Return To The S.E.A. Aquarium!

[Media Invite]

The title of this post meant a few things to us. It was definitely not the first time we had been to the aquarium in Sentosa hence it was surely a return visit for the family. But the name "Return To The S.E.A. Aquarium" also happens to be the title of the latest book in the Sam, Sebbie and Di-Di-Di children book series by well-known writer Mr David Seow.

We had the S.E.A. Aquarium to ourselves, well almost...

For the avid readers, one of the thrills of reading a book, would be to imagine oneself as one of the characters and reliving the adventures. But this media invite took it one step further, bringing the adventures to the family, live! Despite it being a weekday with work looming the next day, I knew I wouldn't miss it for anything else or most things lah! I loved fishes and would consider myself a fish hobbyist. Loved fishkeeping so much that I once had a room full of tanks, all 25 of them ranging from 2ft - 6ft in length!

Sam, Sebbie and Di-Di-Di and Xandy: Return To The S.E.A. Aquarium is a picture book about the Xandy's family celebrating his birthday with a sleepover at S.E.A. Aquarium in its Ocean Dreams program. And guess what? That was exactly what the family experienced at this very special book launch event! Which included a guided tour of S.E.A. Aquarium (after it closes for the general public) followed by a sleepover!

Beautifully illustrated book that was basically about what we were going through! A sleepover at the aquarium!

We experienced Typhoon Theatre in the Maritime Experiential Museum for the first time where the kiddos found out what it is like to be part of a ship crew trapped in a raging storm. After which we explored the aquarium with a very experienced guide in tow, who showed us how to differentiate male and female sharks, told us that moray eels had two sets of jaws and that the jellyfishes were all transparent and got the colors from the lights of the enclosures.

We had the entire aquarium all to ourselves (or at least the group) and were privileged to enjoy the exhibits without the need to jostle with the horde of visitor during normal hours. It was exactly the same as what the characters in the book got to enjoy and experience! But we had it way better than Sam, Sebbie, Di-Di-Di and Xandy because we had the author, David read to us the story before bedtime and got to meet the pretty illustrator Soefara who drew everything in the book! How cool is that?

It takes a good guide to keep the kiddos interested during the tour.

The kiddos also learnt about the different diets of the fishes.

A photo with author, Mr David Seow and illustrator Ms Soefara Jafnay.

Sweet dreams my little one...

The kiddos woke up to a filling breakfast that is included in the program as well.

The family had a truly amazing evening at the aquarium, thanks to Epigram Books for the invite! An experience not to be forgotten. Find out more about the Ocean Dreams program here while you can get the book "Sam, Sebbie and Di-Di-Di and Xandy: Return To The S.E.A. Aquarium" online here.

We got a copy of the book, which Steffi enjoyed reading much as it reminded her of our Ocean Dreams experience!

About Ocean Dreams

It is an ongoing 2-day program by S.E.A. Aquarium that starts from 7pm in the evening to 10am the next morning and entails the following -

• A journey through maritime history and a multi-media extravaganza where you’ll get to feel what it’s like to be part of a crew experiencing peril on the high seas 
• A 90-minute guided tour through S.E.A. Aquarium packed with fascinating information about the many wonders of our blue planet 
• Discover more about sharks, dolphins, coral reefs and other marine animals and how you can do your part for marine conservation 
• Exclusive back-of-house experience to witness the feeding of the fishes

For more information and dates of the program, check out their official website.

(The highlight of the experience would have to be this!)

About the Author 

David Seow is a well-known children’s book writer and a staple on the Singapore literary scene. He is an award-winning children’s book author of twenty-three well-received children’s books, including the Sam, Sebbie and Di-Di-Di Series (12 books), which feature his young niece and nephews as the main characters. Other titles include Alexander’s Adventure Machine and The Littlest Emperor. His latest books are There’s Soup on My Fly!, Blow A Kiss, If I Were a Blue Kangaroo and Emma’s Elephant. 

About the Illustrator

Soefara Jafney is an illustrator, art director and designer. She started out in a production house, creating a clothing line, then jumped head first into the advertising industry and finally found comfort in simply producing art. Her designs and illustrations can be found online and on site. Clients include, KFC, Jacobs, Maxis, Heineken, Nandos, The Star newspaper, Johnson’s & Johnson’s, Quaker, MILO, Nestle, Olympus, Guinness, Great Eastern among many others. Currently, she is honing her skills in children’s book illustrations.
The Sam, Sebbie and Di-Di-Di series of books are her first children’s books.

About the Publisher

Epigram Books is Singapore’s largest independent publisher. Having garnered a reputation for its well-designed and thought-provoking titles, the company was registered in July 2011 to champion Singaporean literature, and currently publishes an average of 30 to 40 titles every year. Popular titles include the bestselling graphic novel The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, middle grade series The Diary of Amos Lee and the Harry picture book series. The company also made headlines in 2015 for initiating the Epigram Books Fiction Prize, Singapore’s richest literary award, in the hopes of uncovering the next great Singaporean novel.

Well, I would say "Buy Local" too.