MBBY INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CHILDREN AND BOOKS 2021

MBBY INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE ON
CHILDREN AND BOOKS
2021

IN CONJUCTION WITH KUALA LUMPUR
WORLD BOOK CAPITAL 2020

THEME : 16 & 17
STORIES FOR APRIL 2021
SURVIVAL
KUALA LUMPUR LIBRARY

WELCOME MESSAGE
FROM THE MAYOR

DATUK SERI HJ. MAHADI BIN CHE NGAH
KUALA LUMPUR CITY MAYOR

Dear Conference Participants

I would like to take this opportunity to thank MBBY and the co-organisers, Kuala Lumpur
Library and Universiti Selangor as well as all committee members who have worked hard to
make this conference a success. I would also like to congratulate all the speakers and partici-
pants who have given their commitment to attend and participate in this two-day confer-
ence. I hope this gathering can serve as a platform for all book professionals and activists to
share research findings and experience for the benefit of the content industry, literary devel-
opment and our children.

This conference is organised in conjunction with the Kuala Lumpur World Book Capital 2020
celebration, or KLWBC 2020. As you know that Kuala Lumpur was named as the World Book
Capital for the year 2020 by UNESCO but the COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted many of
the scheduled activities. However, despite the restriction of movement, quarantine and
isolation procedures under the Movement Control Order, the organisers of KLWBC 2020
activities have become creative in implementing the programmes by embracing digital and
online media.

I am very happy that this conference by MBBY which is part of the KLWBC 2020 activities is
successfully organised both virtually and physically. I am pleased to acknowledge the dedi-
cation and contribution of MBBY and the co-organisers in bringing such an important con-
ference. I wish you every success in your deliberations and I hope all participants will have a
pleasant and fruitful discussion.

Thank you.

WELCOME REMARKS
FROM THE PRESIDENT

DATO’ AHMAD REDZA AHMAD KHAIRUDDIN
PRESIDENT OF IBBY MALAYSIA

Dear Participants

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the MBBY International Conference on Children
and Books here in Kuala Lumpur. We are very grateful to the City of Kuala Lumpur for the
support they have provided and to the Conference Organising Committee whose members
have put together an engaging programme.

MBBY is the Malaysia section of IBBY International which is a non-profit organisation that
was founded in Zurich, Switzerland in 1953 and today, it is composed of 80 National Sections
all over the world operating on both national and international levels. IBBY represents an
international network of people who are committed to bringing books and children together
and its mission is to promote international understanding through children´s books and to
give children everywhere the opportunity to have access to books with high literary and
artistic standards.

IBBY Malaysia or MBBY is now busy preparing to host the 38th International IBBY Congress
which will be held in Putrajaya from 5 to 8 September 2022. and this Conference is one of the
many activities held in preparation for that Congress. I sincerely hope that this Conference
will deliberate and discuss the different facets of the theme, Stories for Survival, and will
bring forth relevant recommendations that will lead to a better, healthier, merrier world for
our children and young people.

Thank you for your participation.

WELCOME NOTE FROM
THE CONFERENCE CHAIR

PROF. DR. MD SIDIN AHMAD ISHAK
ORGANISING COMMITTEE CHAIR

Dear Participants

On behalf of the Conference Organising Committee, we are excited for you to join us for the
6th MBBY International Conference on Children and Books. This year’s event is specially
organised to celebrate the 2020 Kuala Lumpur World Book Capital and also for MBBY to pre-
pare for the IBBY Congress 2022 in Putrajaya.

This Conference is funded by the KLWBC 2020 Secretariat and our co-organisers are Univer-
siti Selangor (UNISEL) and Kuala Lumpur Library. Online participants can follow this Confer-
ence on the Zoom web conferencing platform or via MBBY FB or KL Library FB and Unisel
Library FB.
The theme of this Conference is Stories for Survival and presenters will explore how litera-
ture, books and literary activities are used for survival especially during trying times and how
children and young people manage to live with hope and positivity.

We wish to thank the presenters who have stepped up to share their knowledge, experienc-
es, and expertise. We would like to acknowledge the great efforts made by the Organising
Committee members from MBBY, Universiti Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Library. Without
their sacrifice and commitment, this event could not have been organised successfully. The
support of our sponsor, KLWBC 2020 Secretariat, assisted greatly in bringing a quality event.
And finally, I would like to thank all those involved for their countless hours of administrative
help and support of this exciting Conference.

Thank you.

