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264th out of 1,498 books
—
3,017 voters
Kampung Boy (Kampung Boy #1)
by
Lat
Kampung Boy is a favorite of millions of readers in Southeast Asia. With masterful economy worthy of Charles Schultz, Lat recounts the life of Mat, a Muslim boy growing up in rural Malaysia in the 1950s: his adventures and mischief-making, fishing trips, religious study, and work on his family's rubber plantation. Meanwhile, the traditional way of life in his village (or k...more
Paperback, 144 pages
Published
September 5th 2006
by First Second
(first published 1977)
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Mat is a Muslim boy who is born in a kampung (village) in Malaysia. This is the story of his early beginnings – from naked toddler to schoolboy – growing up in the kampung among his family and neighbors.
This is the first book in a popular Malaysian series which is now being published in the US. The drawings are cartoonish and funny – Mat is short and chunky with crazy hair and a goofy nose (everyone is all teeth and noses and tongues and silly pants). You can tell he’s full of energy and mischie...more
Lat. (2006). Kampung boy. New York: First Second.
Fiction. In this book, which was first published in Malaysia in 1979, Lat shares the story of his childhood in his small village, or kampung, during the 1950s. From his birth and adventures as a young boy, to his education in the village, making friends, and his eventual leaving of the kampung for boarding school, Lat sweetly, and authentically brings his kampung to life. There is an authentic portrayal of his rites of passage, such as his hair s...more
Fiction. In this book, which was first published in Malaysia in 1979, Lat shares the story of his childhood in his small village, or kampung, during the 1950s. From his birth and adventures as a young boy, to his education in the village, making friends, and his eventual leaving of the kampung for boarding school, Lat sweetly, and authentically brings his kampung to life. There is an authentic portrayal of his rites of passage, such as his hair s...more
What a charming book! From his birth to his journey to boarding school, this kampung (village) boy enjoys his life. Nothing special happens in this graphic depiction of life in a Malaysian village in the 1960s, but the normal boy pursuits (fishing, hanging out with friends, getting in trouble with mom), are portrayed with great affection and humor. The village, however, is changing with the times, and as the boy leaves for boarding school, he and the reader are left wondering if there will be a...more
Kampung Boy is a favorite of millions of readers in Southeast Asia. With masterful economy worthy of Charles Schultz, Lat recounts the life of Mat, a Muslim boy growing up in rural Malaysia in the 1950s: his adventures and mischief-making, fishing trips, religious study, and work on his family's rubber plantation. Meanwhile, the traditional way of life in his village (or kampung) is steadily disappearing, with tin mines and factory jobs gradually replacing family farms and rubber small-holders....more
Kampung Boy (Budak Kampung) is an autobiography in the form of a graphic novel. It covers Lat's childhood in the 1950s and 1960s in a village in the Kinta Valley. It starts with his birth and ends with his father riding with him to the boarding school as a teen.
I found this book tucked between a number of manga series at my local library. I was drawn in by the title and the publisher / importer: :01 (same publisher as Life Sucks). I flipped through the book, liked the art style and found the fir...more
I found this book tucked between a number of manga series at my local library. I was drawn in by the title and the publisher / importer: :01 (same publisher as Life Sucks). I flipped through the book, liked the art style and found the fir...more
The story of a boy growing up in a Southeast Asian village. Chronicles the rituals and adventures of small town life, including baby's first shaving, circumcision, etc. Felt like an autobiography, so I'm curious about the author's history. Also didn't stand up to me as a graphic novel - the words did most of the telling, with illustrations and a few references to the pictures. A couple of details are only communicated through the pictures (a young crush), but they are not crucial to the story. I...more
Loved this for the details of village life in Malaysia the 1950s--things you can't get elsewhere, you can get in this graphic novel. Pictures of how a kitchen is set up, or a hammock rigged up so that Lat can rock his baby sister--or, later, a picture of him pulling his little brother along on a palm leaf frond. His dad shows him a weaver bird nest and says that weaver birds put fireflies in them to light up the insides. I checked this out online, and it's a widespread belief--people say this in...more
The best word to describe this memoir is "charming". It's a cute romp through the author's childhood in a small Malaysian village. Certain elements (studying the Koran, circumcision ceremony at age ten) make is particular to its place and time. Others (abandoning studies for more entertaining activities with friends, trying desperately to please one's parents) are universal.
It's all engaging and makes for an excellent and speedy read. The art style is clean with environments, but the faces are a...more
It's all engaging and makes for an excellent and speedy read. The art style is clean with environments, but the faces are a...more
Honestly, if you call yourself a Malaysian then you better read this. You are not a true patriot if you haven't read this.
And if you're not a Malaysian, if you read this, you will a have a rather nice glimpse into Malaysia's past where time seemed to stand still and kids being kids just play all day, inventing things to do, blending in with the nature rather than just stare at the computer..oh dear.
Personally, being from a younger generation we need to be reminded of such things so that we will...more
And if you're not a Malaysian, if you read this, you will a have a rather nice glimpse into Malaysia's past where time seemed to stand still and kids being kids just play all day, inventing things to do, blending in with the nature rather than just stare at the computer..oh dear.
Personally, being from a younger generation we need to be reminded of such things so that we will...more
In this sweet and funny memoir, Lat recalls his boyhood in his small village in Malaysia (kampung is the word for village.) Lat’s black and white drawings are lively and energetic and really charming. The reader really gets a glimpse inside another culture -- from the hut he was born in, to first schooling experiences, early friendships and fishing, to circumcision at age 10, then successfully passing a test to be able to attend boarding school. Exciting and a privilege . . . but it means leavin...more
This is a wonderful graphic novel that you can read in under 30 minutes! The problem is you keep rereading it for hours... It has a very contemporary feel although it tells the story of the author's life growing up as a Muslim boy in Malaysia in the 1950's. The illustrations are uniquely stylized and totally charming. You could understand the story without ever reading a line of text due to the expressivness of those black-and-white sketches. Written in 1979 and published in Malaysia, it was pub...more
رواية مصورة خفيفة و لطيفة عن حياة فتى صغير في قرية صغيرة من قرى ماليزيا في الخمسينات. يروي ( مت ) تفاصيل و ذكريات طفولته في القرية مع رسومات فكاهية كاريكاتورية. يتحدث عن امه و أبيه و جدته و عن طفولته ثم التحاقه بحلقة القرآن و صداقاته و حفلات العرس و الختان التي حضرها و كان جزء منها. القصة المترجمة إلى أكثر من لغة منها العربية، فتحت لي الأبواب عن عالم أوشك ان ينقرض مع تقدم العصر و نزوح الناس عن الأرياف و القرى. القصة تروي حياة ( مت ) و لكن الرسومات المعبرة و الفكاهية تروي حياة مجتمع تقليدي أوشك ا...more
Lat takes us on a journey of his childhood growing up in the Kitna Valley in Perak in the 1950’s. Lat is master storyteller as he takes us down the wandering path of his memories showing us the ceremonies that were still practiced--such as asking the local teacher to take on students, the feeling of swimming in a river as the cool water washes over you, and the warmth and somewhat craziness of family--like the dad that takes off his shirt to scratch his back on the pole when he gets home from wo...more
A true classic. Lat is a genius. I wonder how he came to draw that way, his style is very unique and his visual storytelling brilliant. It makes want to see a bunch more of 'old lifestyle' books: his is very evocative of his childhood in 50's Malaysia. There should be an entire series done by people from different backgrounds from different parts of the world, because it's always fascinating to see how things were done before the world startled to hurl itself toward a path of increasing cultural...more
If nothing else (and I actually have got a lot out of this challenge) 50books_poc has got me reading graphic novels and comics. Kampung Boy is completely charming. I wish it wasn’t pretty much the only piece of Lat’s work so far published in Australia (although apparently they’re planning to release some more in the future). It’s a beautifully rendered graphic novel of (essentially) Lat’s childhood in a village – a kampung – in Malaysia. His and his family’s religious observance is matter-of-fac...more
the kampung boy or the budak kampong (the malay version)were the first book of Lat's biographic comic series (following the kampung boy are town boy,kampung boy yesterday and today...plus the Lat 30 years later books).
If you were familiar with the kampung (village) life style, here in south east asia, especially those one who live in a remote area. this book is a must see and must have one...Lat remarkably captured every details of kampung lifestyle...I'am an Indonesian, and unfortunately I live...more
If you were familiar with the kampung (village) life style, here in south east asia, especially those one who live in a remote area. this book is a must see and must have one...Lat remarkably captured every details of kampung lifestyle...I'am an Indonesian, and unfortunately I live...more
Renowned Malaysian comics creator Lat depicts his youth in a small kampung, or village, with elegantly simple sentences and sketchy ink drawings. While he has earned numerous awards in Southeast Asia for his works, Kampung Boy is Lat’s first major US release. It follows Lat from his birth, through traditional Muslim rites of passage, to his departure for school in a nearby city. He tenderly and beautifully renders poignant memories in full or double-page unpanelled illustrations, such as a gorge...more
Kampung Boy by Lat- autobiographical about a young muslim boy growing up in Malaysia in the 50's covering his birth up until he reaches around the age of ten. Ritual body shaving, fishing, circumcision, school, all kindsa shizz. Simple full page black and white illustrations that are packed with humour. I had to keep pointing out things to my (probably uninterested) girlfriend that I found to be mirth-inducing. Cracking fun for all ages. Apart from the cutting off of foreskin.
This book presents an interesting view of a boy growing up in Malaysia. It isn't set up in traditional graphic novel format, probably because it was originally published in 1979, way before "graphic novels" as we now know them became so prevalent. The illustrations were cartoonish, which was OK for the most part, but I found the faces a little distracting and wish there had been more detail. All in all, it was OK and pretty easy reading, but I'm not clambering for the next one.
The narrator is a young man nicknamed "Mat" who is looking back on his childhood in Indonesia in a tiny "kampung" (village). He remembers mischief with his friends, town gossip, family life, significant events (the circumcision ceremony for a Muslim, his religion), and the wish as he grew older to move to a real town. ("Town Boy" comes next). Matt Groening loved the book, and there is a bit of Bart Simpson in mini-Mat, which makes this graphic novel all the more delightful.
I wasn't a big fan of this book. It read like a report with no emotion or artistry in the wording (in my opinion). The stark, scratchy illustrations were strange and for me completely unlikeable. I don't understand why everyone had 3 noses and awkward, sack-like bodies. I also didn't really like the very limited first person view of the environment and characters.
The story and information wasn't bad, but I couldn't connect to the presentation.
The story and information wasn't bad, but I couldn't connect to the presentation.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Kampung Boy by Lat is the graphic novel of a small boy born in a rural village in Malaysia, surrounded by his Dad's rubber plantation. The black and white cartoons and text are simple and alluring. The story is told in the first person and explores growing up in the area, playtime, school, fishing and friends. It gives a terrific insight into Asian life with great street drawings, ceremonies and general cultural images. A great little read!
Travel back to Malaysia during the '50s-go fishing with village boys, get chased by your mom, pay $1 every month for your school fees and well...be a Kampung boy! This marvelous book by Lat is the BEST graphic novel I've read this year. It is a truly enjoyable book with good pictures and awesome humor. Bored? Go get Kampung boy. I promise you-this is hilarious.
If you didn't think it was funny, I'll pay you a buck. I'm this serious.
If you didn't think it was funny, I'll pay you a buck. I'm this serious.
Kampung Boy is a gentle, humorous, and nostalgic look at the author's rural childhood in Malaysia. The story is engaging, and the artwork is loose and comical, but also manages to incorporate a strong sense of motion. It's this kinetic visual energy that turns Kampung Boy into something more than a routine cartoon autobiography, and gives the narrative a strong sense of fun and vicarious enjoyment.
Very cute. An interesting escape for half an hour. I know nothing about graphic novels, and not much more about Malaysia. This shows how his mother set up her kitchen, and what it felt like to ride on a bicycle with his dad into town. Lots of scenes at the river. Lots of people laughing, all teeth. The perspective of a little boy was a fun introduction to a completely different world. I'd read more in the series.
Lat describes the culture of his childhood home in a rural Malaysian village through words and evocative cartoons, often with a humorous edge. Young Lat leads a mostly carefree existence, nurtured by family and neighbors, indoctrinated into youthful adventures by a group of reckless brothers, and educated in a village school, where his father instructs the teacher to do what he needs, just not to break any bones.
This reader, ignorant of many of places and practices mentioned in the book, would h...more
This reader, ignorant of many of places and practices mentioned in the book, would h...more
I love this book! It has a simple charm and innocence to it - it's essentially a picture storybook of memories of growing up in Malaysia in the sixties. The pictures have great humor and detail, and it's a great glimpse into an unfamiliar culture for all of us armchair anthropologists. This book collects the elementary school memories - and life in the kampung (the little village) of the author.
I've just moved to Indonesia in the last 2 months, so when I discovered this book I was interested to know what life might be like in the "kampungs" (villages). It's a nice, easy-to-read memoir about a boy who grows up in a small Indonesian village. It's a graphic novel, and Matt Groening thought highly of it. I enjoyed it as well. It doesn't take more than an hour to read it.
Loved loved loved this book! One of my new favorites. Can't wait to read the next book and reread this one. Deceptively simple-seeming drawings that actually have the composition and design of a true master artist. Fun, lovable, funny, and sweet. A complete journey to a time and place completely alien to me and a totally delightful experience.
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Jul 27, 2010 10:50pm