Si Kecèñk Bejalè: The Book

I’m proud to announce that the illustrated book of Si Kecèñk Bejalè has been published. It’s part of the publication under the Research Unit for Multilingualism & Cross-Cultural Communication, which is led by none other than my dear supervisor, Professor John Hajek. As a matter fact, John has been the series editor for the unit’s multilingual books project designed for children and school. Apparently, Si Kecèñk Bejalè is one of them.

This folk story, written originally in south Sulawesi with a title Si Kecil Berjalan-jalan, has been translated into Dawan/ Baikenu, Tetun and Portuguese. I have worked closely and light-heartedly with John on adapting and translating the story into Kelantan Malay (which includes, among other things, turning a dog into a cat to make the story more culturally convincing!). The content of the book might sound a little silly and the drawings might look a little ridiculous (it is for kids anyway!), but it is very special for me since it’s my first joint publication with John. More importantly, it formally introduces the orthography of Kelantan Malay to the world.

No, this book is not meant for sale. It is published for free distribution for children’s enjoyment. But for my adult readers’ enjoyment, not to worry. This is also for you guys out there who, I’m pretty sure, are still a child at heart. Enjoy!