Indian Tales: A Barefoot Collection

by Shenaaz Nanji, Christopher Corr (Illustrator)

From magical spirits in the northeastern mountains to sneaky robbers and brave heroines in the Indus Valley, these stories, each taken from a different state, are full of action and adventure. Cultural notes introduce every tale, giving readers a taste of India's rich and diverse heritage.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, India, Fiction, Asia, Folklore

96 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2007

About the author

Shenaaz Nanji was born on the ancient island of Mombasa, one of the oldest settlements on the East African coast, and grew up amid a fusion of cultures: Bantu-Swahili, Arabic, colonial British, and East Indian. Every year she visited her grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins in Uganda until Idi Amin turned them into refugees. She moved to the United States and lived in upstate New York before moving to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where she now lives with her husband and children. She holds an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College and has written several books for children.

Reviews

[Rebecca Stonehill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely stories and beautiful illustrations!

[The Library Mouse Tales · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story collection includes eight traditional tales from all over the India. We chose this book after reading another by the same publisher – African Tales. We really like the bright painted illustrations that go so well with stories about magical spirits, sneaky robbers, brave heroes and heroines. Both the stories and the images are full of action and adventure that will keep you entertained.

Each of the folktales is from a different Indian state. Before each story is a useful information section which teaches you about the history, geography of the place where each story is set. It was good to see a story from Gujarat because that’s where my Great Grandparents were born.

The tales include:

The Drummer Boy (Gujarat)
Bopuluchi (Punjab)
Princess Mala and the Tree Spirit (Nagaland)
Damayanti and Nala (Uttar Pradesh)
Priya’s Magic Bowl (Tamil Nadu)
Five Men in a Cart (Andhra Pradesh)
Shaira’s Secret (Rajasthan)
Hanuman’s Adventures (Kerala)

Each story is separate and because we were reading this during Diwali, we started with the last folktale – Hanuman’s adventures. This describes part of the Ramayama (one of the major stories of Diwali) and explains how Lord Hanuman, the monkey God, was able to help his friend Lord Rama rescue his wife Sita from an evil 10-headed demon called Ravanna.

This book is a great read for anyone who enjoys short stories or folk tales. You can even just enjoy looking at all the fantastic pictures of colourful places, strange creatures and interesting characters.It also has a perfect mix of stories to entertain you and feed your imagination while also teaching you more about India.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review:
“Indian Tales” had everything I enjoy in a good collection folktales, magic, history, beautiful illustrations, and primarily - feeling transported to a different land and time. I really appreciated the 2 page introductions before each story providing more historical context, and the illustrations were delightful - with simplistic shapes but very eye-catching colors.

Brief Summary:
This anthology storybook includes eight folktales from across India, representing many diverse cultures and locales of the subcontinent. An introduction before each story provides context on the region that the folktale is from, such as customs, clothing, celebrations, and traditions. The stories tell tales of magic about tree spirits, gods and goddesses, royalty and everyday people, and animal guides.

Categories/Genres Justification:
This is a picture book of traditional stories. The stories are all folktales passed down in oral and written histories from Indian cultures. The book features full color illustrations.

Author: Nanji, Shenaaz
Illustrator: Christopher Corr
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Copyright date: October 1, 2017
Age Level: 7-10
Reading Level: 4.1
Awards: N/A
Professional Reviews (Source & Date):
- Booklist, November 15, 2007
- School Library Journal, April 01, 2011

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a superb book with great stories and diverse representation. A lovely book for all but especially for Indian children and the Indian diaspora. Not only is factual information provided about a wide array of states, but each state is given a story to represent their distinct culture and history. This book could have only been made more perfect if it had continued and addressed every state in India. The illustrations were fantastic, detailed and colorful. Everything simply was gorgeous, well planned and wonderfully executed!

[Peter Clothier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I spent a delightful afternoon yesterday reading the Barefoot Books collection of Indian Tales, as told by Shenaaz Naji and illustrated by Christopher Corr. Barefoot Books aims to "celebrate art and story that opens the hearts and minds of children from all walks of life, inspiring them to read deeper, search further, and explore their own creative gifts." I was initially attracted to their list by a press release mentioning a collection of Buddhist Tales (more of this in a later post.) My new little grandson, Luka, now barely six months old, is already fascinated and loves to sit on my lap and turn the board pages of his baby books. It's not so much a matter of "reading" to him yet, but the experience of being close and watching him learn is in itself a joy.

It was with this in mind, and the prospect of reading more to him as the months and years pass, that I contacted Barefoot, and they were kind enough to send me a generous sampling of their publications for review. Each one of these story books is beautifully written and exquisitely illustrated, with a real feel not only for the culture they represent but also for content that teaches, without sentimentality or preaching, the values of kindness and compassion, awareness to the world and its natural beauties, and sensitivity to living beings of all kinds. These are the kind of things that I myself have come to value most in life, and the gift I would most like to pass on to little Luka if I am given the opportunity.