ABOUT

THE CONFERENCE

IBBY Malaysia (MBBY) is proud to present the International Conference on Children and
Books, the sixth such conference for MBBY and the first time to be held both online and
onsite. This conference is one of the many activities held in preparation for the 38th Inter-
national IBBY Congress which will take place in Putrajaya from 5 to 8 September 2022.

The theme for this conference is “Stories for Survival.” Children and young people in
today’s world are facing more challenges of surviving in their environment, and books
and literature can play a critical role in helping them understand and cope with the diffi-
cult situations that surround them. This conference is an exploration of how literature,
books and literary activities are used during trying times and how children and young
people manage to live with hope and positivity. This conference also explores the literary
representation of survival and coping strategies during difficult times

ABOUT

Malaysia Board
on Books for
Young People

The Beginning

Malaysia Board on Books for Young People (MBBY) was founded in 2003 and registered with
the Registrar of Societies in 2004 as a non-governmental, non-profit organisation and as
Malaysia national section of IBBY or IBBY Malaysia

The first president of MBBY was Datin Paduka Shahaneem Hanoum Dadameah, then Direc-
tor of Selangor State Library and Secretary for Selangor Reading Campaign. Deputy Presi-
dent then was Mr. Siatan Ahmad (Malaysia Book Council), Secretary General was Alimah
Salam (Former Director, Kuala Lumpur Library), and Treasurer was Kow Ching Chuan (Exec-
utive Committee Member, Malaysia Book Publishers Association).

Executive members for the inaugural committee comprised Md Sidin Ahmad Ishak (Univer-
sity of Malaya Press), Roselan Zainal Abidin (Malaysia National Book Council), Shaari Abdul-
lah (Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka), Izzah Abdul Aziz (Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka), and Norha-
fidah Ehawan, Rozinees Kamaruddin, and Harleeza Abu Husin (Librarians, Selangor State
Library). Other representatives from the industry were Mawardi Said, Hassan Hamzah, and
Bustamam Md Ariff.

The first MBBY activity at the national level was the National Children's Book Seminar in
2003 chaired by Dr. Md Sidin Ahmad Ishak from University of Malaya. Within a few years,
MBBY had successfully organised the Children's Literature Festival, Bitara Book Awards,
MBBY Lecture Series, Children’s Book Workshops, Book Illustration Exhibitions, Storytelling
Events and Workshops, and had participated in many book fairs.

The secretariat office was first located at Selangor State Library in Shah Alam but
later moved to different locations in Kuala Lumpur and currently at the old build-
ing of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

Datin Paduka Shahaneem Hanoum served as President of MBBY for 12 years until
24 September 2012 when she passed away and was replaced by Dato’ Ahmad
Redza Ahmad Khairuddin.

Membership in IBBY

Malaysia’s membership in IBBY International began in the 1990s through the Dewan Bahasa
dan Pustaka and then the National Library of Malaysia before it was taken over by the
National Book Council.

In 2004, Shahaneem Hanoum was appointed to the IBBY Executive Committee at the Gen-
eral Meeting in Cape Town and she remained on the committee until 2006. Malaysia's repre-
sentation at IBBY was continued by Ahmad Redza Khairuddin when he was given the role
as a member of the IBBY Executive Committee in 2006. Ahmad Redza was subsequently
appointed Vice President of IBBY in 2008. In 2010, MBBY made a name for Malaysia interna-
tionally when Ahmad Redza Ahmad Khairuddin was appointed President of IBBY in con-
junction with the 2010 IBBY General Conference in Santiago de Compostela. He held the
post until 2014.

In 2005, MBBY submitted its first nomination in the writing category, Semerbak Puisi by
Khadijah Hashim for the IBBY Honour List. This title was featured in the 2006 list. However,
that was not the first time for Malaysian titles to be featured in the IBBY Honour List. In 2002,
Sayang Anakku Sayang, by the same author entered into the list. Sayang Anakku Sayang is
an anthology of 108 Malay pantuns and Khadijah Hashim used local flora an and fauna to
instil the values of life, love and understanding.

Projects and Activities

MBBY is committed to bringing books and children together, facilitating national under-
standing through children's books, promoting discourse and research in the field of
children's literature and providing support and training for those involved with children's
publication. Our international network allows us to take advantage of the experts and prolif-
ic information generated by IBBY and other national sections of IBBY.

In addition to the regular activities that include seminar, workshop, book discussion and
storytelling, MBBY has several special projects and some of which are listed below:

Asia-Oceania Regional IBBY Congress: The 2nd Asia-Oceania Regional IBBY Con-
gress was held from 12 to 16 May 2015 with the support of Putrajaya Corporations,
University of Malaya, Perbadanan Kota Buku and Malaysia National Library.

