May 03, 2010

MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE

It gives me tremendous pleasure to announce that my cousin's daughter, Ashley Chung (a Year 11 Student at Chinese International School in Hong Kong), has just published her first book "Billy and Sophie's Big Environmental Adventures" as part of her personal project for the MYP system adopted by her school and also to raise funds for World Wildlife Fund, Hong Kong.



"Billy and Sophie's Big Environmental Adventure" is a story about the experiences of two young siblings in a whole new world. One night, they go to bed and wake up in an entirely different place where they make new friends and learn about the environment during this exciting adventure. After learning about the perils facing our environment, the siblings return home with renewed vision and new found determination to make a difference to the world in which they live.

This book is the culmination of months of hard work and years of diligence and discipline to chase her dream of becoming an author. As a resident of Hong Kong, Ashley noticed the magnitude of pollution there and also the amount of litter scattered on the streets. That and the realization of other environmental issues such as global warming and extinction of some species of flora and fauna compelled her to play her role in helping to secure a more sustainable future for Mother Earth by raising environmental awareness via her book.

This is what Nicole Wong, Assistant Director (Education) of World Wildlife Fund, Hong Kong had to say about her book:

When I read the first draft of this book, I was touched by Ashley's ardor. "Billy and Sophie's Big Environmental Adventures" introduces environmental issues that we are facing. It covers various aspects of conservation, including the impact of climate change and pollution. More significantly, the story teaches children how they can make a difference in conserving this vast ecosystem through their daily life.

WWF-Hong Kong has long been devoted to the promotion of education for sustainable development and environmental conservation. We believe that the only way to achieve a sustainable future is by working together to conserve this living planet. Children are our hope; by cultivating their appreciation of nature, it will raise environmental awareness in the coming generations. That is also the ultimate aim of this story book.


Proceeds from the sale of her books will be donated to World Wildlife Fund, Hong Kong. The book was published by Print Plus International Hong Kong and they can be reached at sales@PrintPlus.com.hk

Well done, Ashley! We are very proud of you and wish you every success as you have purposefully made this dream come true. May you continue to write more books and make waves in the literary world!

2 comments:

Paper Wrapper said...

Year 11 is around Form 5, and already an author? Wow!! Do you know if her book is available at MPH or Kino? I'd be interested to get one.

Having spent time living/working in various parts of the world including Hong Kong and Guangzhou, I find that HK is not the dirtiest place I've been, nor any place in China that I've been. Sad to say, Malaysia still ranks among the dirtiest I've been. I have banned myself from public toilets. Many of our rivers are near dead, having been turned into convenient rubbish dumps by residents. There's one running thru Georgetown right now.

I don't see it as a government problem. I see it as a people problem - that selfishness with an extremely short term view of life. Perhaps everyone has the same thought. "All I care about is to take as much as I can and get out of this dump the first chance I get." Rivers, trees, the air, these are just expendable resources people use to get to the "other" side, just like motor workshops that dump their waste oil into the longkang, causing kilometers of riverbanks downstream to turn black. Nobody thinks about what they'll leave to their children.

I don't know if conservation and clean energy are KPIs in this government but I certainly hope it is.

Unknown said...

Hi Johan

Thanks so much for your warm and encouraging comments. Yes, you are right. Year 11 is equivalent to Fifth form. Her book is only available in Hong Kong and via post. You can contact the publisher. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful not forgetting the layout and excellent environmental message.

I do agree with you that our toilets are absolutely filthy and I only go to very clean ones. Even then, only for emergencies!

I doubt the current regime has much concerns for the environment - very tragic and the next generation will have to pay for the rape and plunder of our flora and fauna as well. :-(

Take care and thanks so much for reading.

Have a lovely evening!

Cheers