When the Storyteller Becomes the Student

Originally published as a blog post on my website.

Nothing prepares you for your first talk at Ngee Ann Polytechnic — especially when Merprince decides to surface.

I’ve told tales to around 30 young children and their parents at the library but never to 450 Year 1 Early Childhood Development and Education students. Add their lecturers to the crowd and you’ll understand why my pulse was doing drum solos on Wednesday, 5 November 2025.

I’ve written picture books for years as Sherri Eri, but this occasion was different. The audience was live… and their reactions were in real time. Totally nerve-wracking.

These students will soon be the people choosing stories for preschoolers, reading aloud to wide-eyed little ones, and helping children understand their emotions through books. They’ll be shaping early imaginations and early language — one picture book at a time.

If anyone needed to understand why my brand, Picture the Book, exists — why I write stories with rhythm for kids who listen and colour for kids who see — it was these future educators.

From the moment I began, their energy was warm, open, and curious. When the song clips from my books played and the room erupted into applause, I felt the tension leave my shoulders.

Then came the questions I didn’t see coming.

A couple of students asked:

“How would someone with special needs write for young children with special needs?”

What a thoughtful, important question.

I told them that someone with special needs brings a lived understanding — something no textbook can teach. The challenges, fears, frustrations, and triumphs a child faces are best understood by someone who has walked that same path. It’s insight you can’t ask AI about.

Then came the lighter questions. When they learned that my Cool Kitty Series was inspired by my real-life cats, They shot me these questions:

• How many cats do you have?
• What are their names?
• How old are they?

I hadn’t expected this in a lecture theatre of 450 students. But these simple questions reminded me of something important: young people connect with the storyteller and the story — especially if the story features fur and whiskers.

Just before the Q&A, the lecturers flashed a slide that read:

“What has Merprince got to do with Ngee Ann Polytechnic?”

I shared a fun fact:

“When he was 17, Merprince was just like you. He went for classes right here at Ngee Ann Polytechnic.”

The students lit up, surprise, delight, and a little campus pride spread across the lecture theatre.

Then we played a clip of Mist of My Memory, the love song from Mermaid On A Mountaintop. Merprince’s smouldering voice filled the theatre, and the reactions were audible.

Yet, none of us knew what was coming up.

Three-quarters of the way through the Q&A, a lecturer, Ms Suriati, took the mic and announced:

“We’re going to pause for a short commercial break. Remember we talked about Merprince…

You know what…

the Merprince is here!”

Chaos. Joyful chaos.

Shrieks. Laughter. Gasps.

In walked Jibs — the voice behind Merprince — an Assistant Director from Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of Film and Media Studies.

The lecturers had planned his appearance in total secrecy, even from me.

Someone asked if they could call out “Hi Merprince!” should they meet him on campus. He laughed and said:

“Please don’t call me Merprince in front of my students. They do not know I’ve been singing underwater.”

The theatre melted into laughter.

Then he added, “I’m here just to disturb Sherri.”

This made all of us laugh some more.

The lecturers — Deborah, Jane, Amelia, Iryanti, Suriati, Lynette, Mildred, Wendy, and Lily — were extraordinary. Warm, supportive, and so beautifully in sync that the whole morning felt like a celebration.

Knowing I was so nervous, Ms Suriati held my hand throughout the talk to calm my nerves — a kindness I won’t ever forget.

And the students? The heroes of the experience, left an imprint I’ll carry for as long as I live.

Whether they asked about mermaids, special needs, or Cool Kitty’s antics, their sincerity made it easy to connect with all 450 of them. I only wish I could have learned each of their names.

But one thing is clear:

With future educators like them, our little ones are in excellent hands!

If you’d like to see the moment for yourself, here’s a short video where I thank the wonderful lecturers, the 450 students, and of course… Merprince.

👉 Watch the thank-you video here.

Your Contribution Can Make a Difference

It helps me write and produce picture books and audiobooks that include both sighted and blind kids.

Starting at $5/month or $50/year, your subscription supports inclusive storytelling and keeps this work going.

Thank you, truly, for helping make these stories possible.

Thanks for reading The Story Side! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Share