The Elephant's Friend and Other Tales from Ancient India

Love the vibrant colors, and the in-panel dialogue and other supplements to the narration, and the humor, and the cheer. The stories def. resemble those we share in the tradition of Aesop, but at the same time they are 'diverse' and 'multi-cultural.'

Unfortunately no bibliography or further reading, but I do get the impression that Williams did her research & is respectful. The stories certainly read as credibly authentic.
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Casual reread May 2021 confirms my reaction accurate. ;)

In my opinion, this is a good book. The plot found within the text is easy for the reader to understand. The story begins with a starving dog that “managed to slip through the palace gates” to eat some of the elephant’s food. It continues as “the two quickly became good friends, and the elephant shared both his stable and his food with the dog.” The book ends as “the two friends lived contentedly together for the rest of their days.” The reader will follow this book and comprehend it with ease due to its linear structure. Next, the book has pastel watercolor illustrations that enhance the story. The picture in the book shows a skinny dog laying on the dirty floor looking famished as the text reads, “Outside the palace show more walls, a dog lay in the dirt- uncared for and starving.” In this book, the illustrations and the text support one another in order for the reader to comprehend what is happening within the text. Also, the language in the book is descriptive. When describing the new condition of the dog, the text states, “Each day, the dog’s coat grew glossier and his eyes grew brighter.” From this description, the reader gains a sense of imagery that allows him or her to feel as if he or she is in the book and picture the scene. Overall, the main idea of the story is that it is important to establish and maintain friendships because friends help people during the most difficult times. show less

Summary: This book is about an elephant who lives in the Palace stables of India. Because he is the King's favorite animal, they look after him greatly. He meets a dog who is quite poor and scruffy and the two become the best of friends. One day, the elephant's keeper sells the dog to a merchant for money. The elephant and the dog become separated. The elephant is really upset and he stops eating, playing and washing. The King then becomes concerned about the elephant and the elephant's keeper tells him that he sold his best friend and that is why he is upset. The King doesn't ant the elephant to be sad, so he makes sure to have the dog return. This is the story of friendship in the most unlikely of people or in this case, show more animals.
Genre: Traditional Literature
Review: I loved the story line of this book. The theme is about friendship and how it can happen with the most different of people. We should all be open to friendship in anyone. I think this is a great story for children in general because it can teach them lessons about how to be nice to each other. show less

A beautiful and absolutely delightful collection.

A combination of indian folktales with moral values attached to the stories. There are equally beautiful images/patterns reflecting the indian culture and traditions.

I like this book is beautiful. The story about friendly relations and teaching. This book is good for younger and young children.

Book of 8 Indian animal Folktales. The message in each story is great and the class would love the stories and the pictures.