Crow, Mouse, Turtle, Deer: The Panchatantra Book Two Retold

by Narindar Uberoi Kelly

These stories have been part of India's oral and scholarly traditions for at least two thousand years, perhaps longer. Collectively, these stories have been known as the Panchatantra, the Five Books. Although they originated in India, they have been told and retold all over the world in various versions and have influenced many literary genres, particularly those containing animal characters and "nesting stories," i.e., one story in another story in another story. These stories have influenced Arabic and European storytelling since the Middle Ages and are clear precursors of Aesop's Fables and Arabian Nights. The version presented here, Tall Tales of Old India, like the original Panchatantra, is comprised of eighty-five stories representing ancient folk wisdom and collectively serves as a guidebook of sorts on how to live a wise and good life. Many translations of the original text are available in English, and some selected stories have been published for young children. However, the entire collection has never been adapted for casual readers, whether teenagers or adults or parents reading selected stories to their young children.

52 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 7, 2014