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Bedtime Stories: Amazing Asian Tales from the Past

by Hannah Jiang, Saima Mir, Shae Davies, Maisie Chan, Cynthia So, Annabelle Sami, Bali Rai, Sufiya Ahmed, Rebeka Shaid and Rekha Waheed, illustrated by Aaliya Jaleel, Abeeha Tariq, Amanda Yoshida, Debby Rahmalia, Ginnie Hsu, Hannah Li, Jen Khatun, Jocelyn Kao, Kübra Teber and Tika and Tata

Interest age: 9 to 11
Reading age: 9+

Published by Scholastic, 2022

  • Adventure
  • Around the world
  • Historical
  • Non-fiction
  • Short stories

About this book

This eclectic compendium features sixteen biographical tales which cover a broad historical period, from the fourth century BCE to the present day. They originate from various Asian countries, including China, India, Japan, Mongolia and the Philippines.

Each short story focuses on an important historical figure and explores the contribution they made to their country, culture and beyond. Children will learn about the formidable Trung Sisters, Vietnamese military leaders who led a civilian rebellion in AD 40 against Chinese domination and who are regarded as national heroines of Vietnam; King Sejong, who created a Korean alphabet in the fifteenth century to encourage literacy among his people; and Margaret Lin Xavier, Thailand’s first female doctor who, along with her pharmacist sister, set up her own clinic to treat the poor.

Showcasing the achievements of some fascinating key figures from Asian history, this is an interesting and informative collection, with a glossary at the end of each tale to explain unfamiliar words. Full of colourful, dynamic artwork, this hardback giftbook features contributions from a range of authors and illustrators, all of Asian heritage.

About the author

Bali Rai was born in 1971 and raised as a working class Punjabi in Leicester. He grew up in a deprived area of Leicester, a city which is almost unique in terms of cultural mix and his style of writing is firmly grounded in the reality that he has seen around him since he was a child. The senior school he attended was about 80% BAME - 20% white children in terms of ethnic makeup.

Bali Rai has been writing short stories and poetry since the age of eight. As a child he made up wild and exciting stories and his imagination has been vivid ever since. At school he excelled at English language and told his teachers that he would one day be a writer.

He left school with eight GCSE’s and English was always his favourite subject. After school he did three a-levels at a local sixth form - none of which was English Literature, which he now regrets. He went on to graduate from Southbank University in London with a 2:1 in politics and since then he has had various jobs in retail, cinema, and telesales and has kept a keen, almost obsessive, interest in current affairs.

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