Beloved by millions of readers in Southeast Asia, Kampung Boy is
a humorous, fictionalized graphic memoir about a Muslim boy growing up
in Malaysia.
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 study, 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 gradually replacing family farms and rubber
small-holders. When Mat himself leaves for boarding school, he can only
hope that his familiar kampung will still be there when he returns.
Kampung Boy is hilarious and affectionate, with brilliant,
super-expressive artwork that opens a window into a world that has now
nearly vanished.