Dim's Write Stuff

Culture can be as ingrained and omnipresent as sunshine for kids. Their interpretation of the world around them is of course influenced by those in their world; their immediate family, peers and community. It becomes the norm, unquestioned and hard to relinquish. As a 'third-culture kid' growing up in Singapore, Yashika Mody is well qualified to commentate on the unique qualities of socially accepted cultural norms having experienced them all her life; like the use of the words Aunty and Uncle within Singaporean communities. FUNcles is a picture book penned by Mody and illustrated by Adriena Fong that highlights one small lad's confusion after he adopts this terminology for everyone he knows. The results are both heartwarming and hilarious. Told in comforting first person, we first meet this boy in his classroom where he is assigned a worksheet to complete about his family (tree). He immediately proclaims that he has a gazillion uncles . Undeterred by the self-perceived ...