Review 2 - Donny Dhirgantoro

Ini Bulutangkis, dan Ini Indonesia, dimana impian dibawa ke dunia nyata, tidak berlaku untuk Gusni Annisa Puspita, remaja yang 'kelebihannya' adalah keterbatasannya. Cita-citanya sejak kecil untuk membuat orang tuanya senang dengan bermain bulutangkis terus kandas.

Suatu malam sebuah kenyataan pahit datang untuknya, sebuah kenyataan tak berperi, hidup yang tidak berpihak kepadanya, kenyataan yang berbicara lantang kalau bermimpi saja tidak akan pernah cukup.

Dan, perempuan Indonesia dengan segala keterbatasannya itu memutuskan untuk melawan, memutuskan untuk terus berjuang demi impiannya, memutuskan untuk terus mencintai hidup yang tidak pernah sempurna.

Memutuskan untuk berani mencintai, dan mencintai dengan berani…

~~~~

Finally! Another questions were answered. After waiting for sometimes, I got what the author wrote in his second book. I am not a big fan of him. I am also not impressed with his 5 CM. But the cat inside kept wondering what kind of story he wrote in 2. It urged me to grab and read the book. It did not care the possibility of same old pattern that might be used by the author in his previous book, like song lyrics everywhere or too many great quotation that might make you sick of it.

Review Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Meet Oskar Schell, an inventor, Francophile, tambourine player, Shakespearean actor, jeweler, pacifist, correspondent with Stephen Hawking and Ringo Starr. He is nine years old. And he is on an urgent, secret search through the five boroughs of New York. His mission is to find the lock that fits a mysterious key belonging to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on 9/11.

An inspired innocent, Oskar is alternately endearing, exasperating, and hilarious as he careens from Central Park to Coney Island to Harlem on his search. Along the way he is always dreaming up inventions to keep those he loves safe from harm. What about a birdseed shirt to let you fly away? What if you could actually hear everyone's heartbeat? His goal is hopeful, but the past speaks a loud warning in stories of those who've lost loved ones before. As Oskar roams New York, he encounters a motley assortment of humanity who are all survivors in their own way. He befriends a 103-year-old war reporter, a tour guide who never leaves the Empire State Building, and lovers enraptured or scorned. Ultimately, Oskar ends his journey where it began, at his father's grave. But now he is accompanied by the silent stranger who has been renting the spare room of his grandmother's apartment. They are there to dig up his father's empty coffin.(Goodreads)

My Thought
This is the first book of Jonathan Safran Foer that I read. I admit it was not a light reading. I doubt if I could finish it. At first glance, the book was thick and its font was small enough. Some of my friends said that it was not an easy book to digest. In some part, they are right. I can not use my average reading speed to understand what happened. The conversations were written in a very unusual way. I must keep my eyes open for almost chapters. But overall, this is a great book. It has something inside. I think everyone should read this book at least once in a lifetime. They just have to be little bit patience. Since this is not a book to enjoy in a hurry.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close brought me to Oskar Schell with one key that he found in a vase. One key that made him traveled around New York to find all information that might relate to his late father. 

In the beginning, I thought he suffered a disorder or syndrome. It was not stated clearly in the book, though. He had thousand thoughts that crossed his mind, tremendous one. He got many words for everything. You should check it out in the first page. No need to wonder why Oskar mostly acted older than his age. He was not an ordinary boy. Although it was not easy, but I found It was fun to walk and run with him. I like the way he revealed what he kept in his mind. I could not stop giggling when I read all the letter he got. Predicting what he wrote to those famous people was not difficult. I was amazed looking at how he can easily talk to strangers but got no friend in his age. He seem to know tons of things. From him, I know what they call as dry ice cream, and a googolplex which lead me to Googleplex. My favorite part was when he told me about his father. It needs no sweat to understand how tight the bound between them.

Oskar indeed dominated many parts of the book but some chapters were filled with his grandparent's words. I wish I could just skip them especially when his grandpa's part. I just do not get what he said. But his chapters makes me wonder with its English version. The translation,which has some typo inside, is confusing enough so I am not sure  if I can understand his word in English but the curiosity is still there. I hope one day, with a better vocabulary, I get the chance to read it. 

9/11 attack that was included as the background in this books had its own magnet. All my thought and feelings were instantly coming back. So I got no difficulty to see the situation. I could easily picture how Oskar's father was, when he left some messages in the answering machine.

About the ending, although it was not as I expected, but I loved how Mr Foer wrote it.

Talking about the unusual writing style, I wonder if Jonathan Safran Foer  also writes the same patern in another book. But I wish he wrote this kind of style only for Oskar.

In 2011, this book was made into motion picture. It was nominated for two Academy Awards, Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor. I have not read watched it yet. I hope the movie is as good as its book.


Extremely Loud and Incredibly Cloe
Author: Jonathan Safran Foer
Translator: Antie Nugrahani
Publisher: Mahda Books, Maret 2010
Languange: Indonesian
430 pages

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 I read this book for some of my reading challenges:

• 2013 TBR pile challenge
• 2013 New Author reading challenge
• BBI Read Along

Review Wonder

DON’T JUDGE A BOY BY HIS FACE.

“Kuharap, setiap hari adalah Halloween. Kita semua bisa memakai topeng setiap saat. Lalu kita bisa berjalan-jalan dan saling mengenal sebelum melihat penampilan kita di balik topeng.”

August (Auggie) Pullman lahir dengan kelainan Mandibulofacial Dysostosis, sebuah kondisi rumityang membuat wajahnya tampak tidak biasa. Meskipun dia sudah menjalani serangkaian operasi, penampilan luarnya tetap saja terlihat berbeda. Namun, bagi segelintir orang yang mengenalnya,
dia adalah anak yang lucu, cerdas, dan pemberani.

Auggie mengalami petualangan yang lebih menakutkan daripada operasi-operasi yang dijalaninya ketika dia menjadi murid kelas lima di Beecher Prep. Kalian pasti tahu menjadi murid baru itu bukanlah hal yang mudah. Ditambah lagi Auggie adalah anak biasa dengan wajah yang sangat tidak biasa. (Goodreads)

