When looking for books for children that are both educational and entertaining parents today in Indonesia are, with one caveat, spoiled for choice.

Major bookstores like Gramedia have shelves full of books by publishers like Dorling Kindersley and National Geographic: nicely illustrated, informative and well-produced books that educate children on topics such as history, science, the natural world and literature in an age-appropriate and fun-filled way.

Frequently these books are based on tie-ins to commercial entities such as the immensely popular plastic building-block toy that has parents shrieking with joy in the morning when they tread bare-foot on the little blocks left lying on the carpet.

Your child can also learn about space or reptiles or international festivals in books using the theme of those cantankerous poultry that enthrall children on electronic devices, as the birds fling themselves at spindly constructions in which are hiding pigs that ['€¦] well, I actually have no idea what the game is all about, but at least the books have some educational merit.

However, the caveat alluded to above is that for the most part these books are published in the English language.

When children are asked by their teachers to produce book reports on non-fiction or fiction books published in Indonesian, parents can often find themselves at a loss looking for books that are as well produced as those published in English.

Indonesia Dalam Infografik (Indonesia in Infographics) goes some way to filling this gap. The book is written in clear, easily understandable Indonesian and, as might be gathered from the title, it is packed with a wealth of superb illustrations.

Providing two-page information-packed articles on a wide range of themes and issues related to Indonesian history, culture, architecture, flora and fauna, and infrastructure the book is a gold mine for school-age kids, and indeed older readers, looking to complete projects or reading assignments.

Deploying the talents of 17 designers, the book has eight general, mainly text, articles related to the history of graphic design in Indonesia and 45 illustrated infographic articles (17/8/45 '€“ get it?).

The beautifully illustrated articles provide fascinating insights, mainly into Indonesian building designs ranging from the obvious like Borobudur and Gelora Bung Karno to the more prosaic such as traditional Balinese family homes and Jakarta'€™s remaining Dutch colonial architecture, but also into transportation, history and nature using maps, cross-sections, photos and drawings.

Want to know how to assemble a railcar in PT INKA'€™s train factory in Madiun?

Or how award-winning architect Romo Mangun worked to transform the lives of slum dwellers living along the Code River in Yogyakarta?

Or indeed in what order the murdered generals'€™ bodies were dumped in Lubang Buaya following Gestapu?

You'€™ll get a clear understanding of these issues and many more in this book.

The most striking aspect of the book is the excellent quality of its production, which sets it apart from most Indonesian-language books that would be of interest to young people, although it must be stressed that the book is by no means exclusively, or indeed primarily, aimed at young readers but is very much a general-interest book.

Hard-backed with glossy full-color pages throughout, the book has a substantiveness that belies its 120-odd pages. Remarkably it is priced at a very reasonable Rp 89,000 putting it in the same range as much lower-quality produced books.

So whether as a general reference work on graphic design, as a feature for the guest bathroom or as an aid to young students looking for easily absorbed knowledge on Indonesia, this book fits a very handy niche, and not an angry chicken in sight

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