Malaysia-Iran Children’s Festival: MBBY has teamed up with the Iran Cultural
Centre of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran to organise the Malaysia-Iran
Children’s Festival to help promote art, literature and reading. The 4-day event was
held at Petrosains Galleria in Kuala Lumpur from 10 to 13 February 2018 presenting
international award-winning authors, illustrators and storytellers from Iran and
Malaysia.

Collaborative Projects with Universities: Five universities have so far collaborated
with MBBY namely UM, UNISEL, USM, UPSI, UNIMAS and UITM. Collaborative proj-
ects with universities include training of storytellers, production of specialised read-
ing materials, celebrations of special events such as the International Book Day,
International Year of Indigenous Language and International Kamishibai Day, and
lecture series.

MBBY-Putrajaya Corporation Partnership: Activities to promote children’s litera-
ture and this includes story book publication, storytelling activities, Islamic Art Fes-
tival, writing and illustration competition and workshop, and a multicultural library
project. In conjunction with Putrajaya Silver Jubilee Celebration, a coffee-table
storybook was co-published. Putrajaya Corporation will also be the main co-organ-
iser for the 38th IBBY International Congress 2022 which will be held in Putrajaya on
5-8 September 2022.

The MBBY Children in Crisis Fund: This is a special fund to provide support
for children whose lives have been disrupted through natural disaster, war
or civil disorder. The main activities that are supported by the Fund are the
creation or replacement of collections of selected books that are appropri-
ate to the situation and therapeutic use of books and storytelling in the form
of bibliotherapy



WELCOME TO
THE 38TH IBBY
INTERNATIONAL
CONGRESS

MBBY is proud to announce that the the 38th IBBY International Congress will be held in
Putrajaya, Malaysia from 5 to 8 September 2022. This congress is a biennial event bringing
together IBBY members and other people especially practitioners, activists, and supporters
of children’s literature, books and reading development. Every two years a different National
Section hosts the Congress and the hosts are selected from submissions made by IBBY
national sections five years before the congress date.

Participants attend the keynote addresses, research paper presentations, panel discussions,
seminar sessions and workshops on current congress themes. During an IBBY International
Congress various other meetings are also held, such as the General Assembly and the pre-
sentation of different exhibitions and celebrations which include the Hans Christian Anders-
en Awards, the IBBY Honour List, the IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award, and the
IBBY-iRead Outstanding Reading Promoter Award.

The theme for 2022 Congress is The Power of Stories which encompasses the many ways in
which stories and storytelling are and have been powerful in our lives and especially in the
lives of children and young people. With all the problems and challenges we are facing,
stories help in making sense of our world. This conference allows participants an opportuni-
ty to share various perspectives and experiences on the life-changing and eye-opening
works of youth literature, both past and present, in books that truly have the power to
enchant, enrich and inspire.

For more information on this Congress, please visit our website: https://www.ibbycon-
gress2022.org/

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MBBY International Conference
on Children and Books
STORIES FOR SURVIVAL

16 - 17 April 2021, Friday-Saturday (Kuala Lumpur Library)
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

DAY 1
16 APRIL 2021, FRIDAY

OPENING Welcome Speech: Dato’ Ahmad Redza A. Khairuddin
8.45 - 9.20 am (MBBY President)
(Onsite) Opening Remarks: Datuk Seri Hj. Mahadi bin Che Ngah
(Kuala Lumpur City Mayor)
KEYNOTE 1 Book Donation Presentation: Pn. Mohana Gill
9.20 - 10.00 am
(Onsite) Dr. Sharifah Aishah Osman (Malaysia)
Title: Beyond Survival: Narratives of Empowerment and
Implications for the Advancement of Malaysian Youth
Literature

PANEL 1 1. Mr. Sum Lih Kang (Malaysia)
10.15 - 12.15 pm Title: Stories for Survival – A Publisher’s Perspective – Back
(Onsite) to Basics

12.15 - 2.45 pm 2. Tn. Hj Mohd Khair Ngadiron (Malaysia)
Title: Sustainable Book Livelihood in Malaysia

3. Mdm. Mariati Josepha Mustafa (Malaysia)
Title: Preserving folk tales for children of Malaysia: Role of
DBP

4. Dr. Siti Ezaleila (Malaysia)
Title: TECHNOLOGY, BOOKS AND CHILDREN: How Technology
Can Be Used to Motivate Young Readers in the Age of
Digitalization?

