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The Cleverest Thief
When the head of a Buddhist monastery decides to pick a successor, he sends the young monks out to accomplish one task.
The Cleverest Thief is a timeless folktale from India, retold by T. V. Padma, which takes place in a Buddhist monastery. In the story, the head of the monastery falls ill and must choose a successor. To do so, he sends out the young monks and instructs them to steal something, but they must steal it in such a way that no one will know that they have stolen it. The young monks don't question their leader. In the end, only one monk learns the truth of the saying, “To thine own self be true.” This Buddhist story will teach readers the importance of responsibility, trustworthiness and resourcefulness. Padma Venkatraman is a writer and a scientist who lives south of Providence, Rhode Island. She is the author of (A folktale from India also in the Story Cove series), Mathematwist (a collection of mathematical folktales), and Climbing the Stairs (a young adult novel published by Penguin).
The Cleverest Thief is a timeless folktale from India, retold by T. V. Padma, which takes place in a Buddhist monastery. In the story, the head of the monastery falls ill and must choose a successor. To do so, he sends out the young monks and instructs them to steal something, but they must steal it in such a way that no one will know that they have stolen it. The young monks don't question their leader. In the end, only one monk learns the truth of the saying, “To thine own self be true.” This Buddhist story will teach readers the importance of responsibility, trustworthiness and resourcefulness. Padma Venkatraman is a writer and a scientist who lives south of Providence, Rhode Island. She is the author of (A folktale from India also in the Story Cove series), Mathematwist (a collection of mathematical folktales), and Climbing the Stairs (a young adult novel published by Penguin).
32 pages, Paperback
First published September 25, 2008
10 people want to read
About the author
Padma Venkatraman
23 books579 followersAmerican author, Padma Venkatraman, has worked as chief scientist on oceanographic ships and spent time under the sea, directed a school, and lived in 5 countries. Her 5 novels, BORN BEHIND BARS, THE BRIDGE HOME, A TIME TO DANCE, ISLAND’S END and CLIMBING THE STAIRS, were released to multiple starred reviews (22 as of 8/30/21), and won numerous honors and awards (e.g. WNDB Walter Award 2020; SCBWI Golden Kite Award 2020; Paterson Prize; Julia Ward Howe Young Readers Award; South Asia Book Award; ALA, IRA Notable; Booklist, Kirkus, NYPL, Yalsa BBYA; CCBC choice; IBBY outstanding etc.). Her latest novel, BORN BEHIND BARS, a JLG selection, is available for order. She provides keynote addresses and commencement speeches, travels to international author festivals, serves on panels, does author visits and conducts workshops. Visit her at www.padmavenkatraman.com and follow her on twitter @padmatv or ig/fb venkatraman.padma
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