Children's storybook paradise for children and parents

Stevie Emelia The Jakarta Post Jakarta

---------------------------------------- Balinese Children's Favorite Stories Retold by Victor Mason with Gillian Beal Periplus Editions, 2001 96 pp US$16.95 ----------------------------------------

JAKARTA (JP): Children in Indonesia today are more familiar with characters from Japanese comic books like Sinchan, Pokemon and Doraemon, and lately J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter.

For some children, local tales such as Bawang Putih dan Bawang Merah, Lutung Kasarung and Sangkuriang, and epic stories like Mahabrata, Bharata Yudha and Ramayana are completely alien.

Parents who want their children to learn bits and pieces of Indonesia's heritage sometimes seem helpless in dealing with their children's infatuation with comic heroes or, in Harry Potter's case, magic tricks.

The publication of a new storybook for children containing local myths, tales and legends from Bali certainly provides a fresh, new alternative for parents and children.

Bali, or as the guide books like to describe it, the paradise island, is famous for its rich heritage, including an oral tradition that began long ago in the form of tales told by mothers to children.

For this book, 12 tales were selected and retold in simple English by Victor Mason, an expatriate living in Bali, and Gillian Beal, a Briton who lived on the island for four years.

Mason, who is also an ornithologist and the author of The Birds of Bali, had earlier retold these stories in a previous publication titled The Haughty Toad.

As expected, the classic good-versus-evil theme of most children's stories is found in the book. And through its characters, the book tries to set a good example for readers without sounding "too demanding".

For example, children are shown the folly of arrogance in The Haughty Toad and deceit in the Saintly Stork.

And they are exposed to admirable values like honesty in The Golden Axe and the willingness to help each other in The Ant and The Dove.

However, those familiar with local tales might feel there is something missing. People of West Java are acquainted with the story of Sangkuriang and many people from West Sumatra know the story of Malin Kundang by heart.

In my case, I was disappointed the book did not include my favorite Balinese tale about the formation of the Bali strait. In this tale, a greedy young man named Manik Angkeran goes against his father's wishes and kills a dragon and cuts of its tail, which is covered in precious jewels. Angered by his son's actions, the father punishes him, separating the land where he and his son are standing, forming the Bali strait.

Still, readers get a feel of Bali throughout the book, either in the settings, rituals or names of characters.

The Missing Pig, for instance, tells how in Bali all children are named based on the order of their birth. The first child is named Wayan, the second one Made, the third Nyoman and the fourth Ketut. The order is repeated when there are more than four children.

But what is sure to keep children glued to this book until the last page are the lively illustrations by watercolorist Trina Bohan-Tyrie.

On the book's cover, the artist captures the imagination and encourages people to have a look inside with an illustration of three dancing frogs clad in Balinese sarongs.

Once inside, the artist, who is currently residing in Indonesia, offers glimpses of Balinese people and their culture. Flipping through the book, one sees attractive Balinese dancers, temples and ritual processions with women carrying offerings on their heads.

Balinese Children's Favorite Stories will provide parents the pleasure of knowing their children are reading something other than comic books, while for children the book will take them on a trip to paradise island.