Author: Aditi De
Uma Krishnaswamy/
Illustrator: Uma Krishnaswamy
Publisher: Penguin/Puffin
Year: 2005
Language: English
Pages: 248
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0143334972
Description
Timeless tales from all over India.
>From Bengal to Bastar and Kashmir to Coorg, there are stories that have been handed down generations: bedtime stories for children, fireside stories for travellers, who have heard these tales, wondered at them and repeated them to others. In A Twist in the Tale: More Indian Folktales, Aditi De collects forty such stories from various parts of India and retells them with dollops of humour.
A friendless crocodile, a timid mouse and a vain fox are among some of the eccentric characters that appear in this book. There is also a clever princess, a hapless priest with heron feathers flying out of his mouth, and galleries of rogues. Strange happenings are not uncommon, so a nail tree grows out of nail clippings and a beetle saves a man from the dungeons. Full of the details of everyday life, festivities and food, these ageless stories have seldom been so exciting and such fun. Accompanied by Uma Krishnaswamy’s brilliant illustrations, this book will introduce the magic of Indian folktales to a new generation of readers.
Contents
How the First House Was Built
With a Wave of the Wand
A Sweet, Sweet Dream
The Case of the Jealous Guru
Gangamma and the Nail Tree
How the World Was Born
Bharo’s Lucky Dambris
The Monkey Monarch
Wisdom for Sale
The Golden Dream
The Frog Bridegroom
The Sun good’s Gifts
Tiger, Tiger, Who Are You?
Gopal Bhar Measures the Earth
A Twist in the Tale
King for a Day
Sukhu and Dukhu
Who’s the Greatest of Them All?
The Mind-reader
The Weevil’s Fast
A Wealth of Wisdom
The Secret of the Magic Fruits
Justice for the Queen Cobra
The Mother-in-law’s Blessings
The Heron That Grew
The Mystery of the Eighth Key
Tenali Rama the Painter
The Unusual Adventures of Chhura
A Pool School for Crocodiles
A Salty Love
A Gathering of Rogues
A Vision of Mecca
The Crocodile Meets His Match
The Tortoise Elephant
The Bag of Fortune
An Egg-citing Adventure
The Dealer of Death
A Story of End Them All
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS