Sarindi and the Lucky Buddha

Sarindi and the Lucky Buddha

After eight years, here is the long-awaited return of Janine Fraser's beautiful Sarindi and his loving family.

Janine Fraser's Sarindi and the Lucky Bird was shortlisted in the NSW Premier's Awards and the CBC Awards in 2002. Inspired by a visit she made to Indonesia in 1998, the books reflect her regard for the people she encountered there. Janine says 'The original Sarinie was a guide, the loveliest man, who shared his country and culture with our family in the most generous way. He told us about the Lucky Bird and took us to the Bird Market especially to find one, and he took us to the Hindu and Buddhist temples in and around Yogyakarta and gave us their rich history. Without him, there would be no Sarindi and the Lucky Bird and the Lucky Buddha.' Sarinidi, the boy, comes to life once again through Janine's beautifully constructed, poetic language and gorgeous illustrations by Elise Hurst.

Sarindi and the Lucky Bird introduced Sarindi and this family and their life in Indonesia. When Sarindi wins he lucky marble from his best friend Jaya, he thinks that he will never be unlucky again. But, as he has experienced, luck is more mischievous than a bird-market monkey and liable to turn at any moment and bite you on the ear. When Sarindi's mother becomes sick, Sarindi thinks that all the bad luck in the world has come to visit their little house on the square in the city of Yogyakarta. He thinks that there must be something he can do to help her get better. The song of the Lucky Bird seems only to be lucky for money, and so he decides to visit all the sacred places he knows. At each, Sarindi prays for the good health of his mother, because who knows which prayer will be the one to turn her sickness away...?

Janine Fraser has also published Abdullah's Butterfly, which has been translated into several languages. She lives in Riddell's Creek.

Elise Hurst is regarded as one of Australia's foremost illustrators and her picture book The Night Garden was shortlisted in last year's CBC awards. Elise says: 'Sarindi is a character who is so alive that it is a pleasure to enter his world. This book was also challenging in that I was illustrating a real place. I would have dearly loved to wander through Sarindi's town- to meet the duck herders, sit and sketch in the markets and come to know he faces of his neighbours.'

Sarindi and the Lucky Buddha
HarperCollins Publishers Australia
Author: Janine Fraser
Illustrator: Elise Hurst
ISBN: 9780732287757
Price: $12.99