Malaysian Stories in Oyez! Picture Books

When Oyez!Books was first established in 2008 our vision was to publish books with Malaysian stories. What exactly are Malaysian stories? Well, we have some ideas but we think it's best if we highlight some of the few hundred odd books we have published to show what we mean.

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1. My Mother's Garden and series

One of our very first picture books was My Mother's Garden by Emila Yusof. It's a beautiful picture book first published in 2013 that has gone through several print runs and continues to be popular today.  The simple text and lush illustrations make this picture book a delight. We can certainly recognise such a garden in Malaysia with plants that we see everyday. There's also a ginger-coloured cat on most of the pages although it was not specifically mentioned in the text.

Reading with a child, one can easily become engrossed in each page, trying to count the number of ladybirds on the little girl's baju  or naming the plants (the names of the plants are helpfully provided on the last two pages of the book).

Emila followed up My Mother's Garden with My Mother's Kitchen, another bestseller which is destined to be another Malaysian classic. In the third book of the series, we follow the little girl to her father's farm in My Father's Farm. This series has won the Samsung KidsTime award (Singapore) and the Festival Sastera Kanak-kanak (Perbadanan Kota Buku)

2. Malaysian Folktales from East Malaysia and Princesses

Another beloved Malaysian author is Jainal Amambing from Sabah, who is from the Rungus tribe in Kudat. Jainal's first encounter with picture books was at a picture book workshop organised by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, taught by Yusof Gajah. Also with DBP at that time was editor Zaiton Ajamain, now Datuk Hjh Zaiton. Although she is now retired, Datuk Zaiton continues to be involved in Malaysian children's picture books.

Malaysian stories are loved not only in Malaysia but also in other countries.

Jainal's unique illustrations enliven his stories in Longhouse Days, The Magic Buffalo, The Wonderful Sparrow and The Proud Butterfly and the Strange Tree. The illustrations for these books have won Noma Concours Awards, organised by the Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre of UNESCO based in Tokyo, Japan. Jainal's books have also been translated into German, Korean and Chinese. Similarly, Emila's My Mother's Garden has been translated into German and Chinese. As you can see, Malaysian stories are loved not only in Malaysia but also in other countries.

Fellow Sabahan, Awang Fadilah has also won Noma Concours Awards for his black and white Land Below the Wind and brilliantly coloured Puteri Gambus. Awang's detailed and stylised drawings take us on a cultural and nature trip to Sabah.

Another award-winning picture book is the bilingual Lelaki dari Sungai / Men from the River by Basari Mat Yasit which won the distinction list of the Nami Concours, Nami Island, Korea. This book retells a Sarawak folktale and celebrates the unique pua kumbu, a woven fabric of the Iban tribe.

After being bombarded by foreign princesses in the popular media, we decided we had to publish a book about Malaysian princesses. Quite by accident we found an author, Raman, who skillfully brought our princesses to life, with rich illustrations by Emila Yusof. The Legendary Princesses of Malaysia is our all time bestselling book. How many of these princesses or legendary women do you know?
1. Cik Siti Wan Kembang
2. Puteri Saadong
3. Puteri Gunung Ledang
4. Hang Li Po
5. Puteri Bidasari
6. Puteri Santubong and Puteri Sejinjang
7. Walinong Sari
8. Puteri Lindungan Bulan (Puteri Zaleha)
9. Ulek Mayang
10. Tun Fatimah

3. The natural world

The Real Elephant was awarded the Grand Prize in the 1996 Noma Concours, UNESCO

Malaysia is rich in nature and wildlife which greatly influence Yusof Gajah, one of the leading figures in Malaysian children's picture books since the 1990s and up till today. A crowning achievement for Yusof Gajah in terms of picture books was when he received the Grand Prize of the Noma Councours (ACCU) in 1996 for The Real Elephant. The Real Elephant was originally published in Bahasa Malaysia (DBP) and translated into English by Oyez! It has also been published in Japanese.

Yusof also illustrated Dill the Little Elephant (Authors Hans Volker Wolf and Ming) which was one of the books selected for the McDonald's Happy Meal book package in 2016.

This touching story of a baby elephant who lost his parents and went on a journey through the rainforest to look for them introduces many wonderful animals that can be found in the Malaysian rainforest.

Hans Volker Wolf is a German who has fallen in love with Malaysia and now calls it his home together with his family.

Nature lover and activist, Rossiti Aishah Rashidi has delighted  us with Puteri Tioman the Green Turtle, Siti the Elephant (both illustrated by Farah Ashiela Samsuri) and Pak Belang the Tiger (illustrations by Widiyatno). All three books have amazingly detailed and realistic illustrations that emphasised the wonder and beauty of these creatures. Besides highlighting the special features of each animal, the book encourages children to care for the environment in specific ways. Puteri Tioman has been translated into Chinese.

Think Malaysia has wonderful fruits? Then get Rossiti's We Love Trees (illustrations by Evi Shelvia) which features several fruit trees including the durian of course, rambutan, starfruit, mango and coconut.

Under the Sea by Nor Azhar Ishak is a non-fiction picture book that has not lost its appeal after three years. With illustrations that were originally painted on fabric using the wax resist dye or batik method with the canting, coupled with simple and enthusiastic text, it's another book to get lost in, this time, under the sea. This book won the Samsung KidsTime award (Singapore) and the Festival Sastera Kanak -kanak award (Perbadanan Kota Buku).

