Pre-schooler Imran Thomas Gannon, six, receiving Panjang: The Tall Boy Who Became Prime Minister, a children's book, from Mapletree Investments corporate communications director Heng Sue Yuan yesterday, with Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and principal Jenny Chin of PAP Community Foundation's (PCF) Sparkletots pre-school in Marine Parade at a Family Day event. People attending Marine Parade's PCF Family Day were able to have a first glimpse of the book about Mr Goh's early years.

The event, which included carnival games and performances by pre-schoolers, was held at Block 46 Marine Crescent. The word Panjang, which means long in Malay, is the childhood nickname of Mr Goh, who was the tallest child in his class. The book, written by author Peh Shing Huei and illustrated by artist Andrew Tan, also known as Drewscape, covers how Mr Goh discovered what made him stand out, and how he took on leadership roles like class monitor, prefect, scout troop leader, swim team captain and historical society chairman.

The book is published by World Scientific and supported by Mapletree Investments. More than 8,000 copies have been distributed for free to PCF kindergartens islandwide, NTUC First Campus' My First Skool pre-schools and Ministry of Education kindergartens, as well as pre-schools operating in Mapletree properties in Singapore. The book will be sold at all major bookstores here. A hardcover copy costs $19.80 while a paperback copy is $9.95, both prices inclusive of GST.

Correction note: This article has been updated for accuracy.