Break / Solat Jumaat

PANEL 2 5. Ms. Lim Jeong Jin (South Korea)
2.45 - 4.00 pm Title: To make children feel close to vegetarianism
(Online)
6. Ms. Etsuko Nozaka (Japan)
Title: Kamishibai: We Are All Here Together

7. Mr. Enrique Paez (Spain)
Title: Writers and Readers in Pandemic

MBBY International Conference
on Children and Books
STORIES FOR SURVIVAL

16 - 17 April 2021, Friday-Saturday (Kuala Lumpur Library)
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

DAY 2
17 APRIL 2021, SATURDAY

KEYNOTE 2 Mr. Mingzhou Zhang (President of IBBY)
9.00 - 9.40 am Title: IBBY and Lifetree Books in the Pandemic
(Online)
PANEL 3 8. Dr. Patricia Hardwick (USA)
10.00 am - 12.00 pm Title: Cerita Angin: Stories and Healing in the Kelanta-
(Online/Onsite) nese Mak Yong Tradition

12.00 - 2.00 pm 9. Ms. Nisha K. (Malaysia)
PANEL 4 Title: Kids in Crisis: The Psychology of Storytelling
2.00 - 4.00 pm
(Online/Onsite) 10. Mdm. Heidi Shamsuddin (Malaysia)
Theme: Stories for Title: The Magical Healing Power of Fairy Tales
Survival
11. Ms. Quek Sue Yian (Malaysia)
CLOSING Title: The Inner Hum Project
4.00 - 4.30 pm
Break / Solat

12. Dr. Lalita Sinha (Malaysia)
Title: Multicultural Malaysia: The Translation of
KOMICS Ebooks

13. Prof. Dr. Ruzy Suliza Hashim (Malaysia)
Title: Laughing Together: Nurturing Reading Through
Humor

14. Dr. Florence Toh (Malaysia)
Title: Surviving Financial Crisis in Children’s Novel Lily
Alone (2011)

15. Mdm. Poh Sze Lyn (Malaysia)
Title: Feeding That Craving

16. Mr. Nor Azhar Ishak (Malaysia)
Title: Bridging the Gap through Stories

Concluding Remarks
Prof. Dr Md Sidin Ahmad Ishak (Vice-President, IBBY Malaysia)

Closing Speech
Dato’ Ahmad Redza Ahmad Khairuddin (President, IBBY Malaysia)

Keynote 1
Dr. Sharifah Aishah Osman

Beyond Survival: Narratives of Empowerment and Implications
for the Advancement of Malaysian Youth Literature

Global publication trends in the last three decades have indicated a clear recognition of the role of
children’s literature as a tool for empowerment and a means of providing children and young adults
with a voice for the expression of self-definition and agency, especially in the face of trauma and
adversity. This is reflected in titles like She Persisted (2017) and Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls
(2017), as well as folktale collections such as Not One Damsel in Distress (2000) and Folktales for
Fearless Girls (2020). The academic scholarship of contemporary childhood studies and children’s
and young adult (YA) literary studies reflects a similar impetus, as seen in the work of Lurie (1990),
James and Prout (1997), Zipes (2012), Stephens (2013), Beauvais (2015), and Seelinger Trites (2018), all
of which emphasize subjectivity, agency, and autonomy as prominent themes. In recent years,
authors of Malaysian youth literature have begun to acknowledge the significance of such literary
representations, in which children or young adults are portrayed as autonomous social agents who
participate actively in steering the course of their own fates, as opposed to “passive subjects of
social structures and processes” (James and Prout 2005). This paper discusses various depictions of
childhood agency and empowerment in Malaysian children’s and YA literature in English from
multiple genres, ranging from Heidi Shamsuddin’s picture book adaptation of The Malay Tale of the
Pig King (2020), Sharmilla Ganesan’s short story “Gamble” from The Principal Girl: Feminist Tales
from Asia (2019), and Hanna Alkaf’s middle-grade and YA novels The Girl and the Ghost (2020) and
The Weight of Our Sky (2019), so as to emphasize the value and viability of these literary texts as
“stories for survival”. In emphasizing agency as “the new paradigm of childhood” (Kehily 2015), this
paper argues that such “narratives of empowerment” are crucial for the durability and relevance of
youth literature in contemporary modern societies through their capacity to demonstrate how
young people “are and must be seen as active in the construction and determination of their own
social lives, the lives of those around them, and of the societies in which they live” (James and Prout
2005). It concludes with deliberations on how the privileging of child agency in Malaysian youth
literature can serve as the means through which young people can be empowered not only to
overcome their own personal challenges, but also to address the numerous complexities and social
realities that afflict Malaysia as a modern multicultural nation such as ableism, sexism and gender
inequality, mental health disorders, and ethnic and religious polarization.