~~~

Tidak banyak buku terjemahan yang bisa buat aku pengen baca ulang buku aslinya bahkan ketika belum sampai di halaman terakhir. Ini bukan berarti terjemahannya parah. Malah sebaliknya, buku terbitan Atria ini bagus banget malah.  Ceritanya mengalir.  Pilihan katanya juga ngga rumit. Rasanya aku juga nggak menemukan typo dan yang paling penting, emosi setiap karakter yang disisipkan R.J. Palacio,sang penulis, nggak hilang hanya karena bahasanya beda. Bahkan ketika alurnya sedikit lambat pun tidak menjadi masalah. Runut ceritanya tetap menarik.. Jadi keinginan untuk baca ulang Wonder bahasa Inggris hanya karena pengen ngulang petualangan bersama Auggie, Via, bahkan Justin dan tentu saja ngga pengen buru-buru naruh bukunya di rak. 

Wonder bercerita tentang August (Auggie) Pullman. Kelainan Mandibulofacial Dysostosis yang dialaminya sejak lahir membuat Auggie harus menjalani serangkaian operasi dan membuat wajahnya menjadi sangat berbeda. Di buku ngga dijelaskan dengan rinci bagaimana wajah Auggie, karena dia sendiri menolak untuk menggambarkannya seperti apa. Bahkan sampai di halaman akhir buku pun, aku ngga punya bayangan seperti apa lekuk wajahnya. Semuanya hanya potongan-potongan kalimat ataupun percakapan para tokoh di beberapa bab. Saat itu tidak ada keinginan untuk mencoba mencari tahu. Karena membaca permohonan Auggie kalau saja menemukan lampu ajaib ataupun mengapa ia berkeras untuk tetap menggunakan helm astronot selama dua tahun, lebih dari cukup. Baru ketika hendak menuliskan review inilah aku tahu bagaimana dampak dari Mandibulofacial Dysostosis pada wajah seseorang. Akhirnya paham dengan kalimat Auggie di halaman awal.

