Books published by publisher Balestier Press

After the tragic death of Liur’s mother, her father, a thwarted artist working as a doctor in the family hospital, is overcome with grief. He goes to study in America, leaving six-year-old Liur in the care of her grandparents, promising to return with a special doll for her.But instead of studying, her father travels to the Andes, where he meets a mysterious ventriloquist who takes him as a pupil.Five years later, he returns home, bringing with him one of the ventriloquist’s dolls. But it is not a present for Liur; instead, it becomes a menacing presence in the house, causing strife within the family. After observing her father performing strange rituals with the doll, Liur must find a way to defeat her demons – real or imagined.

In the 1930s, wartime Shanghai is a cosmopolitan metropolis where conmen and dance-hall girls mingle with refugees streaming in from the occupied areas. One of those refugees is Shi Zhaochang. Having read too many gongfu novels, he is convinced that only an elite martial artist with magical powers can save China. He flees to Shanghai on a quixotic search for a gongfu master who can teach him the secret techniques that will make himself that warrior. The fate of China itself hangs in the balance, and everyone has a scheme to save the nation, or at least get rich trying. The Pidgin Warrior is a rollicking satire of nationalism and modernity that is remarkably relevant today.“Satiric brilliance and unusual comic verve.” — C. T. Hsia, A History of Modern Chinese Fiction

After the tragic death of Liur’s mother, her father, a thwarted artist working as a doctor in the family hospital, is overcome with grief. He goes to study in America, leaving six-year-old Liur in the care of her grandparents, promising to return with a special doll for her.But instead of studying, her father travels to the Andes, where he meets a mysterious ventriloquist who takes him as a pupil.Five years later, he returns home, bringing with him one of the ventriloquist’s dolls. But it is not a present for Liur; instead, it becomes a menacing presence in the house, causing strife within the family. After observing her father performing strange rituals with the doll, Liur must find a way to defeat her demons – real or imagined.

A climate crisis in the Ice Age.A cold snap leads to an unrelenting glacial. For our prehistoric ancestors survival is threatened. Food gets harder to find in the frigid lands of Central Asia.Yet the tribes living near the Altai Mountains have found a refuge. A river and a lake allows some plants and trees to survive, herds come to graze - prey to hyenas and wolves.And man!Hunting together is tribal law. Shiga, failed his Initiation, ran away from First Hunt. Law-breakers are exiled but Shiga, expert Carver is offered a last chance.He will also lose Urm, his childhood hearth-mate to Bruj. Unless he hunts with the tribe.Urm is a healer and path-breaker.Gathering plants in the Growing season gets harder. Urm discovers she can grow plants with warmth and water - in secret. For it’s forbidden to tamper with Earth Mother’s children. But in that harshening climate Urm foresees starvation.She also prays Shiga will hunt big game. Otherwise, she must accept Bruj.Can Shiga and Urm forge new ways of living?A historical novel for young adults The Game Hunters is based on research and findings of Asian prehistoric people in Southern Siberia. Set in the Last Glacial Maxim when human populations struggled to survive; survival was only made possible by cooperation, courage and the forging of new ways.The Game Hunters is a story of innovation and acceptance, love and death in Ice Age Asia.* * *"An intriguing account of prehistoric life. Truly stimulating! To hunt or to heal... A must-read to understanding our roots from an eco-critical perspective." -- Dr. Ilgım Veryeri Alaca, Professor, Koç University, Istanbul

On the first day of school, a young girl shows up and discovers she is the only pupil in school. All the teachers want to teach her what they know but they start fighting for her attention. They fight so much that they do not notice the girl creeping out of the classroom... Where does she go? Who will she meet? And will she learn anything new in the world outside school? Beautifully illustrated by Taiwanese author Liu Hsukung (Winner of the 2014 Chen Bochui International Prize for Children's Literature), this picture book tells a simple yet delightful story about a girl's adventures beyond the classroom and shows how learning can be exciting and fun wherever you are.

Kris and Kate build a boat in the sand, then, dreamlike, it becomes a rowing boat. Their dog Holly frisks round them.They venture out into a sea inlet, watched by their mother from the shore. Kate, assuming that girls take the energetic lead, insists on rowing, Kris dreams with fish. After all that excitement they they get hungry and eventually, with Holly, fall asleep! With their mother alarmed on the shore, the boat drifts out to sea. But the birds and the fish that Kris had befriended rally round and pull them back to shore.Their mother lifts them out, still asleep and, Holly beside them, their mother kisses them goodnight as they dream of their next adventure

Akbar’s India tells the story of Akbar (emperor of India 1556 -1605) through eight paintings. The paintings were selected from many produced in his workshops to tell the story of his remarkable reign.The book was written and the different exercises were devised to encourage children to give the pictures more than a cursory glance –- to help them see the hidden history, the drama, the stories behind them.The last section of the book labelled “for the especially curious” gives information, sometimes quite lengthy, about matters just touched on or not mentioned in the first section.

Mother Bunny prepares a special family dinner for Mid-Autumn Festival. She sets out early in the morning and meets lots of friends along the way: Mother Hedgehog, Mother Squirrel, Little Bee, Uncle Beaver, Mother Duck and her ducklings. Little does she know that Mr Wild Wolf is sneaking after her… (Winner of the 2016 Bronze and Sunflower Picture Book Awards)

When Tan Hou is born with three dragon marks on his body, his parents know he is special. But the dragon is the emperor’s symbol. The emperor’s men come looking for Tan Hou, but he is determined to honour his parents and stand up for his people. This is the story behind the Double Sixth Festival, a day of celebration among the Tujia people of China.

It is because of Mr Zibra that the Caramel Pudding Symphony Orchestra, a previously unknown orchestra, has been elevated to the status of World No. 3. As a result, Mr Zibra gets to attend the best parties and food, causing him to be selfish, arrogant and miserly. One evening deserted by his limo driver, Mr Zibra is left stranded out in the cold. He comes across an orchestra played by children and immediately dislikes their brand of music. However, Mr Zibra finds himself in for a rude shock… (Winner of the Taiwan Golden Tripod Award)