

I had never moderated before and when Alycia from the Book Council asked me to do so, I thought are you completely NUTS! What if I mess up? I'm most comfortable speaking to an audience that requires afternoon naps - either the very young or the very old. Nevertheless, I agreed to so 

I met Ying during her brief visit to Singapore last year but I had never met Dr Jacobs before. We met a few minutes before the session at Closetful of books before adjourning to the Multipurpose room for the discussion.

The room was packed!! I fumbled over my introduction and then Ying  started her presentation. I wish I had such confidence and a command over the subject matter when I talk. She had the audience enthralled from the get go and that's no hyperbole as she went through the picture books that she's written and the inspiration behind each of them