Hello! My name is Euying Chong and I currently live in the Netherlands with my

husband and two beautiful toddlers. I am a resident artist at Oxcraft Shop, where I hand make quiet books, embroidered children’s wall poster and tote bags.

It all started when I saw some quiet books on the Internet and couldn’t resist making these cute and colorful books for my kids. We were after all, going on a long vacation and I needed something to keep them occupied especially when going to places where the tablet just wasn’t  convenient. Very soon, friends and acquaintances saw how adorable and engaging these books were for my kids, they decided to place orders for their own children. A friend of mine, who is a teacher to special needs children has strongly suggested that I introduce my books to the special needs community. She feels that the book will supplement and encourage some developmental skills. My book certainly helps children learn some skills while at play; and above all, keep them occupied.

If you haven’t heard of quiet books, allow me to introduce them to you. They are basically books made from cloth or felt, in my case I use felt. They are filled with activities that help improve a child’s cognitive and motor skills, shape, color and number recognition, early counting, sorting, sensory play and sequencing. They also encourage pretend play. It’s a book without words, i.e. you don’t need to read out any instructions to them. The page’s activities are very straightforward so that a young child, who hasn’t learn to read yet, is able to play with it immediately ( of course under some parental guidance). The advantages of the quiet book is that it really engages the child, using all their fingers, being able to physically feel the object, actually actively playing with them. With the tablet, they only use but one finger to move items or to passively listen and play. Plus, it is quiet – no funny voices or music (although in many cases entertaining from the tablet) which can sometimes overwhelm the child or put simply, not handy in certain places where silence or quiet play is intended.

My quiet book with pages that improve the motor skills include activities such as buttoning, zipping,  hooking, clipping, weaving and  moving one object to another. Think of pages with buttoning spots to a large mushroom, or hanging laundry, or putting cookies in the jar, or harvesting fruits. There are pages with double-sided puzzles, and tic-tac-toe to improve cognitive skills. I also make pages with abacus, or completing a pizza or clock for number recognition and counting. I have sort and match pages with colorful ladybirds and shapes. Then

there are pages that teaches the child basic sequencing  like making a caterpillar or placing stones across the river to help an animal cross over it.

I also make quiet books for babies as old as 18mths. These books are more sensory play. And as children of this age still tend to feel with their mouth, I attach the pieces to the book so to prevent choking or losing them altogether. So there are pages with a lion or jellyfish where the child can feel its mane/tentacles, or a page filled with nothing but all types of buttons, or making a fish/rocket race, or peek-a-boo page where animals are hidden behind tall grass, or a garden/forest page with plenty of things to touch and feel.

When I make my books, I use my children as my point of reference. I check to see if they find the activity interesting, and whether it is too easy or difficult. All my books are 10pages long, in half A4 size. I find it easy to carry in my “mummy” satchel. Because I hand make each book, no two books are the same. You can either leave it up to me to create a book for you, which I will include a whole range of activity skills set, OR you can look from my Facebook page and tell me what you prefer in your book. Each book cost €35 before shipping (€6 p/book).

If you think you might like my book, please visit my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/oxcraftshop or simply look up “OxcraftShop” under Facebook search. You can also directly email me at oxcraftshop@gmail.com. Quote “QB10” before 31 August 2015 to receive a 10% discount on your book order.