'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.