We really enjoyed learning about pandemics in Hwee Goh’s first book in the Change Makers series, ‘Invisible Enemies’, so when we received ‘Railroads to Superhighways’, N couldn’t wait to get started on it. “This looks like the ‘Invisible Enemies’ book, Mummy! The cover looks similar!”
To be completely honest, it took N two separate sessions to appreciate this book. The first time he read the book, he said he didn’t really understand some parts, but thought the comics were quite funny. A few weeks later, when we were talking about secret codes, I mentioned the Morse code that I saw in the book, but he claimed that he didn’t see that bit, and quickly went to look for it. The title of the chapter is written in Morse code, so he excitedly tried to figure it out, and was really pleased when he got it. He then decided that he wanted to write a secret message to his friend, and sat at his desk for ages, copying the Morse code table out, then crafting his “super secret message” for his friend. See if you can figure out what he wrote!
Personally, I felt that ‘Railroads to Superhighways’ was very informative, and I learnt quite a bit from it. There is a lot of information about how technology has evolved over the years, therefore changing the way we live and communicate with others. I still remember the days when I had to unplug my house phone so that I could use the dial-up modem to go online, and I can still hear that beep-doo-wee-doo-wee dial-up tone in my head! (If you know what I’m talking about, you’re probably as old as I am. Haha!)
Apart from teaching us about the positive ways that technology has changed our lives, ‘Railroads to Superhighways’ also highlights the dark side of the internet, namely through social media. Did you know that social media platforms use an algorithm to tweak what we see? This means that you and your friend may be using the exact same key words to search for something, but you may not receive the same results, based on your browsing history!
As a parent, ‘Railroads to Superhighways’ is a good reminder for me to monitor my children closely when I give them internet access, as they may not be savvy enough to realise that they cannot believe everything that they read on the internet. We have been trying to teach N to think critically about the sources of his information, especially when he tells us things like, “But my friend told me that it’s true!” so I found this book helpful in explaining how not everything he hears is true.
Like ‘Invisible Enemies’, ‘Railroads to Superhighways’ is a book which you should have in your home library, as the facts presented will always be relevant, and even more so as your children grow older and are exposed to a wider range of materials online.
Happy reading!
Buy the Book ‘Railroads to Superhighways’ is available at Popular Bookstores, Times Bookstores, Kinokuniya, and Liliewoods Social. It is also available online at the following websites: ‘Railroads to Superhighways’ on Goguru ‘Railroads to Superhighways’ on Kinokuniya Online ‘Railroads to Superhighways’ on Amazon ‘Railroads to Superhighways’ on Amazon Singapore ‘Railroads to Superhighways’ on Closetful of Books
INSTAGRAM GIVEAWAY! We have a copy of ‘Railroads to Superhighways’ to be given to one reader 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, 12th March 2021, at 2359h, and is open to readers with a Singapore mailing address only. The winner 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.