“Apapun yang kau bayangkan, mungkin keadannya lebih buruk”

Awalnya kupikir buku yang tebalnya 430 halaman ini sepenuhnya dari sudut pandang Auggie. Ternyata ada lima orang lainnya yang juga turut bercerita dan menjadikan buku ini keren banget. Bagian yang paling aku suka tuh semua bab yang diceritakan oleh Via, Justin dan Miranda. Emosi awalnya bermunculan di bagian awal menjadi semakin mengikat dengan adanya cerita dari mereka. Pemikiran dan perasaan setiap karakter menjadi semakin terasa mudah untuk dipahami. Tidak hanya anggota keluarga Pullman, aku bahkan bisa mengerti mengapa Miranda memilih untuk berbohong ataupun pendapat Julian mengenai alam semesta. Nggak sekali dua kali, mataku berkaca-kaca dibuatnya.

Walaupun buku ini sepenuhnya tentang Auggie, tapi karakter favorit aku jatuhkan ke Via. Aku suka bagaimana Auggie bercerita yang terkadang lucu ataupun cara berpikirnya. Simpati sepenuhnya untuk anak laki-laki penggemar berat Star Wars. Mr dan Mrs. Pullman juga keren. Hubungan keluarga yang terlihat sangat sempurna namun penuturan Via membuat semua cerita ini menjadi lebih nyata. Terutama ketika Via menumpahkan semua rahasia yang selama ini disimpannya sendiri. 

Wonder kurekomendasikan untuk semua orang. Menurutku buku ini setidaknya harus dibaca sekali seumur hidup. Jadi kalau hari ini terbersit niat untuk beli buku baru, pastikan ada Wonder di antaranya. *kedip*

Wonder adalah buku pertama R.J. Palacio. Kalau nantinya ada buku baru yang ditulis R.J. Palacio, aku nggak ragu untuk beli. 

ps: Ketemu banyak spoiler tentang Star Wars di buku ini. Auggie kerap bercerita tentang bagian penting dari enam episode film yang bergenre Sci-fi ini.  Awalnya aku ngeluh karena baru nonton episode II. Tapi toh akhirnya nggak ngaruh sama sekali, karena tokoh-tokoh yang disebut Auggie baru semua, dan aku pun lupa begitu pindah ke bab berikutnya. 

Karena Via, jadi pengen nyoba baca War and Peace. *big green*

Banyak kutipan keren.

“lucu juga mengingat ada sebuah kata seperti overprotektif yang bisa menggambarkan sebagian orangtua, tapi tidak ada kata yang memiliki arti sebaliknya. kata apa yang kau gunakan untuk menggambarkan orangtua yang kurang melindungi? Kurang protektif? lalai? sibuk sendiri? payah? semua yang barusan kusebutkan?”

“alam semesta menjaga mahkluk ciptaan paling rapuh dengan berbagai cara yang tidak bisa kita lihat. contohnya dengan orangtua yang memujamu secara membabi buta. dan seorang kakak perempuan yang merasa bersalah karena bersikap manusiawi terhadapmu. dan seorang anak bersuara berat yang ditinggalkan teman-temannya karenamu. dan bahkan seorang cewek berambut pink yang membawa fotomu di dalam dompetnya. mungkin memang sebuah lotere, tapi pada akhirnya alam semesta membuat semuanya impas. alam semesta menjaga semua burungnya”

5/5

Wonder

Penulis: R.J. Palacio

Penerjemah: Harisa Permatasari

Penerbit: Atria

Cetakan: I, September 2012

Tebal: 430 halaman

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Selain untuk posting bareng BBI, buku ini juga aku baca untuk 2013 New Author Reading Challenge

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Untuk kesekian kalinya aku  pengen ngucapin terima kasih untuk SS yang udah milih Wonder. Buku pilihannya keren banget. Awalnya pas naruh buku ini di rak SS, aku sama sekali nggak banyak berharap. Apalagi Wonder jadi salah satu buku yang letaknya di halaman akhir. Yang jelas senang banget pas ngebuka paketnya. 

