Pak in Indonesia

Children's Literature - Tim Whitney

Pak faces fierce competition as he races bulls against his country's top teams. Each young person in this series faces new, exciting experiences as he or she prepares for the future. Although from vastly different countries, each book tells a story focusing on a young person and his/her challenges; a section of color photographs brings the setting of the story to life, and a notebook containing maps, photographs and text explains the particular country's geography, history, culture, and people. A glossary and index are also included. The "My Future" series provides a unique, personal approach to life in other countries. Also in the series are Maud in France, Aru in the Solomon Islands, and Ramachandra in India.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6It is difficult to determine an audience for these books. Each one has a story, a collection of full-color photographs, and a "notebook" of facts about the country. These three sections are related to one another by the slenderest of threads. Pak tells of a young bull driver who is trying to win a series of races. The story is interestingly told and conveys a good deal of information about Indonesian culture. The photographs are appealing, and the notebook provides more information about the country. Ramachandra is the son and heir of the maharaja of Dolapur, a domain in one of India's northwestern states. His story is somewhat improbable, recounting an incident involving a dream and a paper airplane. Along the way, readers learn a bit about life and culture in India and what it means to be born to responsibility. The photographs bear little relationship to the story other than the fact that a few of them were taken in the area in which Ramachandra lives. The notebook section gives only the most superficial information about a variety of topics. The language is terse and the vocabulary is pitched one or two grade levels higher than the reading and interest level of the story. In neither of the books is the protagonist a typical youngster of the country. The biggest problem with both books is that the three parts do not come together to make a satisfactory whole. "A Family in" series (Lerner) is a somewhat more successful exercise in portraying a culture through the eyes of a native.Linda Greengrass, Bank Street College Library, New York City