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Jataka Tales
Eighteen fables from the Jatakas of India, skillfully retold and attractively illustrated. Includes The Monkey and the Crocodile, The Merchant of Seri, The Turtle Who Wouldn’t Stop Talking, The Foolish Timid Rabbit, The Banyan Deer, and others. Suitable for ages 7 and up.
51 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1940
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 27, 2020
//UPDATE 2020-08-27//
I no longer remotely recommend this book. Spend your time (and money) on The Hungry Tigress: Buddhist Myths, Legends and Jataka Tales instead. I've read two tales they have in common so far, and the writing in Tigress is significantly better -- plus it has commentaries.
Early reader Jataka Tales are about as cool as Early Reader Bible stories. Know what I mean? I feel like... if you're going to do it, do it well.
* * * * *
This was... okay? I guess? for an easy reader, similar to Treadwell First Reader level.
Not great, though. As delivered, the tales weren't all that interesting and the moral was delivered with a heavy hand.
The new reprint I bought had some formatting problems -- like part of the story in the wrong place, and then repeated later in the right place. Since I was reading aloud, I stumbled but figured it out. (Why did I wing it with this? I rarely wing it. /sigh )
So. Yeah. I can't quite give it one star, but I won't be recommending it, either.
I no longer remotely recommend this book. Spend your time (and money) on The Hungry Tigress: Buddhist Myths, Legends and Jataka Tales instead. I've read two tales they have in common so far, and the writing in Tigress is significantly better -- plus it has commentaries.
Early reader Jataka Tales are about as cool as Early Reader Bible stories. Know what I mean? I feel like... if you're going to do it, do it well.
* * * * *
This was... okay? I guess? for an easy reader, similar to Treadwell First Reader level.
Not great, though. As delivered, the tales weren't all that interesting and the moral was delivered with a heavy hand.
The new reprint I bought had some formatting problems -- like part of the story in the wrong place, and then repeated later in the right place. Since I was reading aloud, I stumbled but figured it out. (Why did I wing it with this? I rarely wing it. /sigh )
So. Yeah. I can't quite give it one star, but I won't be recommending it, either.
January 31, 2018
Once upon a time many quails lived together in a forest. The wisest of them all was their leader.
A man lived near the forest and earned his living by catching quails and selling them. When they were crowded together, the fowler threw his net over them and off he went into the town, where he soon sold all the quails that he had caught.
The wise leader saw the plan of the fowler for catching the quails. He called the birds to him and said, "This fowler is carrying away so many of us, we must put a stop to it. I have thought of a plan; it is this: The next time the fowler throws a net over you, each of you must put your head through one of the little holes in the net. Then all of you together must fly away to the nearest thorn-bush. You can leave the net on the thorn-bush and be free yourselves".
The very next day the fowler came and called them together. Then he threw the net over them. The quails lifted the net and flew away with it to the nearest thorn-bush where they left it. The next day the same thing happened, and the next. "The fact is those quails are working together now. The moment my net is over them, off they fly with it, leaving it on a thorn-bush. As soon as the quails begin to quarrel I shall be able to catch them" - the fowler said.
Not long after this, one of the quails in alighting on their feeding ground, trod by accident on another's head. "Who trod on my head?" angrily cried the second. "I did; but I didn't mean to. Don't be angry" - said the first quail, but the second quail was angry and said mean things.
Soon all the quails had taken sides in this quarrel. When the fowler came that day he flung his net over them, and this time instead of flying off with it, one side said, "Now, you lift the net!" and the other side said, "Lift it yourself!". "You try to make us lift it all!" said the quails on one side. "No, we don't!" said the others, "You begin and we will help..." but neither side began.
So the quails quarreled, and while they were quarreling the fowler caught them all in his net. He took them to town and sold them for a good price.
A man lived near the forest and earned his living by catching quails and selling them. When they were crowded together, the fowler threw his net over them and off he went into the town, where he soon sold all the quails that he had caught.
