'Up the Garden Path' now available in Indonesian

'Up the Garden Path' now available in Indonesian

Emmy Fitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Once in a while, you should take the time to walk around a
garden, feel the breeze and smell the flowers, grass and trees.
Notice the butterflies that flit about everywhere and the
different kinds of insects buzzing around you.

The grass, flowers and trees are growing and you know that.
They were seeds planted by your parents or grandparents and day-
by-day you watched them grow bigger. But how about the
butterflies and the insects? They are not pets that you take care
of from the time they are little.

One has to spend days and nights to observe the beginning of
the lives of butterflies and insects.

Some of the intriguing questions about how these creatures
begin their lives are answered by Judy Allen in her best-selling
series Up the Garden Path, which has been published in many
languages: French, Chinese, Arabic, Spanish and now Indonesian.

A new publishing company, Jakarta Books, recently launched the
series, which includes Apakah Kamu Semut? (Are You an Ant?),
Apakah Kamu Lebah? (Are You a Bee?), Apakah Kamu Kupu-kupu? (Are
You a Butterfly?), Apakah Kamu Capung? (Are You a Grasshopper?)
and Apakah Kamu Kepik? (Are You a Ladybird?).

In addition to the Up the Garden Path series, Jakarta Books
has also published books by local authors, including The Amazing
Mazes (written in both English and Indonesian) by Nadia Madjid
and The Adventures of Ireng and the Twin Putu series.

"Our books not only entertain children with beautiful
illustrations but also share knowledge with easy-to-grasp
language. Through these books, children can learn about nature
and their environment," said Jakarta Books founder Tono
Setiadarma.

Targeting children below the age of 12, the books are
available at leading bookstores for between Rp 9,800 (US$1) and
Rp 23,500.

Tono said the prices were relatively high, but that was due to
the quality paper and illustrations used.

And this quality has attracted fans. A philanthropist
purchased copies of a Muslim children's book series to be
distributed to schools and Islamic boarding schools. A well-known
baby food producer, Bebelac, purchased at least 16,000 copies of
The Amazing Mazes for promotional giveaways.

"Our company uses unconventional methods to market the books.
We're also trying to sell our books to big airlines and some
children's hospitals in the United States," Tono said, adding
that he was also looking for traditional stories and local
legends to publish.

As part of its promotional efforts, the company also regularly
holds Fun Days in bookstores and schools. Events already have
taken place at Aksara bookstore in Kemang, South Jakarta, and the
Singapore International School.

Speaking during last Tuesday's launch of the Up the Garden
Path series was former minister of tourism Marzuki Usman, who is
a member of Jakarta Books' advisory board.

Marzuki is such an ardent supporter of the company because he
says he owes it to the children -- the future of the country.

Books, Marzuki said, enrich children by giving them knowledge
and teaching them to use their imaginations.

"Children have to be encouraged to have dreams because the
future of the country relies on the beauty of their dreams,"
Marzuki said, quoting former first lady of the U.S. Eleanor
Roosevelt.

As part of its promotional efforts, Jakarta Books is also
inviting children between the ages of six and 12 to take part in
a writing competition to give their opinions about the country.

The theme of the contest is "Indonesia -- the Place Where I
Live."

"We're all tired of reading adults' opinions of this country,
moreover in light of the act of terrorism that recently took
place in Bali. We expect positive reports on Indonesia but we
also anticipate discouraging opinions from the children, who are
honest and unpretentious," Tono explained.

For further details on the competition, visit the company's
website at www.jakartabooks.net or contact Joel, chairman of the
2002/2003 Jakarta Books Writing Contest, at (021) 7590-6823.