Highly Commended: My Grandma’s Stories by Mingquan Ma

Category A: Primary School (9 to 11 years) Highly Commended (2024), Golden Tales Short Story Competition
Author: Mingquan Ma

When I was a toddler, my parents were usually at work, so l often asked my grandma/laolao* to read to me. Now, my laolao is Chinese and she didn't know English. Instead of telling me that she couldn't read my picture books, she went by the pictures and made it up. Sometimes, she got the same book and made an entirely different story. I now think that she forgot the story so she made up another one.

It made the shelf of books never-ending! For example, a table wth a cake could mean a party, wedding or a festival. I was really lucky that laolao, was forgetful, otherwise, my books would run out very quickly. One day, my mum read my favourite book to me and I was confused as laolao’s story was quite unlike it. I actually prefered laolao's version. I soon realised that laola had used her imagination to create all those amazing tales. My laolao had planted a seed into my brain and it sprouted into a bookworm infested tree.

*grandma in Mandarin