I love this book.

Given that I understand Malay, initially I was a little confused by the use of nenek (grandmother) for the datuk or nenek jantan (grandfather). I thought it was a lesbian couple at first until i flipped the page and saw the old man. The glossary at the end helped.

The beautiful artwork blew my mind and made this story come to life.

I hope more people read this as it is a beautiful side of Sabah, a place I would love to visit.

Glorious book..

A wholesome, fun story, enhanced by exquisitely lush illustrations.

At the edge of a mangrove swamp in the Malaysian state of Sabah, live Nenek Tata and Nenek Jantan. They share their simple but comfortable home with a menagerie of pets and livestock, including a dear little rescued clouded leopard cub named Hitam, who rarely leaves Nenek Tata's side. One day, as a storm approaches, there are two pressing chores to be taken care of - the crab pots must be checked and someone has to go to the shop for more sugar to sweeten the coffee. It is decided that Nenek Tata will go looking for crabs while Nenek Jantan quickly rides his bicycle to the shop. As the first signs of the storm appear, Nenek Tata and Hitam are returning home when they sense a sinister presence behind them...

So, yes, there is a little bit of tension there that might excite the littlest readers first time around, but with repeated reading they are sure to look forward to the comical relief of the story's resolution.

I just loved this! The story is great, but the illustrations are outstanding. So beautiful and detailed. I can imagine poring over this book with a little one for ages, noticing all the funny little details together.

The story includes a handful of Malaysian words, which are included in a short glossary at the back.

Overall I rate this as an exceptional picturebook.

Last year I got more into picture books for children and this one instantly caught my eye. Set in Malaysia, Nenek Tata goes about her day when a muddy monster starts following her through the mangrove. The illustrations are gorgeous with lush greens and deep blues showing off the beautiful landscape of Malaysia.

The story itself is pretty spooky (but there is of course a happy ending), and the first two illustrations of the 'monster' itself are really creepy. But brave Nenek Tata with her make-shift armor out of a broom and baskets was hilarious so the mix of spookiness and fun balance each other out.

And if you add to it the numerous cats and other animals living at Nenek Tata's home and in the jungle, you get a very engaging and fun little book.

I very much liked the glossary of Malaysian words used in the story at the end. Even though one could understand the meaning of the words from the context, having them laid out with translation was a nice educational addition to the book.

Even though this book is only a short read but i enjoyed the story tremendously. The beautiful 'kampung' (village) scenery of Sabah against the backdrop of the lushes yellow paddy field and the green mountains is captivating indeed!. The beautiful illustrations are so breath-taking!

Coincidentally, i myself just visited Sabah at the end of last year and the country's rural areas such as the famous Kundasang really kept me in awe with its natural beauty and i was lucky enough to even see the peak of Mount Kinabalu on a fine day!.

Back to this story, i enjoyed reading about the daily lives of Nenek Tata and her husband, Nenek Jantan where they planted some crops and fruit trees in their house compound, catch some fish and crabs at the mangroves and rear some animals and pets. All of it sounds so perfectly simple yet peaceful to me.

However,those are not the only thing that makes this story a compelling read,but also there are some elements of mystery,suspense as well as some supernatural to it, that just keeps you glued on to those pages until the end as you were left wondering and guessing the truth behind that 'mystery' in the mangroves.

In short, i loved the story and i had a fun time and a few good laughs reading it.

I thanked the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This is such a fun book. While the text describes a fairly ordinary day for its main characters the artwork adds some great whimsy. The story is well done with an awesome twist that is sure to delight young readers. All around a wonderful tale. I love the artwork and highly recommend this book.

This was such cute book! It was a kids book, so I'm not really in the demographic but its one I would definitely read to my future kids. I also really loved that there was a section at the back of the book that had all the unfamiliar words.

Love this! Fuller review to come on instagram (hopefully I’ll be able to add a link belatedly) but just briefly, I loved this! The narrative, the illustrations, seeing Borneo represented in (children’s) literature. Definitely want a physical copy of this for my toddler. My gratitude to the creators involved!

When Nenek Jantan heads to the nearest village to buy supplies before the monsoon hits Nenek Tata and her clouded lepoard cat Hitam tend to the farm duties. All is peaceful until they encounter a monster in the mangroves!

This is a lovely little ghost-story style tale, with suspense and action and bravery and a satisfying resolution all wrapped up in a little picture book. The illustrations are beautifully done.

I loved that this was a "non-traditional" (i.e: non Western) picture book. The Malaysian setting and lingo is a subtle way of introducing children to a wider world than the one they may typically experience.

The illustration of the monster may be unsettling for younger readers, but push through - it's worth it.

~Many thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~

I thought that this was a wonderful story. I do like picking up books that show other cultures and ways of life and this book is set in Malaysia’s eastern-most state of Sabah.

The book tells a traditional style tale that is told told to young children by grandparents to entertain them before bedtime, and to keep them safe from the dangers of the swamps and jungles.

It is a hantu story or a ghost tale and features Nenek Tata who is preparing for a normal day, gathering water, feeding her animals and checking the crab traps in the mangrove swamp before the first storm of the monsoon arrives.... but it turns out to be a not-so-normal day, for when she gets inside the gloomy jungles of the swamp, she is confronted by a huge, dripping, brown monster. And, when the monster follows her, she is forced to defend her home to the last...

