The Nusantara Ordeal.

If you are a Malaysian living in another country, rarely return to Malaysia but are desperately scurrying for a good Malay picture book for very young children in the country where you are currently residing, try another way. Leave a comment here and I will purchase the suitable books from Malaysia to be sent to you.

My very good friend who is a kindergarten teacher in London and a proud mother of a very lovely boy, called me one fine day when she was in Malaysia for a vacation, asking me about any bookshops in Ipoh, Perak which have picture story books for children. She promised her colleagues in London that she would purchase a few Malay story books from Malaysia as there are none available in London. Frantically seeking for the needle in the haystack, my friend was very disappointed as she flew back to London with two large luggage of household items without any Malay books.

After she rang me and poured her 'sorrows' out of her lungs, I went for a 'Malay Picture Book For Young Children' hunt in Kuala Lumpur, and oh yes, it was extremely difficult to locate a suitable book for kindergarten children. It was either too small without any pictures apt only for primary school age children, or the stories were simply not suitable for the young ones. There were no Sang Kancil series around tinseltown to feed the hunger pang of the 0-6 years old. After about a couple of hours burying my head in and out the shelves of several bookshops, I found a few suitable Malay story books and my pursuit for the golden egg continues until today.