Sarawakian writer - Margaret Lim Hui Lian

Born in 1947 in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, Margaret spent her childhood in the interior of Sarawak. She returned with her parents to Kuching, the capital of Sarawak, where she was educated at St. Teresa's Convent School for Girls, and St. Joseph's School. She went on to study in Canada and has earned a B.A. in English from the University of British Columbia, Canada, and a Bachelor in Education from Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

  Margaret who has a B.A. in English from the University of British Columbia and a B.Ed. from Queen's, Kingston, Ontario, is a children's book writer from Malaysia. She is the author of the PAYAH Rain Forest adventure series. "Nonah or the Ghost of Gunung Mulu", her most recent, has been selected by the International Board on Books for Young People(IBBY) for their 2010 Honour List in a ceremony held in Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Lim's essay "Portrait of a Children's Book Author as a Young Reader" was published in the September 2010 issue of Cha. Her piece was the inspiration for the editorial for that issue. Her story titled "Dorothy's Song" can be found from http://www.asiancha.com/content/view/765/27 

Margaret Lim taught 10th and 11th graders English Literature in Sarawak, Malaysia, before she moved with her husband to Germany.

There being few books by Malaysian writers, especially books for children, Margaret Lim established Fairy Bird Children's Books in May 2005 in her home town Kuching, Malaysia, with the express purpose of producing exciting books which nurture children, and which draw on the rich culture of Sarawak.

Achievements

Margaret Lim was included in the Sarawak Women's Museum, Kuching, Malaysia, on August 6, 2007.

She was nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Awards (ALMA) 2008.

Books by Margaret Lim

Payah

PAYAH is Margaret Lim's first children's book. It was published in 2005 and is about a fearless little Kayan girl called Payah, with a very soft heart for small helpless creatures. Deep in the rainforest of Sarawak, Malaysia, Payah rescues a hornbill and a mouse deer, and takes care of a baby Orang-Utan. It is written for children aged eight to twelve.

Other books are "Four Eyes",:" Precious Jade and Turnip Head", and "Jump, Bilun Jump".