So who is she?

Seperti yang udah kuceritakan di postingan tentang SS dan buku pilihannyanya , awalnya nyaris putus asa mikirin identitas SS dengan tiga kata yang jadi clue. Tapi setelah baca lagi dan lagi, ternyata tiga kata, BARAT, BURUNG, dan HANTU hanya petunjuk tambahan. Karena yang jadi kata kunci utama adalah The Glass with Glass Feet. Semakin yakin begitu ngubek-ngubek blog bukunya dan kesimpulan akhir, aku dengan yakin bahwa SS yang ngasih Wonder yang keren itu adalah :  

Nur Aulia Afina

Thank you so much. Wonder is a really great book. It’s amazing. I love it

*heart*

Review Cupcake Queen

Kylie Jean needs money, so she decides to start selling cupcakes. But her doggie cupcakes can fund a really important cause helping orphan dogs at the shelter!

~~~

My name is Kylie Jean Carter. Here are some of the things you need to know about me: I live in Texas. My color is pink. I have two brothers, but one of the is a dog. And my number-one dream is to be a beauty Queen!.

I'm starting my own business! Momma and I will be making dozens of yummalicious cupcakes and selling them at garage sales. At first I plan to keep the money and get rich, but when I find out that the Puppy Place animal shelter might close, I come up with the perfect plan for my cupcakes to help save those puppies....

Just you wait and see!(Goodreads)

My Thought

Cupcake Queen is another book of Kylie Jean series that's up on NetGalley. Thanks to the publisher who has accepted my request. The printed version will be out on February 1, 2013. 

This is the third book of Kylie Jean series that I read. Before Cupcake Queen, I have finished Blueberry Queen and Dancing Queen. There are still many books in this series. Although I read the book not in the sequence number, I miss nothing. Because in the beginning there is one chapter where she tells me anything that I need to know. Like she does in the previous book. There is nothing change from this confidence girl.  She is still the same girl who loves pink and stuff, who lives in yellow house on Peachtree Lane in Jacksonville, Texas. Something that she never forget to tell is her beauty queen dream. She also tell me about her family including the bulldog, her pet, Ugly Brother. 

In this newest  story, Kylie told me about a garage sale, where she got the idea to start a cupcake business to get more money. She was so excited and could not wait any longer to start it. Something unique was she made not only a regular cupcake, she also made it for dogs.  She thought it would make her own business run better. With her momma help, all things are done smoothly. 

It is not difficult to guess where the story of this light book run. I like some parts of the book that show me another side of Kylie. However it makes she looks completely spotless. But I guess fans of this series will not mind about it.

The illustration is still awesome. I like it. 

The extra pages is also great. One glossary page and recipe of cupcake are there.

This book is so perfect book for young  reader ages 6-8 and a reluctant reader or the one who are learning English. The word choice is simple enough for a beginner. 

~~~

About the Author

Marci Bales Peschke was born in Indiana, grew up in Florida, and now lives in Texas, where she is a librarian. She has lived in three haunted houses, but now lives with her husband, two children, and a feisty black and white cat named Phoebe. She loves reading and watching movies.

About the Illustrator

When Tuesday Mourning was a little girl, she knew she wanted to be an artist when she grew up. Now, she is an illustrator who lives in South Pasadena, CA. She especially loves illustrating books for kids and teenagers. When she isn't illustrating, Tuesday loves spending time with her husband, who is an actor, and their two sons. 

