The story
tells of a girl named Puteh who stayed with her grandma, Mama, and the house
servant. They all lived in a house built by Puteh’s grandpa who had passed away
before she was born. In this house, there was a room called “Momok Room” which
was locked and Puteh was not allowed to enter. The story went on to describe
how she discovered the “magical” items surrounding the Peranakan culture in the
Momok Room. These items brought her into Mama’s memories of her younger days. Finally,
Mama gave her a pair of the beautifully sewn beaded slippers and Puteh dreamed
about her Mama’s bridal night and even got to see her Kong Kong (Grandpa) for
the first time. Puteh truly believes the beaded slippers were magical.
I like the
way the book uses the curiosity of a little girl to discover her family
culture. The element of self-discovery and awareness throughout the story,
intertwine intimately in the display of items that represented the Peranakan
culture (through its illustration). The story narrated the thoughts of the
little girl as she explored her own family culture which provides a personal
touch to the story. The story continued with the little girl watching her
grandma danced in the hallway and she imagined how the hallway used to be
filled with music and dance. Puteh seemed to find identification and strength
in knowing her Mama used to be so pretty and filled with so much joy while
dancing. When Mama realized Puteh had touched her things, she shared about the
headdress and slippers were part of her bridal attire when she got married to
Kong Kong and she had sewn the beads onto her bridal attire. The story shows an
inculcation of cultural values as Puteh was impressed with the sewing on the
slippers and she was happy to keep the beaded slippers. Puteh’s keen interest
her new discovery continued in her dreams whereby she dreamt about her
grandparents’ wedding night and she even got to greet her Kong Kong in her
dreams!
This book
had beautifully made use of the curiosity of a child to discover her heritage. The
self-awareness element in the SEL framework is apparent in this story. Puteh
had learnt to identify herself with the values of Peranakan culture and found
comfort in seeing her Kong Kong in her dreams which she believed was made
possible by her magical beaded slippers.
Similarly,
the book could lead on a sharing session about children’s different cultural
values and practices. Children could share about a physical item about their
own race/culture e.g. ethnic costumes and practices. The sharing session allows
children to understand and know more about one another and thus is socially
aware of the diversity and develops respect for one another.
