From Paddylands to Yusof Gajah: KL festival celebrates M'sian children's books
In partnership with Oyez!Books, one of Malaysia's leading children's publishers, Legacy of Malaysian Stories: A Journey Through Children's Literature runs at the Duke Museum of Picture Book Art and three adjoining spaces at GMBB, Kuala Lumpur, until Aug 17.
The festival is free and open to everyone, so bring the young ones along for a fun day out. You can catch book launches and meet the authors, hear from Malaysian writers and artists about how they create their work, and join in on arts and crafts workshops to spark your creativity.
'For this festival, we have curated the historical timeline of Malaysian stories as told through children's literature. We had to do a lot of research and we are excited to showcase the exhibition, which will show how children's stories and illustrations in Malaysia have evolved,' says Linda Tan, co-founder and director of the Duke Museum.
Join a storytelling session at the Duke Museum of Picture Book Art, part of the 'Legacy of Malaysian Stories' festival. Photo: The Star/Samuel Ong
Authors Chelsea Penafort (Little Momo The Brave) and Lim Lay Khoon (Xin And The Blue Dragon Of Spring and The Rainbird) will have storytelling sessions, where they will be reading their books.
Illustrators Basari Mat Yasit and Nor Azhar Ishak will teach participants how to make paper dolls with batik designs and acrylic paintings, while artists Bojen Low and Stephanie Kuen will have sharing sessions about their art and the meaning behind their artworks.
A love for rare books
Part of the Duke Museum's mission is to collect and conserve rare and out-of-print books, focusing on Malaysian children's literature.
To date, it has close to 50 titles in its collection – the oldest being the 1947 edition of Haji's Book Of Malayan Nursery Rhymes by AW Hamilton (originally published in 1939) and Paddylands (originally published in 1947) by Grace Garnier.
A new hardcover reissue of 'Haji's Book Of Malayan Nursery Rhymes' by AW Hamilton, originally published in 1939.Photo: The Star/Art Chen
Visitors can view these vintage books in person at the museum, while new reissues – hardcover editions – are also available for collectors.
Tan notes that these books, now cult classics in the vintage market, remain highly sought after in their reissued editions.
The Duke Museum of Picture Book Art is keeping them in print, with pre-orders (for a limited period) offered when stocks run low.
'We also treasure several picture books published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) from the 1960s to the 1990s, along with the beloved Sang Kancil series by cartoonist Jaafar Taib,' says Tan.
Duke (left) browsing the new reissues of 'Haji's Book Of Malayan Nursery Rhymes' and 'Paddylands'. Photo: The Star/Samuel Ong
For retired consultant Peter Duke, co-founder and chairman of the Duke Museum – and once part of the British army stationed in Borneo during the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation – books from the colonial era hold special appeal.
One title from the collection, Fables And Folk-Tales From An Eastern Forest by Walter Skeat (1886), has been republished by Oyez!Books with updated language by Duke.
Oyez!Books, a decade on
The festival is also a celebration of Oyez!Books' 10th anniversary this year.
'We are glad to say we have made a mark in continuing Malaysian stories through children's literature and that history will recognise the role played by our directors, the late artist Yusof Gajah, who was known for his children's book illustrations, and his wife, the late Zakiah Mohd Isa,' says Tan, who is also the founder of Oyez!Books.
'On the other hand, Yusof's early start came from the encouragement of Alimah Salam, who was with the Kuala Lumpur Library and Izzah Aziz at DBP. And over in Sabah, Zaiton Ajamain from DBP played a role in the early development of Sabah illustrators, such as Jainal Amambing and the late Awang Fadilah. It is indeed true that we stand on the shoulders of giants,' she adds.
By the end of the year, Oyez!Books plans to publish a series of alphabet books on Malaysia in line with Visit Malaysia 2026. Those visiting the festival will be among the first to see the book covers.
'I wrote a Visit Malaysia series in 2016, but it was never published, as Linda's priority was on local writers and Oyez!Books was never short of manuscripts," says Duke.
'When Linda finally decided to publish it, I did additional research to update the content. I visit Malaysia often and love the country and people so it was a pleasure for me. I hope to see the books out soon,' he says.
In September 2023, the museum hosted the Malaysia Children's Picture Books: 1930s To 2000s mini show, while its KL Literature & Art Fair in August 2024 featured the Malaysia Children's Picture Books To Read and Love pop-up exhibition.
Legacy Of Malaysian Stories: A Journey Through Children's Literature festival is on at the Duke Museum of Picture Book Art, GMBB, Jalan Robertson, Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur until Aug 17. Admission is free, registration is required for workshops and activities.
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