The stories are produced for children of all ages, and Luka is certainly not ready yet for these Indian tales, but one day, perhaps when he's seven or eight, or a little older... The stories themselves are culled from the great wealth of Indian mythology and literature, and are delightfully told in simple language, without fuss or condescension. They originate in a spectrum of different regions that spans the sub-continent, and each story is preceded by an informative passage that describes the geography and special culture of the region--from the distinctive foods and flavors to the manner of dress and furnishings, the dances and social customs as well as the religious beliefs. I myself learned a lot I had never known about India from my afternoon's reading!

The illustrations, too, are a delight: richly conceived, thoughtfully interactive with the stories, and with a clear reference to the literary and artistic traditions from which they spring, they benefit also from an awareness of the diversity of contemporary artistic expression. A glance through the other books that Barefoot sent is evidence that "Indian Tales" is no one-off success story. I'll be writing more about those others in a future post, with special attention to their Buddhist content. In the meantime, I apologize it this seems like a rather weighty way of writing about something as innocently diverting as a children's book; but believe me, if you have children of any age in your family to entertain and teach with a purely pleasurable reading experience, Barefoot Books is worthy of your attention. They also do CDs and puzzles, and much more. Check out their site.

[Canadian Children's Book Centre]

The perfect read-aloud to foster multicultural learning, Barefoot Book’s Indian Tales is a bright,, informative collection of eight tales. Calgarian Shenaaz Nanji’s knowledge of Indian culture is evident throughout the book. Each story is from a different state in India and is introduced by a two-page explanation of the state’s unique culture. From Punjab, in the heart of the Indus Valley, comes the tale of Bopuluchi, a young, poor girl who outwits a witch and a robber. From Kerala, known as the most literate state in India, comes the adventures of Hanuman, the monkey god who plays an important role in the Ramayana, one of the great Sanskrit epics of India. And from Nagaland, a rural state that has an animistic traditional religion, comes my personal favourite of the tales, a captivating story of a princess who falls in love with a tree spirit and will do anything to protect him. British artist Christopher Corr’s palate of vibrant pinks, oranges and yellows gives the book warmth and vitality. His heavily stylized images capture a childlike simplicity with flat perspectives and backgrounds. Illustrations border every page making the long tales suitable for younger listeners whose attention will be captured by each frame’s visual storytelling. For example, one border in the story of ”Princess Mala and the Tree Spirit” includes six small yet detailed illustrations. Books such as Indian Tales are the reason Barefoot Books has achieved its reputation for quality folklore collections. It is a worthy addition to any library or bookshelf.

Reviewed by Kallie George in Canadian Children's Book News
Winter 2008 VOL.31 NO.1

[Sara Darr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of eight stories from the main states within India such as Rasjasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu amongst a few others. Each story really immerses the reader into Indian life and although they are quite simple, for older children they carry a deeper meaning. The illustrations are wonderfully bright and really do capture the essence of India as they are vibrant, bold and eye catching. I particularly enjoyed the story of 'The Drummer Boy'.

I feel that this book would suit 6 - 9 year olds due to the the themes of some stories. It would relate nicely to geography, art and religious education. You could even incorporate it into literacy if your school celebrated 'One World Week' as the children could write and illustrate their own tale from their country of origin.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I am an Indian/Islamic historian getting married and starting a family soon, and I was browsing for some books of Indian folktales to read to my future children and stumbled across this one. It had the perfect combination for kids and adults. The stories were fun and full of good morals (honesty is the best policy, think for yourself, kindness is rewarded, etc.), they were short and easy for a bedtime story, the illustrations were GORGEOUS and each story began with a short history of the region and some fun facts. I cannot wait to add this to my collection and read it to my kids!

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of folktales includes a tale from each of the major areas of India. Each tale is preceded by information--most interesting!--about each area that the tale takes place in. My favorites were "Hanuman's Adventures" (I love the Ramayana), the humorous "Five Men in a Cart," and the delightful "Priya's Magic Bowl." I wasn't thrilled with the illustrations, colorful though they were, but aside from that, I highly recommend this book!

[Benjamin Zapata · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of folk-tales from different places in India, from Punjab in the north to Tamil Nadu in the south. Besides the eight tales in the book, there is also a lot of facts about India's culture,art,religions,rituals,etc. A very nice package from Barefoot Books. I wasn't thrilled with the illustrations, colorful though they were, but aside from that, I highly recommend this book! Some of my favorite tales: "The Drummer Boy", "Five Men in a Cart" and "Priya's Magic Bowl".

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was about the Indian culture. It had many stories that related to the Indian culture. This book is intended for 2-6 grades because it has a lot of reading to it. I think this book is a good fit because it talks about the history of the Indian culture. I could use this book in my classroom when we are talking about the different cultures of the world.

[Tonia Kruczek]

This can help the kids learn about a different culture. It would be cool to find tales from lots of different backgrounds and have a festival of nations type thing with reading books and creating something at the end to be shown in the festival.