VIVIAN Too (above) may be only 11, but she has already published her own comic book. Cheston Tan is 11 and on his way to becoming an accomplished violinist.

They are among the 'surprises' and 'talents' being discovered in every school, highlighted by Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the annual Workplan Seminar on Tuesday.

Vivian, a Primary 5 pupil at Ahmad Ibrahim, not only did the drawings but also wrote the 10 original fables for her book, The Comic Garden.

In a story titled 'I did it!', she tells of how a lotus plant fails to bloom because it is grown in the wrong environment.
The lotus plant does not give up, and finally flowers when it finds its niche.

But even in its glory, the lotus plant does not bear grudges against the farmer who did not know what to do with it.

'We have to be forgiving,' said Vivian, who drew inspiration for these stories from what her mother taught her and from the flora and fauna she sees around her.

Her talent in drawing was first discovered by her Primary 1 art teacher, Madam Tan Su Hui. Her art teacher in Primary 3, Ms Lim Siew Gek, also egged her on and put up her work in the staff room.

With help from comic artist Gary Goh, Vivian started putting together stories and drawings for her maiden book last year.

'I draw not for money, but to share my love of art with my friends,' she said.

After a year's work, the book was published in July and is now available at Popular Bookstore. It is also being used for teaching moral and civics.

Vivian's mother, Madam Chin Lee Naa, 35, housewife, said she used to throw her doodles away as she did not like her spending so much time drawing. 'But now I see that she's so interested, she can continue as long as her grades are okay,' she said.

Her father, an engineer, and her brother, 9, also said they were proud of her.

Like Vivian, Cheston also had his gift spotted and nurtured by his teachers.

The Primary 5 pupil at Fuchun fell in love with the violin when he saw a group of violinists perform in school.

The son of a taxi driver father and housewife mother had no lessons at Yamaha Music School but learnt the violin from the string ensemble in school.

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