Tales of India: Folk Tales from Bengal, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu

Common folk tales from Bengal, Punjab and Tamil Nadu are presented here for the enjoyment of a western audience. Thankfully, some unfamiliar words and practices are explained in footnotes, but there is not enough of this for my taste. I found myself needing Google nearby just to understand what was going on in a good number of the stories.
The illustrations are really lovely. It is interesting how these stories differ from fairy tales and fables I grew up with in the Midwestern United States. The "moral" or point to them is less absolute. It seems that the 'hero' or protagonist of a story does not have to be above reproach, good things still happen to people who behave poorly and conversely the "good people" don't always get the reward show more they "deserve" in the end. It would be interesting to have a discussion about or read a discourse on this topic. Possibly the cultural function of these tales was less "instructional" and more just for entertainment? Anyway, they were fascinating and a great glimpse into Indian culture. show less

Not only was this a fun read; it was lavishly illustrated and bound, making it a truly gorgeous book. It's colorful, contains a beautiful purple ribbon as a bookmark, and has sixteen traditional folktales from India. Not just from one culture, tales included are Bengal, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu. They are all interspersed into three sections: animal tales, outwitting and outwitted, and life and death. They vary in length, but all are fascinating and completely new to me. A wonderful collection to diversify your library and educate readers on Indian folktales. All the stories contained were completely new to me and entrancing, a wonderful collection!

I badly want to give this a higher rating than 3 1/2 stars. The artwork is gorgeous, and we need more diversity of stories out in the world. But for whatever reason, this collection wasn't quite as interesting as I'd expected. Maybe I wanted more range in the types of stories, or maybe I'm too used to European mythology (which is definitely my fault, not that of the illustrators). Wish I could put my finger on what exactly the issue is ... my inability to do so is less satisfying than the book itself.

Book 25 Tales of India: Folk Tales from Bengal, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu illustrated by Svabhu Kohli was a Library Thing Early Reviewers book for the 75 Book Challenge 2018. This is a beautifully illustrated hardcover book collecting folk tales reflecting the variety of cultures in India. Each tale begins with a full page illustration that is a colorful introduction to the story and its characters. Additionally, each tale has the title in English and in the text of the original language and tells you the culture the tale originally came from. These adventures of Princes and Princesses, Kings and Queens, Brahmans and Beggars are of the decidedly grim or 'Grimm" variety with behaviors of both heroes and demons being far more of the old show more school as in bloody and violent. While I am sure the book could be read very quickly I recommend reading only one tale each evening so you can savor the marvelous tales in your dreams! show less

Physically a very nice hardcover book, with illustrations and a bookmark ribbon. I enjoyed reading the folk tales from India, especially the ones about animals. Folk tales have similar themes across many cultures and it was nice to read some with an Indian feel. Most of the Indian terms are explained in the text. There were a few spots where the translation into English could have been a little smoother, but overall an enjoyable read.

Tales of India: Folk Tales from Bengal, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu by Svabhu Kohli is a beautifully illustrated collection of tales. The book is divided into three categories, animal tales, outwitting and outwitted, and life and death. Each section contains tales from the three regions of India, Bengal, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu. Much in the spirit of the original Grimm fairy tales, these stories can be gory at times, so maybe parents will want to preview before sharing with children.

As someone interested in storytelling and the tales of different cultures, I think many of these were well-told, especially The Soothsayer's Son, The Son of Seven Mothers, and Prince Lionheart and his Three Friends. Footnotes on some of the tales were show more distracting, because I have to read footnotes as they come up, but those footnotes did clarify some terms that I would not have understood otherwise. In all, I would say this is a fine addition to any folk and fairy tale collection. show less

This book has wonderful artwork that appropriately transports the reader to another culture. It's a beautiful edition fit for a gift. However, these stories do seem to appeal to adults and perhaps older children. Overall, the stories had an uncomfortable undertone of violence and discord and could possibly be frightful to young children (as fairy tales can be). There's a lot of slyness and trickery which need to be understood in light of the eternal struggle between poverty and wealth, power and weakness. Though I did not particularly enjoy these tales, I can see the entertainment value in a story-telling atmosphere for adults - not bedtime stories for children.