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With a dream of saving endangered animals, boy with autism creates zine about wildlife

Fong Git Yu, a Primary 1 student at River Valley Primary School, is the author and illustrator of a zine about endangered animal species, published by advocacy group Superhero Me.

Fong Git Yu (centre) pictured with his family. He is the author and illustrator of a zine about endangered animal species, which he co-created with artist Lee Wan Xiang (left).

Fong Git Yu (centre) pictured with his family. He is the author and illustrator of a zine about endangered animal species, which he co-created with artist Lee Wan Xiang (left).

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SINGAPORE — He is only seven but is already a published author.

Fong Git Yu, a Primary 1 student at River Valley Primary School, is the author and illustrator of a zine about endangered animal species, published by advocacy group Superhero Me.

His favourite animal? 

“The lion, (because of) their mane,” said Git Yu.

Indeed, Git Yu is a boy of few words but even this short sentence is a reflection of how far he has come.

Git Yu was first clinically diagnosed with mild autism when he was about one year and six months old, said his mother, Ms Genie Tan, 43, who is an accounts executive.

Git Yu was formally diagnosed when he was six. 

Just two to three years ago, it was rare to hear Git Yu express such likes and dislikes, she said. 

When he was four and entered the inclusive pre-school Kindle Garden, run by social service agency Awwa, he was still monosyllabic, only ever replying “yes” to any statement or question posed to him, she added.

But at around the same age Git Yu began getting involved in programmes at Superhero Me, an inclusive arts movement in Singapore that aims to empower children with special needs and from less-privileged communities.

Over time at Kindle Garden and Superhero Me, and with the help of art to express himself, he started to use more words and speak more fluently, said Ms Tan.

“We found out about his love for animals when he was first learning his ‘ABCs”, she said.

“He was drawn in when we would recite the alphabet using the names of animals. He loved to doodle since he was young, and he would copy the outline of different animals he saw in pictures.”

CREATING ZINE GREW TALENTS IN ART

As she observed her son’s growing interest in art, Ms Tan began looking into signing him up for art lessons last year. 

She contacted Ms Jean Loo, a co-founder of Superhero Me, to ask for recommendations. 

Instead, Ms Loo suggested that Git Yu create a zine — an independently published booklet — of his own, with mentoring from Superhero Me.

The idea behind publishing the zine, one of two resources published this year by the advocacy group, was to produce more local content for educators and families to talk about inclusion of children with different needs.

The resulting zine, titled “Why do hunters hunt for animals when they can hunt for gold?” — one of Git Yu’s endless questions about animals — was co-created with artist Lee Wan Xiang, who guided Git Yu in his work. 

The zine was also produced by Mr Marvin Tang, a visual artist who is also part of Superhero Me, alongside editors and designers. 

The colourful zine is filled with Git Yu’s illustrations of vulnerable and threatened species like the Galapagos cormorant, a flightless bird, the giant anteater and the polar bear.

Mr Tang, 30, said that the process of creating the zine started rather organically, with Git Yu drawing as many animals as he liked initially. 

Later on, the producers looked at the drawings and brainstormed how to categorise them into a book.  

The team also collated information about the animals, their habitats and conservation status, which is included alongside Git Yu’s illustrations in the zine.

“We didn’t even get to see them in the wild… I hope my zine can teach other children to save animals,” said Git Yu.

VISITS TO ZOO, ACRES AND SPCA

When Ms Lee first began work on the zine with Git Yu in July last year, the duo took many trips to places such as the Singapore Zoo, the Acres Wildlife Rescue Centre in Choa Chu Kang and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at Sungei Tengah to learn more about the efforts being taken to protect wildlife. 

She and Git Yu would also look up animal videos on Youtube and read up about the animals that they wanted to feature in the zine. 

The whole experience was also an education for Ms Lee, 28, who works as an art therapist at a nursing home.

Recounting an incident where she and Git Yu had come across a poster about pest control, she said: “He asked what the advertisement meant, and whether, when they caught the cockroaches and rats, they would set them free again.”

It really shows that Git Yu’s love and concern for animals extends even to those that most of us would consider pests, she said.

“Sometimes he tells us things we don’t even know,” she added. 

For example, Git Yu once told her that there are elephants who are evolving to be “tuskless” due to decades of ivory poaching. 

CHALLENGES IN SCHOOL

Ms Tan said that before Git Yu’s transition to Primary 1, she was worried about whether her son would fit in and if he would experience meltdowns. 

But Git Yu has only had one major meltdown in school so far for which his teacher had to call his father, she said.

Otherwise, it has been quite a smooth journey, she added.

In fact, Git Yu has been described as a “determined” student by some of his teachers. 

“We were told by his PE (physical education) teacher that he spent a whole period just learning how to throw and catch a ball properly,” said Ms Tan. 

It was also through sheer hard work and tenacity that Git Yu was able to deliver a speech during the launch party of his zine last Sunday (Nov 17) at the ArtScience Museum. 

“He practised really hard and went over his speech many, many times,” said Ms Tan.

Git Yu’s father, Mr David Fong, 43, who works in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry said: “We are proud that despite his challenges, he is able to accomplish something... and we as parents can support him.” 

But even as he has been adapting rather well to classes in a mainstream school setting, there are still some things that he finds challenging. 

For example, Git Yu has had a hard time making friends, said Ms Tan. 

“Once, a boy made fun of his food (during recess) and rallied some other girls to laugh at him too,” she said. 

Git Yu said that one of his teachers helped him get over the incident by saying that she would speak to the bully. The bully did not taunt him again, he added. 

Despite this encounter, Git Yu is not put off socialising. 

What is his goal in Primary 2? 

“To make a friend,” he said. 

Just one?

“One.”

 

“Why do hunters hunt for animals when they can hunt for gold” is one of two children’s resources published by Superhero Me, an inclusive arts movement in Singapore. It retails for S$35 and orders can be made via the website: www.superherome.sg/huntforgold/

Git Yu will also be selling his zine at the Enabling Village on Saturday (Nov 23).

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zines children art

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