Preorder Cupcake Queen (Kylie Jean) at Amazon.

Cupcake Queen

Author: Marci Peschke

Ilustrator: Tuesday Mourning 

Hardcover: 112 pages

Publisher: Picture Window Books (February 1, 2013)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1404881026

ISBN-13: 978-1404881020

Source: NetGalley

Kylie Jean Web Page

Review Gone With The Wind

Set against the dramatic backdrop of the American Civil War, Margaret Mitchell's epic love story is an unforgettable tale of love and loss, of a nation mortally divided and its people forever changed. At the heart of all this chaos is the story of beautiful, ruthless Scarlett 'O' Hara and the dashing soldier of fortune, Rhett Butler.

-- "Gone With The Wind" sold more than 176,000 copies within the first three weeks of its initial publication in 1936. The Warner mass market edition (1993) sold over 330,000 copies. Over 28 million copies of the book have been sold in more than 37 countries. After 60 years, this will be the very first trade paperback edition ever published.

-- In 1991, Warner published Alexandra Ripley's Scarlett: The Sequel to Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind, selling over 4.2 million copies in hardcover and paperback combined and becoming one of the fastest selling novels of the century.

-- "Gone With The Wind," the renowned MGM motion picture, won 10 Academy Awards and has been seen by an international audience of over a quarter of a billion people.Revisit the South and fall under the spell of Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler all over again. After six decades, this sweeping saga set against the backdrop of the war-torn South remains one of the most beloved American novels ever written. (Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts

When I write this review, I still can't believe that I finished this book without skipping any pages. I think this is the thickest book that I ever read. I need to reward myself.

Long before I read Gone with the Wind, I have watched the movie. So I already knew how the ending. But I did not remember the details. What happened between also slipped my mind. What remains is Scarlett O’Hara, the main character, and her Husband. I can see clearly how selfish and stubborn the woman.  I also can recall how the story began.  Then there comes the book which told me everything, especially about Katie Scarlett O’Hara and her life. Thanks to Fanda and Bzee who have hosted the read along. Although I could not follow the schedule as it was, but I am still glad can find out what exactly happened and finally admit that I like this book.

Gone with the Wind consists of five parts. Each of them told the life stage of Katie Scarlett O’Hara. Scarlett was a sixteen reckless young woman when the story began.  She was twenty eight when the story reached the end.  So it is between 1861 and 1873. Most of the story happened in Georgia and Atlanta, southern United States. It was during American Civil War and the years after that. Later I know it is called as Reconstruction Era. This setting make me so excited and become the reason why I joined the read along.

Besides Scarlett, there were Rhett Butler, Ashley Wilkes and Melanie (Hamilton) Wilkes. The story runs round and round with them. There were still tons of minor characters. But I just remember some, like Scarlett’s family, her spouses, the maids, and some people in twelve oaks. The others are really hard to keep in mind. 

Gone with the Wind is indeed a long journey. I think everything happened in the book started in the Barbecue party at Twelve Oaks. I met and knew Rhett Butler, Ashley and Melanie there. It continues to many great things that effect Scarlett’s love life.  I hardly find myself get boring with each stage. I can see the changes in every part.  

Talk about characters, I just give my full attention to Scarlett and Rhett. 

I adore Rhett Butler. No matter what all those people said about his past or what he did. He always looks gorgeous in every chapter. I like the way he talked especially when he was teasing Scarlett. I laughed a lot because of him. The bond that he made with Scarlett is one thing that I like from this book. Although In the end, I feel disappointed with the way he took, it does not make me replace him. I do understand why. 

Scarlett herself gave me many impressions. There are so many words that can be used to describe her.  I changed my mind a lot for this woman.  I hated her in the few first chapters. Then the feeling slowly disappeared when she’s grown up. But I was wrong when I thought she was done with her obsession. It was still there and made the hatred back. When I read the part that told me so, I could not help myself to give her my double face palm. I blamed her for everything happened in the next chapters. The mystery was solved. I finally found the reason and understood why Rhett Butler took such decision. But in the end, she got my all sympathy. I wish for more pages that brought a different ending for her. I think this woman can get one special chair among my remarkable book characters. 

