Author: Sampurna Chattarji
Publisher: Penguin/Puffin
Year: 2008
Language: English
Pages: 162
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0143330071
Description
You know, MN,’ I said, ‘sometimes I can’t understand why you’re telling me these stories, or even what the stories mean. What do they mean, MN?’
Ever heard the one about my donkey?
The man was nuts. I asked him a question, and he answered with another question.
As thirteen-year-old Shashank sits despairing over his Maths homework, a little doodle comes alive and reveals himself as Mulla Nasruddin (MN). Shashank and the quick-witted MN strike up a close friendship, and MN’s never-ending stream of stories make Shashank wonder if he is an explorer, a time-traveller, a smuggler or a clown.
Shashank starts writing down MN’s hilarious escapades—of falling off roofs and defeating the Travelling Brainies; of staying dry in the rain and finding a road on the top of a tree; how he once ate a whole basket of chillies; and how he tried to get rid of Timur the Lame’s pet elephant.
Then one day, while doing a search for MN on the Internet, Shashank finds himself trapped in a magic grid that he must use his wits and courage to get out of. As he looks desperately for an escape route, MN’s words come back, ringing loud and clear, showing him how to confront his own fear and secret sorrow to emerge unscathed and happy.
Taking the much-loved tales of Mulla Nasruddin into a young boy’s richly imaginative world, Sampurna Chattarji’s retelling is one that will entertain and move both adults and children alike.
Contents
Refuse to see things that simply aren’t there
Violent fists in the air
You can call me Al
Can’t you talk straight, like normal People?
Thinking gets you nowhere
If wishes were horses
Talking to a little guy in a turban
What was normal anyway?
He’s time-Traveller
I’ll make you famous
They could imagine more because they knew less
Why can’t you ever tell one story at a time?
Too much fun
Why didn’t I wake up one morning and find I could do magic?
We would never forget
That’s the problem with questions
Why was I so scared?
A script I had never seen before
A road at the top of the tree
No one knew everything, not even grown-ups
He who is unafraid of Timur is unafraid of anything
Mulla Nasruddin’s Guide to Seeing the World
Was it a secret code?
One wrong word could mean death
Get out and get out fast
Have you ever had your computer screen turn upside-down?
This guy was a riddler
The right door had had to be the right door
The rain was red
Shouldn’t I be a real hero and choose what really frightened me?
Everything I needed was here
Start walking
The hermit in the hut
The body was missing
Seeing things differently