Enchanting Tales from Indonesia

Children who go to international schools often feel disconnected and unaware of their heritage. They speak, read, and write in languages other than their native tongue and sometimes lack appreciation of their home country. It happened to Andari Deswandhy, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been educated by foreign school systems since early childhood. As a result, she felt that she had to change this reality somehow.

Andari began to learn about her Indonesian heritage by reading Indonesian folktales. Unfortunately, hardly any of the folktales she found were in English. So she started to do some research and rewrote the folktales in English, not for herself specifically, but for her fellow Indonesians who are educated by foreign school systems. She hopes the stories will allow them to minimize their sense of an internal cultural barrier. In addition, she writes this book for students at local schools in the hopes of helping them learn the English language with the ease of familiar stories.

So, let’s enjoy Andari’s retelling of fi ve enchanting tales from Indonesia, beautifully illustrated by Cecillia Hidayat: -The Hidden Treasure -Malin Kundang -Bawang Merah and Bawang Putih -Cindelaras -Timun Mas