Finding fine folktales for children

BOGOR, West Java (JP): Many parents are frustrated when searching for good books for their children, but frustration doubles when it comes to quality books on folktales.

Solution may be to have grandparents spin the tales to the children. Problem is the grandparents may no longer be around, and you yourself may have forgotten the details to Si Kancil Anak Nakal.

Another option is to take your children to one of the biggest bookstores in town, asking the sales clerk for books on Cerita Rakyat, or folktales. Most likely, he or she will lead you to a small, dusty bookshelf displaying just a few books.

Prices range between Rp 1,500 (that's less than 50 US cents on the current rate) to Rp 4,000, cheap compared to comics on the adventures of Tintin, Asterix, Lucky Luke or the Hitchcock detective series. Leave your children to their own devices, and they are more than likely to head to those expensive book sections.

Why? Because many of the folktale books are not printed in an attractive format. Most are reminiscent of school magazines from junior or senior high school. They are written carelessly and are put together in a slap-dash manner. Illustrations are poor. Even the writing is bad; some writers fill pages up by putting lots of dots after every other half-sentence.

Publishers and writers are not entirely to blame. It takes money to publish books that are so good their small readers don't want to put them down. Writers, too, may find it more lucrative working for magazines or turning out more marketable stories, than turning their pen to folktales from across Indonesia.

Maybe the government will someday help publishers and writers produce good folktale books to ensure this traditional literary wealth does not die out. In the meantime, parents need to work a little harder in finding what good folktale books are available for their children.

One well-written and illustrated folktale is Wayan Bunter, published by Bina Rena Pariwara. Written by Tjiptoningtyas, it tells of the short and ugly Balinese of the book's title. When he was small, nobody wanted to play with him, and so he spent his time talking to the statues that he skillfully carved. A god took pity on him, and granted him the power to make the statues come alive to be his companions.

One day, Wayan Bunter, who always remained kind-hearted despite being ostracized, was able to help the villagers against their enemies. The villagers realized their mistake in ill- treating Wayan, and began treating him better, playing with him so that he no longer felt lonely.

For children 10 years or older, parents may choose a collection of folktales, retold by Endang Firdaus, and published by Khatulistiwa. There are stories from Minahasa in North Sulawesi (Wulanwene), Flores, East Nusa Tenggara (Kraeng Toodo), Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (Lo Aget and the Cat), Tapanuli, North Sumatra (Dewi Tatea Bulan) and many others. They are invaluable. A suggestion is for you to read them first and retell the stories, in your own words, to your children.

For even older children who also wish to learn English, give them Folk Tales from Bali and Lombok (Penerbit Djambatan, 1990), by Margaret Muth Alibasah. Adequately illustrated and accompanied by a map of the two beautiful islands, the book is a gem. Children can read the story of Manik Angkeran, the legend of how the Bali Strait came into being (one can't help wondering whether Balinese children still know about this particular folktale).

The Half-child tells of Ni Oeboeh, who lost both her parents at a very young age, had no siblings and eventually bore the child of the Sun God. But the offspring was a boy with only one arm and one leg. Of course, as every folktale has a happy ending, Ni Oeboeh and her child finally found happiness.

There is also Kbo Iwo, the giant creature of not only superhuman size and strength, but also a master builder and an expert on agriculture and irrigation. Legend has it that all over Bali there are buildings, wells, dams and even temples built by Kbo Iwo. The story deliciously relates the fateful day when Kbo Iwo got angry. (Soekanto S.A.)