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🎁Recommended for ages 3 and above
Shortlisted for the 2019 Singapore Book Awards (Best Children's Picture Book)
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This book is a part of the Prominent Singaporeans series, which features individuals from Singapore's history who have contributed significantly to her growth.
In the 1800s, a girl named Agnes Joaquim was passionate about plants. She learned to grow cool-weather European vegetables in the heat of Singapore. As she grew up, she collected many prizes for her plants. One day, after many trials and difficulty, she created a brand-new orchid. She showed it to an orchid expert named Henry Ridley, who officially named the flower the Vanda Miss Joaquim. This is the story of how one woman's ingenuity and determination created a flower that became world-famous—and Singapore's National Flower in 1981.
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"Agnes and Her Amazing Orchid chronicles the remarkable journey of a brilliant horticulturist. An excellent introduction to our national flower, this wonderful book also provides a glimpse into the orchid breeding process. Singapore has a rich heritage in orchid cultivation, being one of the leading orchid hybridisation centres in the world. I hope this engaging story will inspire an interest in horticulture and botany amongst our children."
—Kenneth Er, CEO of National Parks Board
"A remarkable story of Agnes Joaquim’s passion for horticulture, whose interest in breeding orchids led her to become the first woman to breed a hybrid orchid – Singapore’s national flower the Vanda Miss Joaquim. Her story inspires us all to pursue our dreams."
—Rosa Daniel, Deputy Secretary (Culture) Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth
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Linda Locke is the co-author of Agnes and Her Amazing Orchid, a picture book about the creator of the Vanda Miss Joaquim, and has more than 300 creative awards to her name. She later started her own consultancy, Godmother Pte Ltd, and held several key positions at Club21.
James Wolf has researched Singapore history for many years. He was thrilled to help prepare this book about one of the nation state’s greatest icons.
Muhammad Noh Arjuna (also known as Muhd Noh) is an illustrator with a Diploma in Animation from Nanyang Polytechnic. Agnes and Her Amazing Orchid is his second children’s picture book. He illustrated Dewi: The Day the Earth Shook, part of the Asia’s Lost Legends series, in 2017. He currently works in an animation and post production studio. Muhd Noh is keenly interested in art and animation to visualise his imagination and curiosity. He enjoys watching cartoons and collecting picture books. He loves animals, in particular, cats.