Keywords: agency in children’s literature; folktale adaptation; Malaysian children's literature; surviv-
al stories; young adult fiction.

Speaker 1
Mr. Sum Lih Kang (Malaysia)

Stories for Survival – A Publisher’s Perspective – Back to Basics

Digital, Data, IoT and AI are some of the important developments human has made over
the past 2 decades. Education remains the most fundamental driving force behind these
human inventions. As content creators and providers, publishers continuously keep up
and make changes with these developments. Publishers have to stay focus and react
quickly according to trends. Year 2020 with Covid-19 pandemic has only sped up this evolu-
tion process.

Speaker 2
Tn. Hj Mohd Khair Ngadiron (Malaysia)

Sustainable Book Livelihood in Malaysia

“Think globally, act locally,” a phrase that has been echoed around the world millions of
times in recent years. However, the ideas remain the same. Let’s start by focusing on our
local environment, and our small acts that may add up, slowly leading to change in an
office, a neighbourhood, a community, a city, and eventually a state and so on. Although
the idea of sustainability has traditionally been associated with the environment, it can
also be applied to help the sustainability of children facing challenges within their environ-
ment for reading. This is where the National Book Council of Malaysia plays its role in
sustaining the livelihood of books in the lives of Malaysians especially children. In order to
do so, interventions are designed to address the unprecedented situations. The effect of
Covid-19 in the book industry has halted children reaching for their favourite books. As we
know, the acquisition of effective reading skills has a positive effect and therefore reading
is sine-qua-non for human capital and global development as a whole. This is the story of
survival by the National Book Council of Malaysia who took an unprecedented measure-
ment in the lives of Malaysians on how books and literature can play a critical role in help-
ing them understand and cope with difficult situations that surround them and to over-
come it.

Speaker 3
Mdm. Mariati Josepha Mustafa (Malaysia)

Preserving folk tales for children of Malaysia: Role of DBP

Malaysia is rich in folk tales due to the diversity of race and ethnics presented in the coun-
try. These folk tales are inherited orally from a generation to another as a way of lifestyle
completion because these stories contain cultural values, entertainment, etiquettes,
customs, and superstitions. This early literature then expanded through written medium
and compiled as books. Through folk tales, potential writers were born to write in various
shapes of colourful books to attract the attention of readers, especially children. Scholars
and art activists need to step up to diversify folk tales into other forms although the pub-
lishing ecosystem today has changed tremendously in many platforms and are ready to be
explored. Thus, it is vital to transform folk tales into digital media in order to make them
famous like before, especially among the younger generations. In Malaysia, there are
efforts done to preserve folk tales like republishing them into digital format like animation
and electronic book or e-book. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka is working towards this to
encourage children’s participation in learning folk tales through new media by studying
the titles, formats, and digital media used as one of the efforts aligned with the National
Creative Industry Rights (NCIR).

Speaker 4
Dr. Siti Ezaleila (Malaysia)

TECHNOLOGY, BOOKS AND CHILDREN: How Technology Can Be Used to
Motivate Young Readers in the Age of Digitalization?

Nowadays, encouraging children to read is even more difficult, as parents are more
time-strapped than ever before, and children have access to screens to keep them occu-
pied. In Malaysia, 1 in 3 Internet users is children and more than 175,000 children go online
for the first time every day. Thus, reading may seem to be competing for children's time
and attention with technology usage, but this does not have to be the case. Using technol-
ogy in conjunction with reading will encourage young people to pick up a book. Therefore,
this paper will discuss the use of technology in motivating children to read for pleasure.

Speaker 5
Ms. Lim Jeong Jin (South Korea)

To Make Children Feel Close To Vegetarianism

Eco-friendly education is becoming more and more important. We have to teach children
Vege diet is powerful for environment. How can we explain the importance of eating vege-
tables to children? We all know that the production of meat products generates a huge
amount of CO2 in our air. What do cows produce every day? Milk? Beef? Leather? Chant
song? Yes. Cows are making lots of methane gas every day. Meat dishes on the table have
harmful effects on our environment. Just 1kg beef needs 15,000L water and 25kg of grains.
We need to reduce meat consumption to help the environment? It’s not easy to transform
into a vegetarian right now. We can make a day for a week as no meat day. We have to try
reduce meat food and to increase Vege food.

