' ‘New Youth’ (Xin Qingnian)

The array of books that catered for the younger audience reflected the youth of Singapore’s population and their importance in society. Such books often had wholesome themes with a focus on moral education, perseverance, patriotism, family, friendship and cultivating one’s values systems. This was perhaps not surprising as youth were often seen as the building blocks of a nation. As the then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew told the students of Singapore in his National Day message in June 1960, “in you lie our hopes – on you depends the future of our people.”