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.”
