We are huge fans of Hwee Goh’s books, and when she announced that she was writing a book about pandemics, I thought it couldn’t have come at a more opportune moment, since we were right smack in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. I placed a pre-order on GoGuru for the book immediately, and N was very eager to read the book when it finally arrived.
Halfway through the book, he turned to me and said, “I’m scared, Mummy. This is a scary book.” HAHAHAHA. I definitely didn’t expect him to react in this manner, and when I told Hwee about it, she suggested telling him that that is exactly why he needs to read this book: so that he knows how to protect himself against the different viruses!
His final verdict? “It was nice because it told me about germs. I learnt a lot of things, especially how people died from infectious diseases. My favourite part of the book is the funny pictures! They are all so funny, I can’t decide which one I like best.”
One of the “funny pictures”
I took some time to read ‘Invisible Enemies’ as it has so many interesting facts, and I wanted to digest the information slowly. I learnt quite a bit about the different pandemics from this book, and liked how the information was presented in short paragraphs, accompanied by hilarious, tongue-in-cheek illustrations. Clear explanations are also provided for new or more difficult vocabulary, helping young readers to have a better grasp of the content.
Hwee deals with the current COVID-19 pandemic really well, covering all aspects, including the xenophobia in some countries. I liked that it was non-emotional, and provided a platform for parents to have a deeper discussion with our kids about it.
In addition, ‘Invisible Enemies’ has a section on “The Power of Questions”, explaining how fake news goes viral, and highlighting the importance of fact-checking. This is so important in today’s world where people share information blindly, causing unnecessary panic!
‘Invisible Enemies’ is a book that definitely has a permanent place on our bookshelf, because it deals with important information that our children need to know. It helps to explain what is going on in our world now, and shows young readers that similar pandemics have occurred before, which may provide some reassurance that life will go back to normal one day.
If you haven’t already gotten a copy of this fabulous book, please do so! This book is also available on Amazon, so you can (and SHOULD) get it even if you’re not based in Singapore.
Happy reading!
Buy the Book ‘Invisible Enemies’ is available at Popular Bookstores, Times Bookstores, and Kinokuniya. It is also available online at the following websites: Invisible Enemies on GoGuru Invisible Enemies on Kinokuniya Online Invisible Enemies on Amazon Invisible Enemies on Amazon Singapore
INSTAGRAM GIVEAWAY! We have TWO copies of ‘Invisible Enemies’ to be given to two readers of Growing with the Tans! To participate, please visit our Instagram page. Terms and conditions apply.
Terms and Conditions: This giveaway will end on Friday, 24th July 2020, at 2359h, and is open to readers with a Singapore mailing address only. The winners will be contacted via the particulars provided when entering this giveaway, and will have 24 hours to respond, failing which a new winner will be selected. All incomplete entries will be disqualified, and all entries will be verified before the winners are announced. To be fair to our sponsor, please note that all fake Instagram accounts (accounts set up purely to take part in contests, with no or very few real posts), will be disqualified.