Speaker 6
Ms. Etsuko Nozaka (Japan)

Kamishibai: We Are All Here Together

In my presentation “Kamishibai: We Are All Here Together”, I would like to explain how
kamishibai works to encourage the children who are suffering in isolation caused by the
corona pandemic. Firstly, I introduce the theory of kamishibai created by Noriko Matsui,
and analyze how kyokan (the shared feelings) peculiar to kamishibai is born. Kamishibai is
not bound like a book, and the story progresses by sliding-out and sliding-in movements
of each picture sheet, while the performer reads the text. This format leads to two key
features of kamishibai, which raise kyokan for the story-world, which are concentration
and communication. Secondly, I introduce the report “Kamishibai for Young Children
during Covid-19” of Michele Valentines from France. She wrote about the special moment
when she performed kamishibai “Y-e-es!” at a kindergarten in June, 2020, how the
children were thrilled to be there together, replying “Y-e-es!”! It helped her to fight fear,
give joy and comfort and impart hope to very small children. Thirdly, I refer to two
kamishibai for peace, “Never Again” and “Live Voices”, as they seem to contain some
elements necessary for our survival. Both depict the disaster of atomic bombs and their
aftermath. Covid-19 and wars are different, but they still have something in common. They
deprive children of a secure daily life. Kamishibai is just a small torch of hope, but it encour-
ages children, in the atmosphere of kyokan., to feel that they are not alone. We are all here
together. And kamishibai for peace stimulates them to think how it could be. Especially in
this time of the pandemic, we should make a place for kamishibai. My presentation
includes two video clips, one of which is my own performance of “The Kind Monster
Wapper”.

Speaker 7
Mr. Enrique Paez (Spain)

Writers and Readers in Pandemic

I am a Spanish writer who likes to travel and collect experiences that I later transfer to the
characters in my novels. I live on writing. It can be said that I am a betseller in Spanish
children and young literature. The pandemic caught me on my last five-month trip to
South Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The pandemic has changed our lives, or at least the
way we see life. Thanks to social networks, such as Zoom, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp,
Facebook, I have been able to continue giving my creative writing classes, conferences,
and communicate with friends of mine from different countries. The social networks moti-
vated me to continue writing too. This paper is my experience, my anecdotes in this time
of pandemic, my tips on using social networks and writing tips for all those who want to
write children and young people's literature..

Speaker 8
Dr. Patricia Hardwick (USA)

Cerita Angin: Stories and Healing in the Kelantanese Mak Yong Tradition

Mak Yong is a Malay dramatic art form that requires its practitioners to bestorytellers,
actors, singers, dancers, musicians and often healers. Traditionally trained Mak Yong
performers never follow a written script, but rather improvise entire performances based
upon their internalized understandings of well-established storylines and stock charac-
ters. Mak Yong tales are elaborate creations that tell the stories of demigods, dragon kings,
sky princesses, magic kites, man-eating ogres, divine kings, and royal households. Within
a healing context, a performance of Mak Yong is geared toward releasing a patient’s
pent-up winds, or desires, by leading the patient through the embodiment of a lead char-
acter in a Mak Yong play. Through performance a patient, embodying a character, dramat-
ically link his or her mental or physical illness with the trials and tribulations experienced
by the character in the tale. Clothed in everyday clothing, Mak Yong actors and actresses
dress the patient in their costumes, lead them into their performance space, and guide the
patient through a public performance of Mak Yong. Patients imitate a master’s dance
movements; they are moved to weep at the beauty of their songs, and they are guided to
wellness through the embodiment of their narratives. This talk will explore the way that
particular Mak Yong tales are used in a ritual healing context before addressing issues of
long-term sustainability of the Mak Yong oral tradition. I will also discuss my collaboration
with Kelantanese traditional artists to ensure that these oral traditions can be introduced
to a new generation of Malaysians not just through archival documentation and academic
writing, but also through performances, exhibits, and the development of children’s books
based on Mak Yong tales as told by the traditional performers.

