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Lat is one of the most-read and prolific cartoonists in Southeast Asia and his is gradually gaining international fame as his comics are translated and published all over the world. His word was first published when he was just thirteen years old. Considered by many to be the Charles Schulz of Malaysia, his characters are widely recognised and decorate one of the planes in the AirAsia fleet. He was awarded the prestigious Malaysian honorific Dato' (roughly equivalent to a knighthood in Britain) in 1994
In a charming story of a young boy's life, Lat recounts his childhood living in a small village (or kampung) in Malaysia. Beginning in his infancy, the reader experiences Lat's life up to his later boyhood, when he leaves his family and familiarity to attend boarding school. In addition to sharing his memories, Lat pays close attention to the social mores and nuances of his culture, offering the reader a glimpse into a foreign life. A sweetly naturalistic memoir, this non-traditional graphic novel breaks free of the conventional boxy panel layout to richly extend the black and white illustrations over the pages, with most pages containing a single scene. The art is highly detailed, letting the reader linger over each page, enjoying the feel of experiencing life in another country. Besides offering up a smart cohesion of careful text with meticulous illustration, Lat offers his readers a unique perspective in his scenes; when drawing himself as a young boy, his settings are oversized and exaggerated, showing the reader that even in a small kampung, life can still loom large for a child. Intriguing and edifying, Lat's memoir is an endearing look at a foreign adolescence. (Graphic novel. YA) (Kirkus Reviews)
