When I
first began reading Kampung Boy, a graphic novel, I was not sure what to
expect. I cannot remember the last time I had read a graphic novel and I had no
idea of what to expect; I was not sure if I would even enjoy it but I found
this story intriguing. At first, when I hear graphic novel I think pictures
galore and little caption boxes kind of like comic books. However, I found that
it was more than just pictures and captions on a page; it was an illustration
of a person’s childhood growing up in Kampung Village in Malaysia. This story
is an autobiographical describing Lat’s, the author, childhood experiences
while in this small village.
The novel
starts off with Lat describing what his birth and early life was like. Before any
of us can even remember what it was like when we were born, Lat uses
descriptions from his mother to describe what his early years were like. Lat
describes the traditions and rituals of the time to draw you in as a reader so
that we may understand what is going on during this period of time. Although
Lat may not be able to remember what happened, we can trust that he is giving
us an accurate description of the events that occurred. While reading this
novel I found that the author takes you back through time to describe his
childhood experiences growing, playing, making friends, and learning about who
he is. He shares his experiences, in detail, of how growing up was as a
toddler. My favorite experience he shared was when he “loved to look out of the
window because that was the closest he could get to the surroundings outside
the house.” And the best part was when he would stick his head out too far and
the cartoon showed him being stuck between two posts.
The
curiosity he shared was all the way through the story. He shares many of his experiences
and dreams and admirations through words but also the pictures. We are given a
chance to see a life through more than only words and only pictures. The
cartoons add more to the story. They give perspective using more than words but
audiences. It attracts more than just one audience which is great and useful to
allow for your story to be heard.
At first it
was hard to follow but once I got to age 10 it was rather clear. It is not hard
to tell that the book goes through time but as the story progressed so does
Mat. He was Page 74 he was nine and page 95 he was 10 years old. The progresson
went as experiences came to Mat. At age nine he got a new brother and age 10 he
had to be circumcised. He shares his experiences. The end of the book is him
leaving the village to go off to a boarding school and he shares his feelings
through his art and articulates it with words.
This novel,
though a graphic novel and not what I was expecting at all, was really great. I
enjoyed being able to read and see a child’s life and gave the story a new
life. Usually I think of picture books and novels but never the two put
together but I think Lat did an amazing job.
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