Speaker 9
Ms. Nisha K. (Malaysia)

Kids in Crisis: The Psychology of Storytelling

Children make sense of the world by developing responses to stimuli. These responses
depend on factors such as personality, socioeconomic and psychosocial conditions, and
needs. According to developmental psychology, children’s mental, linguistic and commu-
nication methods develop according to their coping skills. In some situations, like the
COVID-19 global crisis, these developments become impeded, with the potential to cause
harm to a child’s coping strategies. However, in the field of psychology, a crisis is also
viewed as a potential for growth. Children can be equipped with the necessary skills, strat-
egies, and interventions to not just survive a crisis, but also to thrive. The effects of story-
telling on child development are highly evidenced to positively impact children’s language
skills, memory, emotional wellbeing and pro-social behaviour. Due to this, storytelling as
well as other narrative techniques have been integrated into psychotherapy and counsel-
ling techniques, leading to the development of approaches such as Art Therapy, Narrative
Therapy and Bibliotherapy. This presentation will discuss several approaches used in
psychotherapy that applies elements of storytelling. Additionally, benefits of this
approach, such as increasing reflection, emotional wellbeing, development of crisis man-
agement skills and resilience is discussed. The presentation will provide examples based
on a pilot project – the Kids of Malaysia Initiative for COVID-19 Stories (KOMICS) – where
storytelling was used to enhance children’s ability to (i) express themselves and (ii) achieve

Speaker 10
Mdm. Heidi Shamsuddin (Malaysia)

The Magical Healing Power of Fairy Tales

In this presentation, the author will seek to breakdown the various elements which makes
up the genre of a fairy or folk tale, and demonstrate how these types of traditional stories
are in fact, stories of survival and can be used for the purpose of promoting well-being and
growth for young minds. Children’s literature helps a young child make sense of what it is
to be human and helps them understand the world around them. In particular, the fairy
tale genre provides ways for children to receive important information in a safe and neu-
tral environment. Fairy tales teach children how to deal with basic human conflicts,
desires, and relationships in a healthy way. Acquiring these skills can ultimately impact a
child’s health, quality of life, or even influence its values and beliefs in the future. In this
presentation, the author will use a combination of local and more well-known fairy and
folktales from the West, to illustrate how these tales are essentially stories of survival and
how we can use these tales to heal and grow.

Speaker 11
Ms. Quek Sue Yian (Malaysia)

The Inner Hum Project

The Inner Hum Project was conceived during lockdown and it is a social emotional 10-hour
workshop using a single narrative as a vehicle to help children express how they feel and
to give them an introduction to regulation tools. The workshops allow groups / individuals
exploration of their emotions and to begin the journey of understanding co – regulation
and working with nervous systems. To help adults and children understand their inner
hum so to speak. The central protagonist is a boy who while making sense of the world
helps those around him to see emotions as friends and to have the courage to be them-
selves. This workshop will outline the journey of the workshop creation as well as a
discourse into the storyline.

Speaker 12
Dr. Lalita Sinha (Malaysia)

Multicultural Malaysia: The Translation of KOMICS Ebooks

This presentation showcases the pilot phase of KOMICS (Kids of Malaysia Initiative for
COVID-19 Stories), a project to support and enable typical children, as well as those from
indigenous, underprivileged and vulnerable communities in Malaysia to share their views
and voices on the pandemic experience. This presentation outlines processes to collect,
curate and create stories with children, shared through writing, storytelling, recordings
and art. The children’s contributions will be made available on an online platform in ebook,
audiobook and pdf formats. The curation and creation processes include translating the
stories into diverse languages and dialects of Malaysia. The author will highlight problems
and prospects of preserving the multicultural Malaysian identity, as well as the special
identity of children’s expressions, referred to as “childspeak”.

Speaker 13
Prof. Dr. Ruzy Suliza Hashim (Malaysia)

Laughing Together: Nurturing Reading Through Humor

One of the most incredible feelings a person can experience is joy. When we feel happy,
negative emotions such as anxiety, self-doubt, and uncertainty are kept in check. In my
experience reading to my children and grandchildren, I found that books that bring a lot
of joy to them are books that are loaded with humour. In our current climate where
children are constantly exposed to anxiety, it becomes more pressing for parents to
provide moments of antidote to ease their fears. By laughing together during reading
sessions, funny books have the ability to captivate the attention of young readers. Humour
acts as a deep link between us, and we must do all we can to have fun as we read to young
children. Through illustrations of some books that have been successful in making
children laugh, I hope to persuade Malaysian writers to produce quirky and uproarious
books so that the landscape of children’s literature becomes more playful.

