You may have heard of the old woman who lived in a shoe. But have you heard of the woman who lives next door? Early readers will be captivated by this whimsically illustrated, modern retelling of the classic nursery rhyme, The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe. With pre-reading questions, this book is ideal for guided reading and builds early literacy skills.

There was a Peranakan woman who lived in a shoe. She made so many nyonya kueh, she didn’t know what to do. In this book of modernised nursery rhymes, original rhymes are recreated with local flavour and humour. Traditional food, local places and festivals are the essence of the rhymes! This is a book that resonates with our time, country and culture, and will surely last for generations to come.

There was once a poor little girl called Karen. In summer, she walked barefoot and in winter, she wore clogs that hurt her feet. She had no choice, it was all she had. Dame Shoemaker wanted to help her and sewed, as best she could, a pair of red shoes. When she wore them for the first time, Karen’s life took an unexpected turn. Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish author, poet and artist. Celebrated for children’s literature, his most cherished fairy tales include "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Little Mermaid", "The Nightingale", "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", "The Snow Queen", "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Little Match Girl". His books have been translated into every living language, and today there is no child or adult that has not met Andersen's whimsical characters. His fairy tales have been adapted to stage and screen countless times, most notably by Disney with the animated films "The Little Mermaid" in 1989 and "Frozen", which is loosely based on "The Snow Queen", in 2013. Thanks to Andersen's contribution to children's literature, his birth date, April 2, is celebrated as International Children's Book Day.

Dame Dallymore's orphanage is in peril. She has been unable to pay the rent for ten years, so the cruel Squire wants to make her - and all the orphans - homeless. Just when the situation seems dire, it gets worse, for a Giant treads on the orphanage and smashes it to smithereens! Mother Goose makes the shoe into a home for the orphans and all looks fine - but then the Giant comes back for his shoe and accidentally carries off Princess Marigold, girlfriend to the Dame's son Corydon.-3 women, 4 men, 6 women or men