A very positive write-up of Lat’s cartoon/graphic novel Kampung Boy from Mike Shuttleworth on Read Alert, the blog of the Centre for Youth Literature at the State Library of Victoria:

Kampung Boy by LAT is an illustrated story of village life in 1950s Malaysia. This autobiographical story sparkles with vivid memories of family and friends, of tradition and change.

LAT, the author/illustrator, is a master of the form. The tight connection between text, image and page makes this a joy to read. There an impish humour throughout, with pictures frequently undercutting the text.

Kampung Boy is one of those books that has almost no age limit. Children, teenagers and adults can all find delight here.

The mission of Australian publisher Wilkins Farago is to bring the best international picture books to English language readers. They have certainly done so (again) here. To a generation growing up on Diary of a Wimpy Kid, LAT’s Kampung Boy has a lot to offer.

The CYL does a great job promoting books and reading to young adults and yesterday hosted the Inky Awards, which are the only ‘teenage choice’ book awards in Australia. Thanks, Mike.