Raja kapi / راجا کپی

by Shobha Viswanath

In this immortal tale from the life of Buddha, the king of Benares, after tasting a delicious mango, arrives at the monkey kingdom for more. Can the monkey king protect his home from the humans? Adapted by Shobha Viswanath, the story is illustrated in the Mithila tradition by Uma Krishnaswamy.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

26 pages, Paperback

First published October 14, 2014

About the author

Shobha Viswanath is the Co-founder and Publishing Director of Karadi Tales Company

She has been responsible for steering the direction of her company from brilliantly produced audio books for children to creating new imprints for her publishing house such as Dreaming Fingers, an imprint that produces illustrated books for the visually disabled; Charkha the imprint of inspiring biographies for young adults; and Chitra, a line of beautifully illustrated picture books for young children.

In her position as publishing director of Karadi Tales, she has commissioned several award-winning titles, liaised with authors and illustrator, represented the organisation in foreign rights sales and decided the company’s creative direction. Over the years, she has been an invited guest at the Frankfurt Book Fair, Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Beijing Book Fair, the Sharjah International Book Fair and as an author to the the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival. In 2017, she was awarded the Visiting Professionals Fellowship to Shanghai (SHVIP) and also to Barcelona as a part of the FLIC Festival Programme.

With a Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Bombay and a second one in Special Education from Eastern Michigan University, Shobha also volunteers at a few schools in India to remain connected to the populations for whom she designs and publishes her books. She has authored several books for Karadi Tales, many of which have been translated into other foreign languages. She has also written for Scholastic India (The Insect Boy, The Proud Story) and for Puffin India (A Skyfull of Stories)

Shobha has always been clear that the books her company publishes must reflect diversity in children’s literature, through the art and stories and bring to children the best in this.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent retelling of this wonderful tale. There are several different versions of this story I have encountered over the years; it is always nice to see a new version. For me the story is about loyalty and duty - how often we fail to separate the two - and it is this failure that has lead to so much misunderstanding.

[Dana Al-Basha | دانة الباشا · Rating 2 out of 5]

After tasting the delicious and juicy mango, the King of Benares and his army have arrived at the Monkey Kingdom in search of more mangoes. Can Kapi the monkey king find a way to protect his subjects? A timeless Jataka story that warms your heart again and again!

Music and sound: 3 Brothers & a Violin; voices: Nosherwan Jehangir, Adarsh Hegde, Narayan Parasuram, Shobha Viswanath and Saeed Jaffrey; songs: 'Welcome to the Jungle': Sriram Parasuram, 'Monkeys We're the Monkeys': Anuradha Sriram Sriram Parasuram, 'Come on Ye Fishermen': Beena Desai and Sanjeev Chimalgee, 'O Monkey Friend, O Valiant One': C. P. Viswanath; direction, script and lyrics: Shobha Viswanath; background score: Prakash Shetty; music arrangements: Narayan Parasuram.

I adored the music of the book especially the one they said my name in Dana.

Listening to it read on Audible stories: https://stories.audible.com/pdp/B085K...

[S.A. Krishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brave monkey king who won the heart of his enemy
Excellent story of a monkey king who tried his best to protect his subjects. Very well performed audio story. Enjoyed listening to it

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lush art. Satisfying ending.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book filled with great art, was a decent book to read. The lesson is kind of clear but did not have a full plot or real character development. I think the book is a great kids representation of the Jataka tales. The theme is leadership and forgiveness, however the story feels like it ends abruptly and the problem never really gets resolved. I think this book would be good for 3rd and 4th grade readers.

[Lunatica · Rating 3 out of 5]

~The story: Good, The music: Loud~

I wish the audible version was thought for people who listen for going to sleep.
The loud music ruined it for me. Nor sure how kids are supposed to use it as bedtime story or so. Good for afternoon monkeying around with your kids/nephews/nieces.

[Eujean2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations in this early Buddhist tale of Monkey King.

[Amit]

goodreads provide good content..

[Kristi Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought I would read a book 📙 on mangoes. This is a very cute book. It has adorable pictures.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listening Time: 30 minutes
Well narrated fable with a touching moral

[Vipu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!!

[Iffat Shams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one.