Synopses & Reviews
How can a king knock some sense into his silly sons so that they grow up sensible young men? A wise man tells the king that he can do the job in six weeks. Every time one of the boys says or does something rash, the sage will put him back on the straight and narrow by telling him a cautionary tale - the story of a proud hare, or perhaps an owl, or a crowand#133; This collection of fables, known as the Panchatantra and familiar all over Asia, were first told, then written down in Sanskrit over 2,000 years ago. Jamila Gavin brings them alove for modern readers by telling the story of the wise man and the young princes as original stories framing the classic animal fables. The result is a powerful and unique vision of this classic Indian work.
Review
"'Girl!' yelled Kanu. 'Think youand#8217;re a princess in the making . . .' he sneered. 'But no amount of consorting with princes will stop you being only a cow girl.'
Preeta leapt to her feet, blushing with misery. 'Sire!' she protested, bowing before Prince Vasu. 'I would never forget my place.'"
and#151; from the book
About the Author
Jamila Gavin was born in 1941 in the foothills of the Himalayas and came to live in England when she was twelve years old. Her first book,
The Magic Orange Tree, was published in 1979 and has been followed by a number of prize-winning publications.
Coram Boy won the Whitbread Children's Book Award in 2000 and was made into a stage play at the National Theatre and
The Wheel of Surya was the runner up for the 1993 Guardian Children's Fiction Award. Her latest novel is
The Robber's Daughter. She lives in Stroud, Gloucestershire.
Bee Willey, illustrator of
Celebrity Cat by Meredith Hooper, has illustrated many books for children, including
How to be a Princess and
Dancing Jane, written by Andrew Matthews, which was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Award. She lives in Ipswich, Suffolk.
Table of Contents
Contents
The Preamble:
The Princes who Wouldnand#8217;t Learn
Frame One: Winning Friends
*The Fighter Kite
* Caught in the Fowlerand#8217;s Net (Panchatantra)
Frame Two: Losing Friends
* The Trouble-Maker
* King Lionand#8217;s Friend (Panchatantra)
Frame Three: Loss of Gains
* Her Weight in Gold
* The Ape and the Crocodile (Panchatantra)
Frame Four: Rash Deeds
* Ruby Eye
* The Faithful Mongoose (Panchatantra)
Frame Five: The Art of Duplicity
* Treachery
* Owls and Crows (Panchatantra)