Storybook takes kids on magical voyage to Bali
Storybook takes kids on magical voyage to Bali
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
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.