Speaker 14
Dr. Florence Toh (Malaysia)

Surviving Financial Crisis in Children’s Novel Lily Alone (2011)

The increasing number of Malaysians below the age of 35 who have been declared bank-
rupt is a growing national concern. Following that, the government has taken a significant
step in introducing financial literacy skills into the local education system starting with the
primary school curriculum. In response to that, the paper looks at how literary works can
also be utilized as materials to educate the young about financial literacy. Using Jacque-
line Wilson’s contemporary realistic children’s novel, Lily Alone (2011), the discussion
centers on how the protagonist, an 11-year-old girl named Lily, manages financial crisis
within her family. The textual analysis is illuminated through Albert Bandura’s theory of
self-efficacy forwarded in his book, Self-efficacy: The exercise of control (1997). The study
explores how the protagonist gains self-efficacy through four sources of efficacy which are
enactive mastery experience, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, as well as improved
physiological and affective states. Resulting from that, she is able to overcome the detri-
mental effects of the financial crisis experienced. It is hoped that the findings of this study
contribute to the use of children’s works to educate the young on important life lessons
such as financial literacy.

Speaker 15
Mdm. Poh Sze Lyn (Malaysia)

Feeding That Craving

As we scramble to keep our loved ones safe, we need to remember that our children need
more than just sanitisers and internet access to grow during such trying times. So much
has been taken from them in the past year, and it is easy to overlook their emotional and
mental cravings. In this presentation, we will take a look at some ways we have “fed” some
children here in Kuching and beyond, and the stories that have helped us survive so far.

Speaker 16
Mr. Nor Azhar Ishak (Malaysia)

Bridging the Gap through Stories

COVID-19 has created a chasm of isolation and literal separation for many. Storytellers
believe that storytelling is a way to connect during the pandemic. Just as the COVID-19
pandemic separates us, telling stories brings us together again. Stories are helping build
human connections during a global health crisis. We can mould the benefits of social
intimacy, including health, well-being, and hope, even as we stay physically apart. Story-
telling can bridge that gap and bring people together again in spirit, if not in body. As
social beings, we embrace inside and out. When we can't physically connect in the 'real
world,' there are many creative ways to connect, and digital media can provide some
human closeness. It is helpful to consider in the context of storytelling as an ancient tradi-
tion that has adapted and evolved through all our world's wildest and traumatic events. In
the spirit of that long history, there are hope, optimism, and excitement to push the
boundaries of how to share this art form digitally. The future, for better or worse, is virtual,
digital, and interactive. In the sharing, the speaker will share how storytellers worldwide
continue to share their literary activities during the trying times to help children and
young people continue to live with hope and positivity. He will also share various ways to
respond to the challenges and opportunities that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to
the world, hoping that everybody stays safe and 'lives happily ever after'.

MBBY International Conference
on Children and Books

16 - 17 April 2021, Friday-Saturday
STORIES FOR SURVIVAL
Kuala Lumpur Library

JAWATANKUASA PELAKSANA

Penasihat
Dato’ Ahmad Redza Ahmad Khairuddin

Pengerusi
Professor Dr. Md Sidin Ahmad Ishak

Setiausaha I
Dr. Jamilah Jaafar

Setiausaha II
Eda Suhana Sharudin

Bendahari
Tuan Hj Faisal Mohd Salleh

Pendaftaran & Sambutan
Nurul Ain Binti Ismail
Hajjah Alimah Salam

Nurrul Huwaina bt Ridzuan Lotfi
Hanita Binti Hashim

Nur Zahirah binti Mohd Shukri
Syaza Syafeeqah Binti Mohammad Khasnan

Mohd Rashid bin Ramli
Nor Aziah binti Suraji

Buku Program, Banner dan Poster
Afina Nazira Afnizul

Norhayati binti Mohd Amin

Tempat Seminar (MBBY & PKL)
Mohd Fakrie bin Mustafa Azrul Azhar bin Mat Kassim

Ahmad Farid bin Mohd Nor
Zamri bin Mokhtar

Teknikal dan Peralatan (MBBY & PKL & UNISEL)
Norazly Nordin

Hafiz Abdul Rahim
Shaharizad bin Adanan
Syafiq Ridzuan bin Abdul Hamid
Mohamad Nazrin bin Abdul Aziz
Muhammad Ashraf bin Mohammad Sharif
Mohamad Shah Rezza bin Mohamad Aini
Muhammad Khairul Annuar bin Abd Ajis

Norliza Abdul Hamid
Nor Suhaida Zainol

Moderator
Dr. Jamilah Binti Mustafa
Na-Thinamalar Magiswary Nadarajan

Pengacara Majlis
Anita binti Mohd Jali

Pembaca Doa
Mohd Faizal bin Kasmon