I wonder with Gone with the Wind in English because I read the translation. It does not mean something wrong with it. I just want to check the word that was originally written by Margaret Mitchell. The translation is fine and easy to understand. I can follow all the tracks. It brought back the entire scene that I have seen in the movie. By reading it, I get picture of Tara and the Twelve Oaks. The funny part is when the narrator told me how woman supposed to act and behave that time. How worse the life of all southern during and after the war is also well described. It does open my eyes about American Civil War, the reason why it started and how it ends; the term of Yankees then brought me to the Rebels and Ku Klux Klan.  From this book, I also find out about Abraham Lincoln, who was the president that time, was a republican. One things that remain as mystery (I have not searched it in Google yet) till I publish this review is the slavery part. But still, the previous things are the  great part of the book. Now I declared that Gone with the Wind as one of the best historical fictions in my bookshelves.  

4/5

Gone with the Wind

Author: Margaret Mithcell

Translator: Sutanty Lesmana

Publisher: PT. Gramedia Pustaka Utama

1124 pages

This review is written for Gone with the Wind Read Along that was hosted by Fanda @ Fanda Classiclit and Bzee @ Bacaan Bzee.

Review Just So Stories

Just So Stories adalah kumpulan kisah pengantar tidur yang ditulis oleh Rudyard Kipling—penulis novel klasik legendaris The Jungle Book. Dalam kumpulan cerita pendek ini, kisah-kisah lucunya bukan sekadar cerita, tapi juga dihiasi ilustrasi goresan Staven Andersen yang memperkaya kisah-kisah fabel ini.

Walau ditulis lebih dari seratus tahun lalu, cerita-cerita dalam Just So Stories tak lekang oleh zaman karena dipadukan dengan mutiara kebijaksanaan. Di sini kita bisa membaca kisah kenapa unta berpunuk, bagaimana macan mendapat tutulnya, kenapa gajah punya belalai, bagaimana alfabet diciptakan, dll. Semua kisah ini akan membawa Anda menuju petualangan menembus waktu dan imajinasi pengarang peraih nobel sastra, Rudyard Kipling.

Buku ini bisa dibaca oleh semua umur dan terutama bisa menjadi hadiah indah bagi putra-putri tercinta untuk membuka wawasan imajinasi dan kecintaannya terhadap buku. (Goodreads)

Begitu tahu kalau Just So Stories adalah kumpulan cerita pendek, saya sedikit kecewa. Sempat sangsi bakal suka dengan ceritanya. Yang mengkhawatirkan adalah bagaimana jika semua kisah yang ditulis akan dibuat menggantung, seperti banyak cerpen yang saya temui beberapa tahun belakangan. Namun begitu memulai perjalanan di bab yang bercerita mengapa sang paus yang tidak bisa memakan manusia, terungkaplah kalau keraguan saya ternyata tidak beralasan. Setiap cerita selesai tanpa menyisakan banyak pertanyaan. Banyak di antaranya yang membuat saya tersenyum. Hampir semua bab membuat saya kagum terhadap imajinasi Mr. Kipling

Nggak berhenti di kisah tentang paus, Just So Stories berlanjut tentang Bagaimana Unta Mendapat Punuknya, Kenapa Kulit Badak Penuh Lipatan, Dari Mana Macam Mendapat Tutulnya, Kisah si Anak Gajah, Tuntutan Seekor Kangguru, Asal-Muasal Armadilo, Surat Bergambar, Bagaimana Alfabet Dirumuskan, Kepiting dan Lautan Luas, Kucing Penyendiri, dan Entakan Kaki Kupu-Kupu. Temukan sendiri bagaimana imajinasi Mr Kipling disetiap babnya.

