The Eyes of the Eagle

by Ruskin Bond, Valerie Littlewood

Another fascinating tale from Indias most-loved storytellerLittle Jai with his dog Motu, guards his grandfathers flock in the Tung meadows, high up on the Himalayan range. But on the prowl is a mighty golden eagle, with its powerful beak and talons, ready to prey on the lambs. Things take a turn for the worse when Motu is injured by the fierce bird. Will Jai be able to protect his lambs from the menacing eyes of the eagle? This beautifully illustrated edition brings alive the magical charm of one of Ruskin Bonds most unforgettable tales.

47 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 1987

About the author

Ruskin Bond is an Indian author of British descent. He is considered to be an icon among Indian writers and children's authors and a top novelist. He wrote his first novel, The Room on the Roof, when he was seventeen which won John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957. Since then he has written several novellas, over 500 short stories, as well as various essays and poems, all of which have established him as one of the best-loved and most admired chroniclers of contemporary India. In 1992 he received the Sahitya Akademi award for English writing, for his short stories collection, "Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra", by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters in India. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 for contributions to children's literature. He now lives with his adopted family in Landour near Mussoorie.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it :-)

Ruskin Bond is an amazing author...I adore his writings..

[Atharva Palsule · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐

[Saurabh Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruskin Bond ranks right up there with P.G. Wodehouse and Khushwant Singh, who are my other two favourite authors.

[Dhwani · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartwarming tale full of action.

[Nora (Grayson's version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy reading Ruskin Bond's stories. This was a great read. The suspense in between made it difficult to put it down. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Raxesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another heart-warming tale from one of the best Indian Author - Mr Bond! He never disappoints.

[Ekta Kubba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in the Tung valley, where Shiva resides in his highest abode, Tunganath Temple, this book narrates the story of a boy Jai, his dog Motu, and few of his people, and their courageous attempts at saving their herd of sheep from the evil claws of a golden eagle and his mate. I always wonder about and admire rural hill people, that how they work hard in unfavourable conditions to make their living, accept the wrath of nature and always remain hopeful and happy. They've to adapt themselves to the changing climate and they keep on moving from lower hills to upper hills in summer time and back to lower hills in winter time. Their sheep and goats are their way of livelihood. In the summertime, few people, who can't do farming on terraced fields, or any other chores to be done back at home, take their sheep and move to higher hills where sheep are likely to get plenty of good and healthy grass. For this, they have to bear harsh climatic and high-altitude conditions, and they make their temporary homes in thise hills for few months. And back home, their other housemates take care of chores and activities for better livelihood that can be done at lower altitudes only. So it's a kind of tradition and compulsion for these families to be away from each other during the months of summer.
Here, Jai, a school going boy, accompanies his old grandparents and a pet dog motu, with their small herd of sheep and lambs to the high altitude valley of Tung, so that their sheep can have good food during the months of summer, when lower altitude is devoid of good grass due to heat in the environment. And how Jai, a lover of stories, and his pet Motu, a clumsy, large, bear-like, and lovable dog, save their sheep from the golden eagle.
This story is written for children, but I bet people from every age group, who love reading stories, will enjoy this. The way Ruskin Bond has described the golden eagle, it's eyes, it's wings, it's terrible talons, and the grace with which it maintains fear above the sun-soaked hills, is admirable.
It's a very short and sweet story, around 40 pages, including lots of lovely illustrations. A must read book for those children who have just developed the interest in reading, and also for those who love short stories, and for those who love Ruskin Bond.

[Viji (Bookish endeavors) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feeling funny.. Happened to read a children's story after a long time. And it was good. I just wanted to try Ruskin Bond once. I might have read him during my schooldays but this is the first after becoming an adult. And it's still enjoyable.