Margaret Lim facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Margaret Lim
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| Born | 1947 Kuching, Malaysia |
| Died | May 8, 2011 |
| Education | University of British Columbia, Queen's University, Kingston |
| Genre | Children's book author |
Margaret Lim Hui Lian (1947-2011) was a talented author who wrote books for children. She was born in Malaysia but also lived in Canada. Her stories often came from her own childhood memories. She grew up with local people deep inside Sarawak, on the island of Borneo.
Margaret Lim's daughter, Su Jen Buchheim, drew all the pictures for her books. Margaret published her books through her own company, called Fairy Bird Children's Books.
Contents
About Margaret Lim's Life
Margaret Lim was born in 1947 in Kuching, which is in Sarawak, Malaysia. She spent her early childhood living deep in the rainforests of Sarawak. Later, she moved back to Kuching, the capital city.
She went to school at St. Teresa's Convent School for Girls and St. Joseph's School. After that, she traveled to Canada to continue her studies. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of British Columbia. She also got a Bachelor in Education from Queen's University, Kingston in Ontario, Canada.
Before moving to Germany with her husband, Margaret Lim taught English Literature. She taught students in 10th and 11th grade in Sarawak, Malaysia.
Margaret noticed that there were not many books by Malaysian writers, especially for children. So, in May 2005, she started her own company, Fairy Bird Children's Books. She wanted to create exciting books that would help children grow. Her books also shared the rich culture of Sarawak.
Margaret Lim split her time between her home in Germany and her home country, Malaysia. She loved feeding the birds that came to her garden. She did not have any pets of her own.
When she was a child, Margaret dreamed of becoming a Librarian or a Museum Curator. Her advice to others was: "Whatever you do, keep dreaming!"
Sadly, Margaret Lim passed away on May 8, 2011, after battling cancer.
Her Achievements
Margaret Lim's work was recognized in several ways.
On August 6, 2007, she was honored at the Sarawak Women's Museum in Kuching, Malaysia.
She was also nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Awards (ALMA) in 2008. This is a very important award for children's and young adult literature.
Books by Margaret Lim
Margaret Lim wrote several wonderful books for children.
Payah
Payah was Margaret Lim's first children's book, published in 2005. It tells the story of a brave little Kayan girl named Payah. She has a very kind heart for small, helpless animals.
Deep in the rainforest of Sarawak, Malaysia, Payah helps many creatures. She rescues a hornbill and a mouse deer. She also takes care of a baby Orangutan. This book is written for children aged eight to twelve.
Four Eyes
In Four Eyes, Payah is sad because her animal friends, Sammy the baby orangutan and Kenyi the hornbill, have left. They went to the Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.
But then, something exciting happens that makes Payah forget her sadness. Fruits from her great aunt's garden start disappearing every night! Who would dare to steal from Uku Nyalo's garden? Or are spirits playing tricks?
Payah makes a surprising discovery. She takes on a big responsibility that is almost too much for her. She becomes friends with a runaway boy and keeps him hidden. Payah also learns why her great aunt is always in a bad mood.
Precious Jade and Turnip Head
In this book, Payah and her best friend, Usun, celebrate Chinese New Year with their classmate, Precious Jade. They visit Precious Jade's home in Kampung, China. There, they learn why Precious Jade's little brother is called Turnip Head.
Four Eyes, a young Penan orphan boy whom Payah had helped, is now living with Payah's great aunt, Uku Nyalo. He is also Turnip Head's best friend.
When one of Uku Nyalo's hens goes missing, Payah feels trouble is coming. Everyone else seems to ignore the missing chicken. But Uku Nyalo decides to investigate herself, leaving no stone unturned.
Payah soon finds out that Four Eyes and Turnip Head are behind the missing chicken. She tries to stop her great aunt's investigation. Payah is afraid that Four Eyes might be sent away from her longhouse.
However, Payah cannot outsmart Uku Nyalo. Her great aunt's strong instincts lead her to Turnip Head as the main person responsible. Uku Nyalo demands payment from Turnip Head's great-grandmother. This great-grandmother is famous for her amazing White Leghorn chickens. These chickens can lay up to 300 eggs a year!
But Turnip Head's great-grandmother is very clever. She sees a chance to get rid of her fattest and laziest Leghorn chicken. In the end, she, Four Eyes, and Turnip Head all learn a lesson.
Nonah, or The Ghost of Gunung Mulu
Nonah lives in a small fishing village called Santubong on the west coast of Sarawak. She joins her parents, who are teaching at a school deep in the rainforest.
Nonah misses her home by the coast. She is also a very shy girl. But she soon loses her shyness when she becomes friends with Payah and her friends, Usun and Precious Jade. These girls are not shy at all!
Together, they write a story that wins them a trip to one of Sarawak's most beautiful places: Gunung Mulu National Park.
The journey to Gunung Mulu National Park is exciting. It involves crossing fast rivers and taking plane rides for the girls. At Gunung Mulu National Park, they discover a plan to steal very rare orchids.
Jump, Bilun Jump
Jump, Bilun Jump! is a theatre play written by Margaret Lim.
Spider-bird has an important message for Bilun: an invitation to a birthday party. But on the way, Spider-bird gets distracted by his favorite foods: spiders and flowers full of nectar. He arrives late with the message, leaving Bilun with very little time to get to the party.
Bilun is upset with Spider-bird. First, he has to cheer up Spider-bird, whose feelings are hurt. Only then can Bilun start his dangerous journey to Long Lama. His brother, the mouse deer, is holding the birthday party there.
Bilun then needs to convince the King of the upriver crocodiles to line up his crocodile subjects all the way to Long Lama. Bilun wants to count them. If there are more upriver crocodiles than crocodiles from the river mouth, the King of the upriver crocodiles will be the ruler of all crocodiles.
Bilun is focused on reaching Long Lama before the sun sets. But King Croc is determined to have Bilun for supper before sunset! Bilun must be very quick and smart to outwit King Croc, who seems much cleverer than Bilun first thought.
