SINGAPORE – Make family time all the more special with these ideas and activities.

       Have you heard about Congo the Nile hippopotamus who escaped from the Singapore Zoo in 1974? He made front-page headlines and stayed in the news for several weeks after he took off from his enclosure and enjoyed a long break in Upper Seletar Reservoir.

       Congo’s adventure is now retold in picture book Harry Hippo’s Holiday. Author Alan John says: “It was so hard to believe that you could lose a 3.5-tonne hippopotamus and not recapture it for 47 days.”

       This is his fourth collaboration with illustrator Quek Hong Shin. Like their previous titles – The One And Only Inuka (2018), Ubin Elephant (2021) and Grandma’s Tiger (2022) – the latest is also based on animals that have made the news in Singapore over the years.

       “This is just a series of children’s picture books, but it’s also a record of minor events in Singapore that might otherwise be forgotten,’ John says.

       “I keep meeting people who did not know an elephant once turned up on Pulau Ubin or that a tiger might have swum across from Malaysia.”

       He adds: “Singapore has this surprising side of nature bursting through the urban landscape, with pythons that pop up everywhere, otters who create havoc in fancy koi ponds, and that tapir that is spotted sometimes in Tampines. We have to pause and notice, and tell the children, “Look!”

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       Although children are getting screen time at an earlier age, he believes that books can still hold their attention.

       “They discover fun and adventure, play imaginary games and have silly conversations taking off from something in the book. That tells me books and reading aren’t dead yet, and it’s one more reason to keep going.”

       Buy a copy of Harry Hippo’s Holiday at $14.95 on publisher Straits Times Press’ website at str.sg/tEBK and from major bookstores.

       Your family can also meet its author and illustrator at Book Bar (57 Duxton Road) on Oct 31 at 3pm.

       The tween and early teen years can be complex for your children as they begin to develop their own identities. They also grapple with uncertainties and changes, such as transiting from primary to secondary school life.

       Help them navigate adolescence by taking them to watch non-profit group Gateway Arts’ new play 12 Going On 13. Written by Michelle Tan and directed by Ian Loy, it aims to help young audiences understand their emotions better and encourages them to seek support when needed.

       A 2022 national study found that about one in three youth in Singapore, aged 10 to 18, has mental health symptoms such as sadness, anxiety and loneliness.

       Priscilla Khong, executive director of Gateway Arts and executive producer of the play, trusts that immersive theatre productions, such as 12 Going On 13, can help foster greater empathy for the mental health struggles of young people.

       Each performance, which runs about 45 minutes, is followed by a 30-minute segment led by professionals from Singapore Children’s Society.

       The charity organisation’s deputy director and head of mental health service Flourishing Minds Vivyan Chee says: “The play highlights the importance of open conversations about these struggles and the vital role community support plays in helping young people navigate them. Children should not have to wait until their issues become ‘bad enough’.”

       Catch 12 Going On 13 on Nov 2 and 3 at Gateway Theatre’s Black Box. Tickets cost $35 each and are available at str.sg/3B6Ux