The wise leader saw the plan of the fowler for catching the quails. He called the birds to him and said, "This fowler is carrying away so many of us, we must put a stop to it. I have thought of a plan; it is this: The next time the fowler throws a net over you, each of you must put your head through one of the little holes in the net. Then all of you together must fly away to the nearest thorn-bush. You can leave the net on the thorn-bush and be free yourselves".
The very next day the fowler came and called them together. Then he threw the net over them. The quails lifted the net and flew away with it to the nearest thorn-bush where they left it. The next day the same thing happened, and the next. "The fact is those quails are working together now. The moment my net is over them, off they fly with it, leaving it on a thorn-bush. As soon as the quails begin to quarrel I shall be able to catch them" - the fowler said.
Not long after this, one of the quails in alighting on their feeding ground, trod by accident on another's head. "Who trod on my head?" angrily cried the second. "I did; but I didn't mean to. Don't be angry" - said the first quail, but the second quail was angry and said mean things.
Soon all the quails had taken sides in this quarrel. When the fowler came that day he flung his net over them, and this time instead of flying off with it, one side said, "Now, you lift the net!" and the other side said, "Lift it yourself!". "You try to make us lift it all!" said the quails on one side. "No, we don't!" said the others, "You begin and we will help..." but neither side began.
So the quails quarreled, and while they were quarreling the fowler caught them all in his net. He took them to town and sold them for a good price.
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November 29, 2018Read selected stories for class. World Myth - foundations of culture 2018.
November 22, 2024
More popular even than the Dhammapada, and often illustrated in Buddhist architecture, are the Jataka Tales, a collection of stories from the previous lives of the Buddha. The jatakas (‘birth stories’) are premised on the night of the Buddha’s enlightenment, during which he remembered hundreds of thousands of former births.
In these past lives, he was not yet a Buddha, but a bodhisattva, which, in the Theravada tradition, is someone who has resolved to become a Buddha and received this confirmation or prediction from a living Buddha. Thus, in the Jataka Tales, the bodhisattva, having been inspired by his encounters with past Buddhas, makes a vow before the last Buddha Dipankara to himself become a Buddha by postponing his enlightenment until such a time as he be ready to teach others. He then spends many lives trying to fulfil this vow—supplying the material for the 547 jatakas in the Theravada collection.
The Jataka Tales are one of the oldest and largest collections of stories in the world, and the only one to trace the development of their central character over hundreds of births. Many of the tales are adapted from the immemorial fabularies of India and the world, often by replacing a character with the bodhisattva.
I am the author of Indian Mythology and Philosophy.
In these past lives, he was not yet a Buddha, but a bodhisattva, which, in the Theravada tradition, is someone who has resolved to become a Buddha and received this confirmation or prediction from a living Buddha. Thus, in the Jataka Tales, the bodhisattva, having been inspired by his encounters with past Buddhas, makes a vow before the last Buddha Dipankara to himself become a Buddha by postponing his enlightenment until such a time as he be ready to teach others. He then spends many lives trying to fulfil this vow—supplying the material for the 547 jatakas in the Theravada collection.
The Jataka Tales are one of the oldest and largest collections of stories in the world, and the only one to trace the development of their central character over hundreds of births. Many of the tales are adapted from the immemorial fabularies of India and the world, often by replacing a character with the bodhisattva.
I am the author of Indian Mythology and Philosophy.
October 16, 2020
Jataka Tales were originally written sometime between 300 BC and 400 AD in India, in Sanskrit, and are morality stories much like Aesop's Fables (which are a little older and written in Greece.) This retelling by Ellen Babbitt from 1912 contains 18 very short stories. They're suitable for children but might not hold much interest for adults. Since it's out of copyright, this book is available for free from Gutenberg.org.
(Some details taken from Wikipedia.)
(Some details taken from Wikipedia.)
March 4, 2018
An interesting sequence of animal fables.
March 29, 2018
One among the world classics
June 10, 2020
3.5 stars.
March 4, 2021
Aesop from a different purview. Stories...with morals.
