Heritage picture books, NLB library storytime and children’s book borrowing

You can start this week without waiting for a library copy: one student-made heritage picture book is already free to read online, with a web map of eateries, a temple and a dance troupe attached to it. For borrowing or attending in person, NLB's myLibrary ID guide says this ID is for library members and may be used instead of an NRIC to borrow physical items and register for programmes. That guide does not set out how to join as a member, or what membership costs. ^{[1] [2]}

Two things that guidance does not settle: the standard loan period for an ordinary borrow, and the age band and registration rule for a particular storytime session. Both are quick questions for your branch, and the same conversation is when to ask which libraries hold the two new books. ^[2]

Two new heritage picture books, and what you can reach now

Bo' Hou And The Grand Feast is a picture book by the student team The Hainanese Cooked — Koh V-Nying, Ng Wee Liang and Yong Chuen Shin. The Straits Times reported on 13 September 2026 that it follows two animal characters, Bo' Hou and Mai Tin, inspired by the Hainanese tiger and lion dance, and introduces dialect phrases and delicacies such as ge bia, a Hainanese-style mooncake made with orange peel and pepper. It is free to read online. ^[1]

The team also built a web map of eateries serving traditional fare, an 1853 heritage temple and a troupe keeping Hainanese tiger dance alive, which The Straits Times described as a route to a family outing. A second book from the same student programme, My Ice Cream Uncle by Scoops of Memory, spotlights roadside hawkers selling ice-cream wrapped in bread. The paper reported that families can look out for its e-book release on the team's Instagram page by year-end, and that physical copies of both books are expected at selected public libraries. ^[1]

Membership and borrowing steps you can check yourself

NLB's myLibrary ID guide says that, as long as you are a library member, you can sign up for a myLibrary ID, and lists three routes: online at account.nlb.gov.sg with your SingPass or NRIC/FIN number, through the NLB Mobile app, or at a library's Book Borrowing Stations with your physical NRIC, Birth Certificate or a listed compatible card. You need an email address and mobile number for a one-time password. ^[2]

Borrowing has two routes: NLB's library@harbourfront guide shows families borrowing at the Book Borrowing Stations or with the NLB Mobile app, and scanning an NLB mobile e-card or compliant ID at a gantry to enter the Children's Zone. You can print a receipt showing the due date or check it in the app, and NLB's guide lists renewing loans among the app functions. ^{[3] [4]}

A small NLB-supported study in Punggol recorded parents who hesitated to borrow over book damage or fines. When researchers explained loan periods and showed parents how to extend loans on their phones, they reported that knowing the procedures helped parents feel at ease and borrow more readily. ^[5]

Storytime, reading clubs and the paid shortcut

Storytime is documented at one branch: library@harbourfront's social story lists a room in its Children's Zone for immersive storytelling sessions. The same file sets the etiquette a preschooler needs — plain water only, no eating, whispering, walking rather than running, no climbing on shelves, careful handling, and books returned to the trolley or book drop. Whether your branch runs such sessions, and for which ages, is a question for the branch. NLB's annual report also records kidsREAD, begun in 2004 with the aim of promoting a love of stories and reading among children aged four to eight from disadvantaged homes, through clubs in settings including preschools. ^{[3] [6]}

A paid option carries different terms. NLB's FAQ for The Little Book Box, dated 19 February 2026, describes a subscription for young readers aged 18 months to nine years, curated by NLB librarians, on three-month cycles at $32.70 (GST inclusive) for home delivery or $26.16 (GST inclusive) for locker collection. In that document renewals do not apply, the loan is fixed at 21 days, returns go through the Bookdrop at any public library island-wide, and overdue fines are $0.15 per book per day. Those are the terms as published in that dated FAQ, so check the current ones with NLB. ^[7]

Keeping it shared play, not a reading test

For titles you can search today, NLB's suggested reads list for young readers groups Singapore-set stories under a Local Food heading: Rosie and the Mamak Shop by Rachelyn Gordon (call number J SING GOR), where Rosie's usual mamak shop is closed one morning, and The Marvellous Sugee Cake by Quek Hong Shin (call number J SING QUE), about Simon's seventh birthday and a surprise cake. The list is a 2022 publication, so use the call numbers as a search method, not a promise of stock. ^[8]

One suggestion, ours rather than tested practice: let your child point at the food on the page and say what they notice, with no question about recall. If a title comes up that your child has read before, NLB's subscription guidance suggests encouraging a re-read for a different perspective. Otherwise the checklist is short — read the free online book and open the heritage map tonight, sort your myLibrary ID this week, and ask your branch about the loan period, the storytime age and registration rule, and which libraries hold the new books. ^{[7] [1] [2]}

Sources

EduNanny Editorial · AI-assisted research and writing, reviewed by our automated editorial team. Sources checked 2026-10-08. Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration.