Gecko's Complaint: Balinese Folktale

by Ann Martin Bowler (Translator)

When Gecko cannot sleep because of the fireflies' light and Woodpecker's hammering, he complains to Raban the lion, chief of the jungle animals on the island of Bali, but as Raban follows the thread of complaints from animal to animal he begins to see a larger truth.When Gecko cannot sleep because of the fireflies and Woodpecker, he complains to Raban the lion, chief of the jungle animals of Bali, but as Raban traces the complaints from animal to animal he begins to see a larger truth.

Genres: Picture Books, Folk Tales

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Florian]

Nice story, well suited for language learners even though the English translation in places seems to be a bit too simplified (e.g. translating warga hutan, inhabitants of the forest just as animals).

[Prabhat sharma]

Gecko’s Complaint: A Balinese Folktale (Bilingual Edition- English and Indonesian text) by Ann Martin Bowler (re-telling) I. Gusti Made Sukanda, Illustrator- The book narrates the story of a Gecko who once lived on the island we now named as Bali. Gecko resided in a jungle dense with flowers and vines. Gecko is able to catch flies, mosquitoes, insects and is living comfortably. But as the Woodpecker keeps the animals and insects awake by his hitting of tree trunks. The Fireflies rise and shine with their light. Gecko is disturbed by this incident happening regularly. Gecko travels to the residence of Raden, the jungle's lion leader. Lion questions Fireflies. They respond that we shine and spread the message of the Woodpecker that “Beware, it is night. The beetle has spread dung on the road”. Beetle informs the King that the rain has made the road porous and there are patches and holes on the road. So I drop dung on the holes and pores. The lion moves to the top of the hill. From this location, he can view the clouds from close distance. Below the hill, he is able to view the effect of rains- (1) green forest, (2) wines and happy (3) flora and fauna. Lions gets the reply to Geckos’ question. “We should be grateful to nature, rains, forests for a safe and happy life.” Lion orders the Gecko to live her life peacefully. About this book, the Indonesian island of Bali has a strong art and storytelling tradition—folktales that have been passed down from generation to generation. As a nation with over 18,000 islands, Indonesia has hundreds of traditional languages and cultures, each with myths and legends to tell. With its backdrop of volcanoes, earthquakes, dense jungles, diverse wildlife and people, it is not surprising that Indonesia is rich with fabulous, imaginative tales. I have read the Hindi language translation of this book. Coloured illustrations help the reader to relate to the story.

[Rebekah]

3.8 stars

Fun to see a bilingual edition, even if most English-speaking children won't be able to read it. The structure of the tale is pretty common, but I really like the ending and the overall message.

[Hassan]

I can say now this is the first book I’ve read at Ithra library 😂

[Pam]

A good story to read during Thanksgiving season

[Lisa]

The gecko is complaining about the fireflies keeping him up at night and the firefighters are saying that the woodpecker is keeping them awake. So the chief animal goes and tries to find out what the real issue is over a string of a bunch of animals and animals learn to be grateful for what they have.