What We've Been Reading

 Way back in February, I commenced Indonesia 101.  I took just over a month to read an article with the history of Indonesia, and its taken me another 2 months to get halfway through The Indonesia Reader.  I'll admit - its not as compelling as I expected it to be.  An interesting concept, the editors pulled together historically significant pieces of writing on Indonesia.  Many of these writings are centuries old, and the vast majority (at least that I have read so far) were not written for the readers' enjoyment.  A comparable selection on US History would include the Mayflower Compact, treaties with American Indian tribes, maybe the Federalist papers - and still, these writings would be much older.  So, I feel like the book is greatly expanding my knowledge of the country, so it is well worth the read.  But its taking some time.

 So, just so y'all don't think I'm not attending my studies at all, I thought I should post some of the things our girls are reading.  When I built my Indonesia bookshelf, I did not limit it to books for grown-ups.  In fact, one of my favorite ways of preparing the girls for a move is loading them up with books on the new place.  Our two favorites have been The Dancing Pig by Judy Sierra and All About Indonesia by Linda Hibbs.

The Dancing Pig is a Balinese folktale which has captured Annika's imagination.  It only just left her book rotation.  You see, Annika is in that fun stage where she wants to read the same books over and over again.  So I have The Dancing Pig practically memorized, and I must admit to liking the book more the more often I read it.  I enjoy the characters and the clever conclusion to the book, but I'm also enjoying the little bits of culture sprinkled throughout the book.

All About Indonesia is our newest find, and the current household favorite.  Its a thick book without one storyline, so its an easy one to pick up and read for only a moment or two.  Each page or two will describe a different part of life in Indonesia, with lots of photos and illustrations and an engaging layout.  Also, its a much easier read than the reader moving through so slowly.