In 2015, Oyez! organised a competition to celebrate the International Year of Soils (UN) and we received a delightful submission from Mazuin Stapah. In this story, Hadiah untuk Emak, two children are looking for a present for their expectant mother. Their father takes them to a shop that sells a variety of pillows, bolsters and cushions. The shop owner introduces them to kapok and shows them his kapok trees. The illustrations by Mohd Yusof Abdul Wahid perfectly complements the story. How many children in Malaysia know we have kapok trees or what kapok is? For book reading activities, the author brought kapok and encouraged the children to feel them and to sew little pillows. What a delightful way to introduce children to the natural world around them.

Children will surely enjoy Lim Lay Koon's Pip's Peculiar Porblem about a pangolin who couldn't curl up, which is what pangolins do when faced with danger. Do you know that the name pangolin comes from the Malay word pengguling, meaning "one who rolls up". This is a fun book to read with children as they learn more about animals in the rainforests.

What better way to introduce children to animals found in Malaysia than to start them young? The above three books by Beverley Hon (illustrated by Lim Lay Koon) is written in simple lyrical text that can be recited or put to music together with physical movements that young children will love.

The Lost Princess by Liza Shahida with illustrations by Nor Abdullah tells the story of little girl who has lost her father and found herself wandering in the rainforest where she meets a variety of animals. Supplementary materials provide more in depth information of the flora and fauna featured in the book.

4. Culture and Happenings

Picture books have been published about the sarong but none will bring a wider smile than Lim Lay Har and Lim Lay Koon's Atuk's Amazing Sarong. What can a little boy and his imagination do with a piece of sarong?

This year, Oyez! published another book by the Lim sisters, Where the Stars Come to Play. This time we are taken on a boat trip to view fireflies. Do you know there are fireflies in Malaysia?

And by the way, do you know there are ostriches in Malaysia? And one in particular likes to run on the highway of Kuala Lumpur. We could not just let such an occasion pass by without a picture book and thanks to Heidi Shamsuddin and Lim Lay Koon, we now have Chickaboo, The Runaway Ostrich!

Oyez! loves introducing new authors and one of them is Azman Md Nor. Azman's Abang Saya takes us on a trip around a kampung with paddy fields, hills, rivers and scenes of chickens and children playing. A simple story of the narrator's elder brother who works in the city and comes home on his old and trusty vespa and then calls on his friends one by one.

Sedapnya Nangka by Naemah Ismail (illustrations by Emila Yusof) features a slice of life, with two children enjoying the jackfruit and learning to share.

Next, we have books by Mahaya Mohd Yassin, an advocate on the correct use of the national language, Bahasa Malaysia, who published three picture books with Oyez!, namely, Pelangi Pagi (illustrations by Emila Yusof); Lobak Bunga (illustrations by MR Mazni) and Negaraku (illustrations by Evi Shelvia).  Negaraku has a lift the flap to reveal the Malaysian flag and is sure to bring a smile.

We are introduced to owls and different types of birds in Where Is Owly by Mohd Khairul Azman Ismail (Samsung Kids Time Award 2016). In Malaysia we have a variety of birds and a number of common ones we see everyday. Children will surely feel great satisfaction to be able to recognise a bird, from the swallows to the mynah birds. The companion book, My Owl Family Tree introduces the owl family and their different occupations and hobbies.

5. Early Readers

Oyez! is also pleased to publish six books for pre-schoolers in Bahasa Malaysia by educationist Nani Menon (illustrations by Emila Yusof). Big size, colourful and printed on heavy card, these books touch on simple topics with accompanying pictures that young children can easily identify, making them a great introduction to early reading.

We love alphabet books and have several (which will be highlighted in subsequent articles) but here's one that is quintessential Malaysia, ABC Malaysia illustrated by Nur Azmi Mokhtar.

What are the Numbers? by several lecturers from Universiti Malaysia Sabah, is not strictly a reader as it is a wordless book. It aims to teach numbers in a creative way using images of flora, fauna and things that a child can identify with in Sabah. A handbook accompanies this innovative book. Used correctly wordless books encourage interaction, thinking and communication.

6. Poetry, Proverbs and Rhymes

Who hasn't heard of the nursery rhyme and song, Bangau Oh Bangau? If your children haven't, then it's time to introduce them to this lively nursery rhyme with a book illustrated by Elly Nor Suria. With a question and answer format, this nursery rhyme is great for group interaction and singing.

The Malay peribahasa in pantun gives words of wisdom and advice in rhyme. They are made less forbidding with delightful illustrations by Emila Yusof in Pok Amai-Amai.

Mazni Md Ramly's collection of poetry for children, Menjadi Bintang, evokes daily events in a Malaysian child's life. The poetry can be recited or sung and to encourage children to write their own poetry or to illustrate a poetry with inspiration from the illustrations by Emila Yusof.

Conclusion

For Oyez!, Malaysian stories are stories about Malaysia created from the heart, inspired by the culture, people and natural environment of this beautiful and rich country. Let us teach our children to love our stories, stories they can identify with, stories that are about them and their environment. And let us share our stories with the world.

Malaysian stories are stories about Malaysia created from the heart, inspired by the culture, people and natural environment of this beautiful and rich country.

To celebrate Merdeka and Malaysia Day, we will be having promotions for two whole months, August through to September. So don't miss this chance to get more Malaysian stories for your children. In addition, watch this space as we will be highlighting more books as well as behind the scenes with Oyez! publishing.

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Malaysian Stories in Oyez! Storybooks