It is 5 stars from me for this one, easy to read and understand, I loved the way that the story was told and the twist at the end was great too and made me smile. Very highly recommended!

An enjoyable read - and a little scary, for sure!
My son doesn't quite fit the age group yet, but we might just read it with him when he's older. He'll certainly love the cats!

The artwork in this is gorgeous and really helps putting you in the right mood for the story.
Loved that there was a list of words in the back that explain words that might be unknown to the reader, even though they're mostly put into the story in ways that make them easy to understand either way.
All in all definitely something I'd recommend.

Short, sweet, and gorgeously illustrated, Nenek Tata and the Mangrove Menace is perfect for the littles in your life. Cultural references are bound up in an easy digestible story - stash this one away for their next birthday!

‘Once upon a time, on the edge of a mangrove swamp, lived Nenek Tata and Nenek Jantan.’

Set in Sabah, Malaysia (located on the northern portion of Borneo) this beautifully illustrated story takes reader and listener into what starts out as an ordinary day in the life of Nenek Tata. With Nenek Jantan despatched on his bicycle to fetch sugar, Nenek Tata collects water and feeds her animals. Then, she sets off to check the crab traps in the mangrove swamp.

After collecting the crabs, Nenek Tata sees a huge dripping, brown monster. The monster follows her home! Nenek Tata prepares to defend her home when a rainstorm (accompanied by thunder and lightning, naturally) washes off the mud to reveal ... Nenek Jantan who had crashed into the swamp on his bicycle.
I do hope that Nenek Jantan can fix his bicycle as Nenek Tata does not enjoy her coffee without sugar. Beware the swamp!

A story to read to and discuss with young children.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Crotchet Quaver for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Occasionally we stumble across a pleasant surprise, that fiver you find under your bed or the melted chocolate covered in lint in a front pocket of your pants. Well, Nenek Tata and the Mangrove Menace by Judith Vun Prince and Jacqui Vun, is certainly one of those.

Set in Malaysia, these hantu stories are told to young kiddies before bed, they’re essentially ghost stories. They keep kids entertained and are supposed to protect from the dangers of swamps and mangroves. It was the mangrove aspect of this story that attracted me, as we have copious amounts of this interesting plant in Cairns, like more than you would ever believe – so that was my link.

Okay, this 50 page treat for 10-12 year olds describes the day of Nenek Tata (Nenek = Grandparent) as she goes to the mangroves to check the crab traps. The cat loving Nenek Tata also finds time to send her husband Nenek Jantan to the shops before it rains, as monsoon season is approaching.

Well, the whole monster and mangrove thing was actually scary. It’s true. The art work certainly helped as did the strory line. I won’t tell you how it ends but this was a very worthwhile picture story book for kids. Beautifully illustrated – bright and green, just as the tropics should be.

Good fun 4-Stars

This is an adorable children's book with South East Asian rep!! I loved the art style and it fit the story well! I also enjoyed learning new words for everyday things like coffee with sugar or without sugar, oh and the fact that Nenek means grandparent <3

Absolutely beautiful book! The story, the illustrations, the words - everything is wonderful and so thoughtful. It is delightful but also kinda scary, which was unexpected. What a wonderful world to be invited into and what a treat this book is.

This is a book of art and yes the artwork is fantastic. It is a book to read to and with children as there are points that are there to be talked about. It is a great book for young and old as me, an adult, has learned something from this book too.

It flows well, is easy to follow and shows the resilience and hard work of someone like Nenek Tata. Loved tat cat as it brought that extra quirky character to the story. I loved the picture of all the animals in the house staring at the door, waiting for the monster.

And I just love the ending and the meaning of some of the words. It all made since.

Nenek Tata and the Mangrove Menace written and illustrated by Judith Vun Price and Jacqui Vun is a delightful children’s story set in Malaysia. The illustrations are absolutely wonderful with vivid colours, easy to read facial expressions (on humans as well as the array of animals) and sensitively depicted action. The story is interesting, informative and captivating!
Highly recommended.

Thank you to publisher Crotchet Quaver for a copy to read and review.

WHAT an absolutely delightful, funny and slightly scary children's book this is. While it seems small, the story is excellent and I think even older children will get caught up in the story or Nenek Tata and her day doing chores and fighting a horrible Mangrove Monster, who turns out, after being rained on, not to be so horrible at all.

Gorgeously illustrated, this story is told in a way of old traditions [from the back of the book "“Set in Malaysia’s eastern-most state of Sabah, this delightful spooky story is told in the style of hantu stories — ghost tales — told to young children by grandparents to entertain them before bedtime, and to keep them safe from the dangers of the swamps and jungles.”], this will entertain children and adults over and over again, both with the story and with all the things you can see and find in the illustrations. I absolutely loved this one and would recommend it to anyone who has, or knows children.

Thank you to NetGalley. Judith Vun Price, Jacqui Vun [Illustrator], and Logorythm/Crotchet Quaver for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. The illustrations are sweet and the story, whilst simple gives an insight into a different culture and creates some topics that can be used for discussion.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this.

Nenek Tata and the Mangrove Menace is an interesting children's book based in Malaysia with beautiful illustrations.

As someone who is an Australian of Chinese Malaysian descent, and who still has family in Malaysia, this reminded me of my second home.

This is beautifully illustrated and a great way to expose a different culture, language and lifestyle to children within a simple story, and the glossary at the end is a bonus, to help give definition to the different language.