Go Back
News
News
Unlocking Imagination: YCYW's Creative Responses to Reading
News
09 May, 2025
13 : 40
What will reading look like in the future? It's hard to predict.
From oracle bones to bamboo slips, from books printed on paper to e-books and audiobooks, the forms of books have undergone countless transformations, becoming ever more convenient to carry.
"To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life."
--English writer W. Somerset Maugham
No matter how books have evolved, when we open a book, we embark on a unique journey of co-creation with the author. Our understanding of and response to a book not only enrich our own lives, but also breathe new life into the text itself.
At the beginning of the 2024-2025 academic year, students at YCYW schools showcased their creativity, transforming their interpretations of books into new texts, performances, or visual artworks. During the awards ceremony of the "Creative Responses to Reading Competition" on 24 April, we enjoyed a dazzling array of student creations.
As Dr Anton D. Luiten, YCYW's Director of Music, remarked during the ceremony:
"The responses we viewed are not just answers. They are testaments to the power of creative thinking, and transforming ideas and engaging deeply with learning. Taking an artifact, a poem, a play or a novel, and re-imagining it into something new is a hallmark of higher order thinking."
Below is information about the winners of this year's competition and their entries. We have picture books and stage plays brimming with innocent wonder, as well as poignant poems full of compassion and reflection about war.
Through their works, we can glimpse the students' passion for reading, as well as the beauty that unfolds when books and readers meet.
Best Written Works
Winners: Year 2 students from YCIS Qingdao
Description: The students crafted a delightful bilingual poetry collection featuring riddles, shape poems, rhyming poems, and poems with alliteration—each brimming with wit and charm.
Winner: Eddy from YWIES Beijing Yizhuang
Description: Eddy created a vibrant pop-up book about keeping a duck as a pet. Both the illustrations and the story are full of imagination and creativity.
Winners: Olivia and Frances from YCIS Chongqing
Description: Inspired by Alex Shearer's The Great Blue Yonder, the two students produced a touching and thought-provoking graphic novel. It tells the story of two animals who meet in the afterlife and reminisce about the past. The humorous visuals are a joy to behold, exquisitely capturing the essence of the tale.
Winner: Alice from YCIS Shanghai Puxi
Description: In her poem "Ode to Dionysus", Alice explores the pursuit of beauty, and showcases her mastery of poetic form and imagery.
Winners: Iryna and her classmates from YWIES Shanghai Lingang
Description: Inspired by Gillian Clarke's poem "Lament", the students wrote poetry centred on the themes of memory and loss. Through vivid language and exquisite technique, they expressed their deepest emotions, while also reflecting on personal experiences. In her poem "Lost Future", Iryna hoped to show the brutality of war. "No matter which side you’re on, the devastation has been done—and continues to happen," she reflected.
Best Performance Works
Winner: Angela from YCIS Shanghai Pudong
Description: Angela composed and performed a heartfelt song dedicated to her father—her hero.
Winners: Grade 2 students from YWIES Guangzhou
Description: The students adapted Rachel Bright's book The Lion Inside into a lively theatrical production. Complete with costumes, music, and dance, their spirited performance told the story of a timid mouse who discovered her "inner lion" and learns to be brave.
Winners: Grade 3 students from YWIES Guangzhou
Description: The students staged a dazzling musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, with a standout performance by the Wicked Witch. The young actors not only showcased their theatrical and vocal talents, but also their multilingual skills.
Winners: Jerry, Edwin, and Yangming from YCIS Shanghai Puxi
Description: Inspired by V. M. Hillyer's A Child's History of the World, the three students blended their musical and Minecraft skills to create "Hymn to Greece", a piece that vividly reimagines the Greco-Persian Wars of the 5th century BC.
Winners: Yebin, Grace, Ji Sung, and Camilla from YCIS Qingdao
Description:The students composed the music and wrote the lyrics of an original song based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The witty lyrics retell the novel's plot while delving into its themes, demonstrating both the students' understanding of the classic and their linguistic dexterity.
Best Visual Artworks
Winners: Year 1 and 2 students from YCIS Shanghai Lingang
Description: Inspired by Lara Hawthorne's picture book Alba the Hundred Year Old Fish, the students crafted a beautiful artwork. They used recycled material to emphasise their concerns about ocean conservation.
Winner: Peppa from YWIES Zhejiang Tongxiang
Description: Inspired by Zhen-Lei Chang and Angela Lim's picture book My Shanghai, Peppa's painting is a vibrant and intricate homage to the city's vibrant culture and world-famous cuisine.
Winner: Sunny from YWIES Zhejiang Tongxiang
Description: Also inspired by My Shanghai, Sunny's painting depicts iconic city landmarks framed by lotus blossoms. The meticulous composition and skilful rendering of the nightscapes evoke Shanghai's vibrant nightlife and dynamic charm.
Winners: Annie, Zoey, and Charlotte from YCIS Shanghai Puxi
Description: Inspired by V. M. Hillyer's A Child's History of the World, the team designed a poster entitled "Wisdom Drawn from the Four Ancient Civilizations." At its centre stands a girl symbolising the reader, whose imagination transcends both time and space to explore the miracles of the civilisations described in the book.
Winners: Harry and his classmates from YWIES Yantai
Description: The group created a thought-provoking short animation based on Mitch Albom's novel The Five People You Meet in Heaven. The protagonist encounters important people from his past, and re-examines his bonds with these people. Each character was meticulously crafted, and the script thoughtfully captures the book's themes.
