Stories of the Islands

by Clar Angkasa

Overview

Journey into a land of magic and powerful girls in this feminist graphic novel retelling of three Indonesian folktales.

"Brimming with spirit, this is a book all about connection and empowerment. Angkasa's gorgeous rendering and vivid storytelling will pull you right in."—Tillie Walden, author of On a Sunbeam

Once upon a time. . . a princess was cursed to live as a snail, two sisters were trapped by their father’s wrath, and a mother and daughter faced a hungry giant.

No one is coming to save them. Will they get their happily ever after?

In this collection of reimagined Indonesian fairy tales, the girls are the ones with power. The power to fight evil, to protect others, and to grow as people. Because why should girls in folktales always need saving? What if they save themselves instead?

Based on graphic novelist Clar Angkasa’s favorite childhood stories and gorgeously illustrated with a dedicated color palette for each tale, this retelling of “Keong Mas,” “Bawang Merah Bawang Putih,” and “Timun Mas” is filled with spectacular landscapes, deep emotions, and a firm belief in the power of girls’ stories.

A Rise: A Feminist Book Project Honoree
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
An Evanston Public Library Great Books for Kids pick!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823457281
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	10/31/2023
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	160 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Clar (pronounced like Clark but without the 'k') is short for Clarisse (yes, like in The Silence of the Lambs). She was born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Illustration. An illustrator, animator, and comic artist with a passion for narrative art, she draws inspiration from stories, nature, and wholesome people. Her work has received such honors as the MoCCA Arts Festival Awards of Excellence, an Adobe Awards Top Talent, and more. She is currently based in Brooklyn, New York.

Editorial Reviews

10/09/2023

Debut graphic novelist Angkasa retells three Indonesian folktales and reimagines the female protagonists beyond “superficial tropes like the damsel in distress... the wicked and jealous stepmother... the spinster wishing for a child.” In “Keong Mas,” a fisherwoman’s generosity models compassion for a former princess, whose selfishness begot her transformation into a snail. “Bawang Merah Bawang Putih” highlights the relationship between two stepsisters who, devoted to each other, endure their grieving father’s physical abuse and must decide whether to approach their future with or without him. The final tale, “Timun Mas,” follows green-thumbed Old Mbok Srini and her adopted daughter as they use their horticultural knowledge (and a little bit of magic) to outsmart a giant. This accessible collection’s plethora of protagonists, portrayed with varying skin tones, embody traditional folktale gumption in stories with settings and perspectives that realistically mirror the creator’s native Indonesia. Innovative paneling offers complexity to the storytelling, and eye-catching patterns add cultural specificity to sometimes formulaic tales. Concludes with texts of the original tales and an author’s note wherein Angkasa describes her mother’s influence in creating this feminist remix. Ages 8–12. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

★ "Angkasa skillfully breathes new life into these narratives, providing a fresh look from the perspective of the female characters. . . . While targeted at a middle-grade audience, older readers who love folktales will also cherish these old stories presented in fresh, dynamic new ways."—Booklist, Starred Review  

★ "Expressive art transports readers through the rolling waves, flowing rivers, and lush forests that make up the seventeen thousand Indonesian islands."—The Horn Book, Starred Review

★ "In illustrating her feminist versions, Angkasa, who was born and raised in Jakarta, pays visual homage to her Javanese cultural history by, for example, garbing her characters in sarongs and selendangs."—Shelf Awareness, Starred Review
 
"This inspiring trio of stories encourages readers to look with a mindful eye at folk or fairy tales that they may have heard for years to see whose story is actually being told and ponder what the tale would look like from an entirely different perspective."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"Innovative paneling offers complexity to the storytelling, and eye-catching patterns add cultural specificity to sometimes formulaic tales."—Publishers Weekly

"A beautiful, powerful addition to the pantheon of feminist folktale reimaginings."—Kirkus Reviews

"A beautiful collection of folktales that succeeds in depicting strengthened female agency while promoting a healthy consideration for others."—School Library Journal

"A marvelous example of bringing the old and the new together to create something that contains the best of both worlds. A beautiful potential future for folktales worldwide."—A Fuse #8 Production

"Brimming with spirit, this is a book all about connection and empowerment. Angkasa's gorgeous rendering and vivid storytelling will pull you right in."—Tillie Walden, author of On a Sunbeam

From the Publisher

08/01/2023

Gr 6 Up—Three Indonesian folktales—"Keong Mas," "Bawang Merah Bawang Putih," and "Timun Mas"—are reimagined in this anthology, which seeks to give power and autonomy to traditionally passive female characters. A selfish older sister, finding herself cursed by her younger sister, must seek to help someone other than herself before her curse can be lifted; a widower turns his anger, rooted in grief, on his daughters, who must stop taking responsibility for their father's happiness in order to find their own; and a happily unpartnered woman finds herself a caregiver of a young girl after she misguidedly agrees to an inadvisable deal and has to use her intellect to escape from it. The stories read quickly, and their wispy, rounded, and paradisaical illustrations are further romanticized in appearance through the use of lush, tropical, and forested settings colored in bejeweled hues of violets, golds, and teals. While some pages make ample use of white space, others use fluid spreads, panel-breaking art, and irregularly shaped, polygonal panels that add interest while leading up to unconventional happily-ever-afters. Characters have various skin tones, ranging from pale to dark, and diverse body types are included, as is blended family representation. The front matter includes a table of contents, while among the back matter is an author's note and a prose version of each of the original folktales. VERDICT A beautiful collection of folktales that succeeds in depicting strengthened female agency while promoting a healthy consideration for others.—Alea Perez

School Library Journal

2023-09-09
A graphic reimagining of three classic Indonesian fairy tales that center their female protagonists.

Three folktales are told in three chapters, in different color palettes, separated by spot-illustrated title pages. In “Keong Mas (Golden Snail),” an eldest princess is transformed into a snail after manipulating her selection as the prince’s bride. She must reflect on her actions and empathize with others to break the curse. In “Bawang Merah Bawang Putih (Shallot Garlic),” two sisters have to seek their own happiness when tragedy strikes their blended family. In “Timun Mas (Golden Cucumber),” a healer and her supernaturally born daughter use their knowledge and talents to outwit a monstrous being. Curving, swirling lines convey movement against the backdrop of Indonesian villages and landscapes, highlighting the characters’ connections to sea and land. Backmatter includes a prose version of each story, and the author’s note describes Angkasa’s motivations for examining women’s roles and relationships in fairy tales beyond reductive tropes, as active agents in shaping their own destinies; she aims to empower readers to question perceived self and societal limitations. Illustrations and terminology hold cultural and environmental texture, some broadly Indonesian, some regionally specific, such as details of clothing, furniture, and rice paddies. With dialogue written in clear, modern language, this collection will be broadly accessible.

A beautiful, powerful addition to the pantheon of feminist folktale reimaginings. (three “original stories” with illustrations) (Graphic fiction. 8-13)

Kirkus Reviews