A Good-looking Effort

THE WILDLIFE WATCHER
Written and Illustrated by Choong Kwee Kim.
Publisher: MPH Publishing, 32 pages

CHOONG Kwee Kim's second picture confirms that her strength is as an illustrator. There are some lovely spreads in this book, especially the silhouettes that are obviously inspired by Jan Pienkowski (Choong acknowledges the Polish-born British illustrator in her author's note).

However, I think Choong needs to be less literal in bringing a story to life with her pictures. She could afford to add illustrative subtext and this would make for a much richer and layered telling of the story.

Unfortunately, The Wildlife Watcher does not have much of a story going for it and perhaps Choong could have used her drawings to show her readers what she might not have been able to convey through her text.

What is presented here is a mere snapshot of a little girl who likes to sit watching the animals in a mangrove swamp. The snapshot, sadly, lacks focus.

The girl is nervous because she senses that something is about to happen and is unsure what to expect. The readers aren't quite sure what to think either. Is this story about the animals' struggle for survival? Is it about how man is an enemy to nature? Is it about how the village is under threat thanks to urban development? Is it about the little girl's fears for the animals and her village?

I believe Choong's intention was to link everything but she does not do it very successfully. The girl's feelings are not explored sufficiently to make her a sympathetic character. She watches the wildlife struggle to survive but what she observes of their strife is not linked back to her own fears for her way of life. How does she gain strength from the animals? What leads her to make her final decison to "stand up for what's right"? And what does this mean? How will she make her stand? Choong does not answer any of these questions.

It is also never made clear what the "strange wind" that will take everything away is. A tsunami? The winds of change in the form of modernisation? As this is never made clear, there is no sense of resolution at the end of the story.

I feel Choong is handicapped in telling her tale clearly by her use of rhyming text. It is not easy to write in  rhyme and it is obvious that Choong struggled with it. Most of the rhyming couplets are forced and clumsy. To make matters worse, many sentences are convoluted and hard to understand. Mixed-metaphors and the incorrect usage of words hardly help matters.

I hope Choong will continue to grow as an illustrator and that she will work with other writers to produce good Malaysian literature in the future. As an author, she may have to accept that storytelling with words is not something she excels at.

Comments

[Preeta]

I have not read either of Choong Kwee Kim's books but I visited her blog to see what she had to say. Frankly, I was quite shocked. She called you spiteful. I don't know whether your review was written out of spite - it doesn't sound like it - but her post definitely sounds very spiteful. I feel Choong Kwee kim needs to grow up. First of all, isn't it very possible that you liked her first book and not her next? For example I like Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen but think Mansfield Park is BORING. Secondly, your review is your opinion and every one is allowed an opinion. If Choong Kwee Kim wants to be a good writer she must accept criticism. I don't think your review was crushing and that is MY opinion.

[Daphne]

Hi Karen. Good to know that you enjoyed the book. Have you read Choong's first? It's called "Ah Fu the Rickshaw Coolie" and I liked it a lot.

[Karen Tan]

I was delighted when I received a copy of Choong's book (I am based in China). I lecture in English and all I can comment is that her delightful and charming book brought back nostalgia and happy memories of those treks in the mangrove swamps. The very ambiquity of the fears or rumblings gave me much room for thought. No, I also don't think there is any moralizing tone. I like Choong's book because her protagonist has an enquiring mind and how she resolves her fears or challenges are left open-ended - the way I like it. If there are any inferences, they are mine to make. The "Wildlife Watcher" definitely reminded me of my younger days when I happily got myself all sweaty and muddy, thrilled to hike and observe nature at first hand. Those were the days when development and modernization seemed far off. Today's children would be aware of it as discerning parents would have explained and possibly pointed out the effects of pollution etc. I definitely enjoyed this book and will be buying them (when I return during my break), as presents for my childhood friends in both Malaysia and Singapore. It is for me the rare Malaysian book!

[Choong Kwee Kim]

Please read my response at http://choongkweekim.blogspot.com

[daphne]

Hi Yvonne, Could you elaborate on your comment please? Do email me if you'd rather. Thanks!

[Yvonne Foong]

I haven't see this book but I noticed local authors try too deliberately to bring out moral lessons in their stories. But it isn't something we can teach as we like.