Message from the Director - "There's a good character in a book".

The first stop of the Shun Yee Literary Award 30 Storytelling Theatre - Sword & Lion Tour was at Renhe on Thursday, June 27th. The author of the story, Ms. Ru Gui Liu, came to the scene and told stories for the children. Through the images and Ms. Liu's soft voice, her lively expressions and tone of voice, she attracted the children's eyes to focus on the storyteller.

 Two weeks ago, I received a call from an alumnus of the Cultural Center informing me of this event and that he would like to publicize it at a kindergarten and an elementary school, so I asked Renhe if he would be interested. Because there was no problem with the timing of the program, and because the theme for the kindergarteners happened to be "Tainan is a good place," and the lion parade was a story about Anping, Tainan, the city where the children live, and the culture of the place, we agreed to do it.

As expected, the interaction between the older children and the teacher was good during Ms. Liu's storytelling, and although they had heard the story before, the children were still listening attentively and with great interest.

"The hot sun made the town sleepy, and even the red-faced lion guarding the mansion couldn't help but doze off. Suddenly, the red-faced lion dropped something very important and rushed out, but he couldn't find it anywhere. Anxious, he had no choice but to ask A-Ma for help. ............"

This picture book story first appeared on the stage in 2018, and the experience resurfaces in 2019, with performances on September 28.29 at the Tainan Cultural Center. With the sword and lion as the main characters, the puppet combines elements of picture books, lion dance, and puppetry, and through close interaction with the characters, the audience and the sword and lion go through a surprising and interesting journey of searching for the sword. The beauty of Taiwan's traditional folklore and the spirit of local care are rooted in the childhood memories of the new generation of children in a lively and profound way. It is a storytelling drama worth looking forward to and enjoying.

Picture book stories are not only a good way to increase knowledge, but also a good way to develop character. Good character is the most important science in the field of parenting in this century. From personality development - honesty, respect, optimism, empathy, contentment, patience..., to life attitude - compliance, courtesy, friendship, sharing, empathy, gratitude, responsibility, seriousness..., these traits are not only the cornerstones of a person's ability to successfully stand in the society, but also the solid pillars for a child to have a happy life. These traits are not only the cornerstones of a person's success in society, but also the solid pillars of a happy life for children.

Pre-school children are at an age where they do not seem to understand, and if they are reasoned with, it may not be effective; reasoning is not good, but children cannot be uneducated, and it is very effective to read stories to children because "books have their own good qualities".

The Parent-Child Shared Reading Program is promoted every semester. Thanks to the cooperation and attention of parents, the results are getting better and better, and we will review the learning outcomes on July 10th.

Wishing your family a safe and happy holiday.

Mandy