Linda Hibbs - My First Book of Indonesian Words: An ABC Rhyming Book of Indonesian Language and Culture

A is for Apa kabar?
This means How are you?
Im feeling well and I hope you are too. B is for batik.
Draw with wax, paint with dye.
When the wax is boiled off hang the cloth up to dry. A design is drawn onto cloth with wax and then dipped in a dye bath. The process is repeated. When the wax is boiled off, you have a colorful painting! C is for cicak
a gecko on the wall
calling cicak-cicak!
Careful, Cicak! Dont fall! The letter c in Indonesian is pronounced ch. D is for dokar,
a fun way to go
when you want a ride thats nice and slow. D is for dokar,
a fun way to go
when you want a ride thats nice and slow.

In Indonesia these two-wheeled horse-drawn carts jog along on city streets. They dont go as fast as cars but they can take you anywhere you want to go. E is for enak,
a word that means
Yum!
Like this mango so sweet
wont you please try some? Indonesia has a lot of sweet fruits like mangoes, pineapples and rambutans, a fruit thats hairy on the outside but soft and sweet inside. F is for futbal.
Thats soccer, you know.
I cheer for the home team.
GO, TEAM, GO! Futbal is a borrowed word from English football, which in most countries is the game thats called soccer in the U.S. G is for gamelan.
Can you hear that
sweet sound from the group of musicians
who sit on the ground? Gamelan is a music ensemble mostly made up of gongs, drums and bronze instruments that you strike to get a sound. I is for ikan
fish swimming all around.
A bright flash of gold swims up, dives down. Ikan emas (gold fish) in Indonesia are big fish that are kept in large ponds. Ikan emas (gold fish) in Indonesia are big fish that are kept in large ponds.

You can see flashes of gold as they rise to the surface and then dive under the water. J is for jagung, corn cobs so sweet.
I like them grilled on charcoal from the seller on my street. In Indonesia lots of sellers push little carts around the streets, selling all kinds of cooked food. K is for kucing.
Meong says my cat
when she stretches herself as she wakes from a nap. Even sounds can be different from language to language, but meong and meow sound a lot alike, dont they? L is for legong,
a beautiful Balinese dance.
Two of us dance together as if in a trance. M is for mandi.
Splish-splashthe waters cold
Dont forget to wash your face and hurry up ! were told. M is for mandi.
Splish-splashthe waters cold
Dont forget to wash your face and hurry up ! were told.

To take a mandi you use a dipper to tip cold water over you from a tub in the bathroom. N is for nasi.
We eat rice every day.
I like it steaming hot with veggies and sat. Sat is marinated grilled meat on skewers. Steamed rice is eaten with most meals in Indonesia. O is for ombak,
the waves on the shore,
rising high, crashing down. P is for pedas.
Its so spicy hot youll squeal
Sambal made from chilies we enjoy with every meal. P is for pedas.
Its so spicy hot youll squeal
Sambal made from chilies we enjoy with every meal.

Sambal is a chili sauce thats very hot. It is added to all kinds of foods to make them extra tasty. Q is for queen.
Ratu is what we say.
Look at her lovely gown. Would you like
to be Queen for a day? Bahasa Indonesia doesnt have words that start with Q, V, X or Z. R is for rumah.
My house is my home.
With my family all around me,
I never feel alone. T is for terima kasih.
Thank you, we like to say.
It is nice to be polite
and share a smile each day. U is for ular.
A snake slides on the ground.
Tongue flicking to and fro, he makes no sound. V is for volcano.
We call it gunung api.
Hot red lava spurts and spills. V is for volcano.
We call it gunung api.
Hot red lava spurts and spills.

Is the mountain angry? There are lots of volcanoes in Indonesia and many of them are still active.