May 2, 2016
Jataka tales are great short stories. I really enjoyed how these stories relate to real life. To me stories are always better when one can relate to them, it makes the reader get more involved and into the story. That is how I felt when reading “The Golden Goose.” This short story showed me that even in the older times people have always taken advantage of help from people. Some people don’t realize that there are good hearted people, and in this situation a goose who are willing to help people when they see them in a time of struggle. This goose was willingly giving his feathers to a family who was in desperate need of help. “From time to time he came back, and each time leaving another feather.” This shows how great this goose was. He was willing to give his golden feather up for them, but the mom had other plans. She became a greedy soul who was afraid that this goose would leave them and never come back. That was not the goose’s intention, but the mom didn’t have any trust. If she would have not been so greedy and plucked the golden feathers from the goose she would have been okay. She decided to do the wrong thing and steal them from the goose which led to him never coming back, and her not being able to help her family. (236)
June 23, 2021
Even though I had this 1913 edition of The Jatakas on my bookshelf for years, as I try to find homes for my many books, I finally read it. The stories reminded me of Aesop's Fables, short little stories with a lesson in each. This particular edition is a School Edition so it was a very easy, fast read. By the way, the correct spelling of the title is The Jatakas: Tales of India retold by Ellen C. Babbit. It was first published in 1912. My favorite story was the first about the monkey and the crocodile. The next one, How the Turtle Saved Its Own Life reminded me mightily of the Brer Rabbit and the Briar Patch story.
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September 20, 2021In this large book of Indian fairy tales I read the Kings White Elephant. It was the story of an elephant who had a splinter in his foot. So he asked some carpenters to help him. Since they helped him he agreed to work and help them and they alway treat him well. When he gets to old he gets his son a great white elephant to help them out. One day the king drives by and sees the great white elephant. He has the elephant come work for him and he lives a very nice life. This is a good story to teach a lesson that if you help someone their will be something in return.
April 15, 2013
I read a different edition of Jataka Tales (a short collection of tales--definitely not all of them). Considering how many there are to choose from it seemed like the stories were incredibly redundant, and the translation was really stiff and boring to read. The copy I have was printed in the 50's--maybe there are better contemporary editions available now.
June 18, 2016
I read a different edition, but a very similar volume of stories from The Jataka. Of the selected texts I've read for school, I did not enjoy this as much as other religious or philosophical works (like the Dao De Jing). It reminded me of 1001 Nights with its fantastical stories, however, there were only a few gems in the The Jataka.
November 17, 2022
A short collection of the Jakatas told by Ellen Babbitt. These are charming fables designed to teach, primarily children. The unifying factor is that these are believed to feature past lives of the Buddha as characters, but we are never told which ones are him, so you just assume it’s the wisest character in the story.
March 30, 2011
I used this book to find a story for my storytelling group. I did "The Three Princes and the WaterSprite". The Jatakas are from one of the sacred books of Buddhism, relating the adventures of the Buddha in his former existences. I was only familiar with one - "The Monkey and the Crocodile".
September 4, 2012
Remember reading them when I was on a train journey from Hyderabad to Delhi; it was a long journey and not having much to do meant that I relentlessly polished off one story after another. Quite imaginative and fun. Wouldn't mind revisiting them, actually.
January 7, 2019
This book holds eighteen Jatakas stories. Some of them are titled The Turtle who Couldn't Stop Talking, The Foolish, Timid Rabbit, and the Ox who Envied the Pig. My favorite is called The Crab and the Crane, where a crane tricks some fishes, and eats them, but then gets tricked by a crab.
January 22, 2024
As we learn about ancient India, we’re also reading their own tales. The stories are short, and the book is old (which is fun for me). At this point, my kids are older, so they share their guesses at the morals of the story - which is clearly the best part.
December 2, 2011
This book was okay!
March 18, 2013
outdated and presents wrong moral
February 22, 2011
Much along the lines of Aesops fables, but these have a moral lesson!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews