Little Hero

A moving story of one boy’s growing-up years in post-war 1940s Singapore as he grapples with separation, loss and what it truly means to be a hero.

Seven-year-old Ying Xiong looks forward to a better life in post-war Singapore after the Japanese troops’ surrender in September 1945. However, a new war erupts at home when Xiong’s father decides to return to his homeland in China. This tears the family apart when he takes Xiong’s two elder brothers back with him, whilst Xiong and his mother remain in Singapore.

Xiong navigates his childhood years alone in a poor neighbourhood as his mother ekes out a livelihood for them. He makes a friend in Kampung Silat, follows a fearsome teenage gangster in Silat Road, and gets to know a brave police inspector who becomes his neighbour.

Through all this, Xiong comes to realise what it takes to be a hero, which is also the meaning of his name Ying Xiong.

Little Hero by Emily Lim-Leh offers a poignant glimpse into the challenges and resilience of a young boy during a significant period in Singapore's history.