LAT+-+Graphic+Novel

**Here begins Lat's Kampung Boy series, a timeless favorite of millions of readers in Southeast Asia, available at last in the U.S.** With masterful economy worthy of Charles Schultz, Lat recounts the life of Mat, a Muslim boy growing up in rural Malaysia in the 1950s: his adventures and mischief-making, fishing trips, religious education, and work on his family's rubber plantation. Meanwhile, the traditional way of life in his village (or kampung) is steadily disappearing, with tin mines and factory jobs increasingly overtaking the village's agricultural way of life. When Mat himself leaves for boarding school, he can only hope that his familiar kampung will still be there when he returns. The first in a delightful series, //Kampung Boy// is hilarious and affectionate, with brilliant, super-expressive artwork that opens a window into a world that has now nearly vanished.   []  **Big city. . . new music. . . budding romance. . . .** When Malaysian teenager Mat moves from the quiet kampung where he was born to Ipoh, a rapidly industrializing town, his life changes dramatically. Living far from his rural roots at boarding school, he discovers bustling streets, modern music, heady literature, first love, and through it all his growing passion for art. This companion book to the critically acclaimed //Kampung Boy//, offers more of Lat's thoughtful storytelling and exuberant pen-and-ink artwork. At once exotic and familiar, his cartoon world builds a bridge for readers into another world, another culture, and another time.   []