Each of the books in this set gives an insight into Singapore of yesteryears and pay tribute to those who enabled Singapore to be what it is today – with a look at heritage occupations of coolies, red headscarves, majies, etc. Such jobs formed the backbone of Singapore’s labour force for most of last century. The books tell stories of diligence, loyalty and perseverance.

The pictures are bright and beautiful, with the painted brush stroked evident in many of them. Reading about the challenges of these migrant workers from China creates many good conversation pieces for children. We can see that the things which we may take for granted – like our homes and sidewalks – were all built literally through the sweat and blood of these people. The Story of Red Headscarf (辛苦了红头巾) remind us of persistence, and that construction and manual labour is not just a job for males. The Story of Coolie (辛苦了，苦力叔叔) makes us wonder if this is also the untold story of many of the old uncles we walk past every day on the way to school? The book on Majie and Her Goldfish lantern (妈姐的金鱼灯笼) opens up conversations on the sacrifices which many domestic workers today also make, with regards to their own families and where they feel they belong.