INDONESIA: Pertunjukan Besar Barongan Kecil (The Big Show of Little Barong)

According to Wikipedia, "Barong is a lion-like creature and character in the mythology of Bali, Indonesia. He is the king of the spirits, leader of the hosts of good, and enemy of Rangda, the demon queen and mother of all spirit guarders in the mythological traditions of Bali. The battle between Barong and Rangda is featured in Barong dance to represent the eternal battle between good and evil."
 
This is clearly a fearsome creature but in the hands of writer Ary Nilandari and illustrator Dewi Tri, children can learn about the Barong in this amusing story.

Little Barong wants to follow Big Barong to his performance.

But Big Barong says he doesn't need any help from Little Barong. After all, he is mightier, fiercer, stronger and smarter than Little Barong.

In the meantime, while following Big Barong, Little Barong is distracted by the peacock feathers that fall off Big Barong's costume. He picks them up and starts to dance. He gains an appreciative audience who cheer him, much to Big Barong's disconcertment.

Finally, they become friends and perform a grand performance!

At the end of the book is a page of factual information about Barong performances.

There isn't much text in this book but the illustrations tell the story effectively. It introduces a traditional cultural performance in a way that children can enjoy without going into too much details. With the help of the facts page, parents and teachers can give children more background on the Barong.

Ary Nilandari is a published author of children's books, young adult as well as adult novels. She is also a trainer and conducts writing classes.
 
Dewi Tri K believes that knowledge and research with passion make great illustrations. Her illustrations for Pertunjukan Besar Barongan Kecil was shortlisted for the Nami Concours 2015 and she won the Scholastic Asian Picture Book Award, 2015 for her book, Pandu, the Ogoh-Ogoh Maker.

This book is published by Litara Foundation
Softcover, 28 pages, 24 x 21.5cm

This is the third book in our Around the World in Picture Books with Indonesia as the focus country for the month of January. One lucky winner will own this book in a lucky draw. Anyone who buys a book from www.oyezbookstore.com in the month of January will be eligible to join this lucky draw.

Related stories:
INDONESIA: Misteri di Pasar Terapung (Mystery at the Floating Market)
INDONESIA: Kancil dan Raja Hutan (The Mouse Deer and the King of the Jungle)