Review of the Day: Town Boy (Part Two)
(CONTINUED FROM PART ONE)
Recently I was reading Scott McCloud’s "Understanding Comics" and at one point the author mentioned how different comic traditions are from one culture to another sometimes. Symbols that might seem universal in America, like a moth flying from a purse to indicate a character’s poverty, don’t translate well overseas, and vice-versa. Yet Lat’s story doesn’t suffer, as far as I can tell, from this particular form of culture shock. Wavy lines over cow patties still mean smell. Lines around the fingers indicate movement and action. Lat could have been influenced by Western comic artists early on, or maybe Malaysia happens to know the same symbols we do. It’s hard to say, but at least the book is easy to understand for American kids and adults alike.
Altogether, it’s a great sequel and well-worth a glance. Even if you’ve never read the original, "Town Boy" deserves a little love. A great discovery for anyone, regardless of age.
Online Reviews: CR Review
Misc:
- A fun and recent interview with Lat.
- And one from Reader’s Digest Asia. Who knew?
- An 8-page preview of the book all thanks to Publisher’s Weekly.
Filed under: Reviews
About Betsy Bird
Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.
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