Dari dua belas cerita yang ada, saya suka dua cerita terakhir, yang mengisahkan tentang bagaimana beberapa hewan liar bisa dijinakkan oleh manusia dan bab yang berkisah tentang Sulaiman bin Daud. Untuk cerita yang terakhir,kisah Sulaiman bin Daud sangat berkesan. Setelah disuguhi asal-usul ini dan itu yang iramanya hampir sama,  cerita tentang penguasa yang tersohor dengan kemampuannya berbicara dengan binatang dan jin ini membawa satu hal yang berbeda. Jadi ngga sabar pengen baca kisah beliau di buku yang lain. 

Dari Wikipedia, Just So Stories aslinya ternyata terdapat 13 cerita. Jadi selain yang saya sebut di atas, ada satu cerita lagi yang judulnya The Tabu Tale. Setelah bolak-balik nyari di Project Gutenberg dan beberapa web, akhirnya nemu di Wikisource.

Mengenai terjemahan, seingat saya tidak ada masalah. Setelah membaca bahasa aslinya pun, saya lebih memilih terjemahannya. Terlebih ketika membaca bagian puisi yang selalu muncul di bagian akhir cerita. Terima kasih untuk penerjemah, karena hampir semua puisinya bisa dengan mudah saya cerna. 

Ilustrasi
Setiap bab dilengkapi dengan ilustrasi karya Staven Andersen. Hampir semuanya keren. Dari hasil googling, versi Just So Stories asli tuh ilustrasinya dibuat langsung oleh Mr. Kipling. Saya sudah lihat beberapa. Untuk beberapa bab saya lebih memilih karya Staven, untuk bab lain saya memilih ilustrasi yang dibuat oleh Kipling. Misalnya saja ilustrasi di bab Kucing Penyendiri.Ilustrasi yang aku suka juga ada di bab asal mula alfabet. Lucu ngeliatnya. Another Wow for him!


Cover
Nggak bosan ngeliat sampul depan versi Gramedia. Aku suka gambar pausnya termasuk warna latarnya. Kalau ngeliat di Goodreads, Just So Stories punya banyak banget variasi sampulnya. Kebanyakan ngambil gambar gajah yang menjadi bagian dari Kisah si Anak Gajah. Dari ilustrasi yang dibuat oleh Mr Kipling sampai foto gajah beneran. 

Dari banyaknya gambar gajah, aku nemu sampul ini

Awalnya kupikir gambar gajah juga nih, ternyata pas aku perbesar, terlihatlah siapa yang jadi fokus. Setelah paus versi Staven Andersen, aku milih gambar di atas untuk dijadikan sampul alternatif. Andai waktu SD dulu udah ngeliat ilustrasi ini, pasti tidak akan bingung pas disuruh menggambar perspektif.


Tentang Penulis

Rudyard Kipling adalah penulis Inggris yang lahir di Bombay tanggal 30 desember 1865. Just So Stories miliknya diterbitkan tahun 1902. Buku ini dilengkapi dengan puisi dan ilustrasi yang dibuat sendiri. Pria ini juga lah yang menulis  The Jungle Book yang pertama kali terbit tahun 1894. Namun ilustrasi untuk Mowgli dikerjakan oleh sang ayah.


Selain Just So Stories dan The Jungle Book, Kipling telah menulis beberapa cerpen dan novel serta buku kumpulan puisi.

Tahun 1907, Rudyard Kipling menerima Nobel Kesusastraan, membuatnya menyandang gelar penulis Inggris pertama yang menerima penghargaan tersebut. Di nobelprize.org terdapat kata-kata "in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author" yang ditujukan untuk Mr. Kipling. 

Just So StoriesJudul Indonesia: Sekedar Cerita
Penulis: Rudyard Kipling
Penerjemah: Maggie Tiojakin
Ilustrator: Staven Andersen
Penerbit: PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Tebal: 160 hlm   
Cetakan: I, Desember 2011