Tales from the World
by Geeta Ramanujam and illustrated by Arkapriya Koley
“Tales from the World” by Geeta Ramanujam and illustrated by Arkapriya Koley. Published by Penguin. A wonderful collection of twenty stories from the treasury of a master storyteller giving an insight into her world of storytelling.
There are folk tales, myths and stories from different parts of India as well as the world. Uganda, Scotland, Tibet, Japan, Russia, Scotland, Ghana, China, France, Korea, USA, Sweden and India. Regions of India like Benares, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Tripura. Stories from different eras and different landscapes. Each one of them with an introduction as to how she heard/ came to know about these stories. It was interesting to know tidbits about different storytelling traditions and practices around the world through this section. What a treat she has concocted for the readers using her all time favourite stories! Some of these stories have been passed down generations and continue to mesmerise the listeners to this day.
I had a whale of a time reading this book with my almost 8 year old. We loved picturing these stories in our minds and some of them will be cherished in our memories forever. Some stories that my son loved are “On the Wings of a Storyteller Bird” from India, the story of “Manuel, the he Wise Merchant” from Tibet, “How Anansi Brought Stories Down to the Earth” from Ghana, “Stone Soup” from France, “The Lion and the Mosquito” from Tamil Nadu, “The Hornbill” from Tripura and “Gaegul the Green Frog” from Korea. Some of these resonated very well with him. The stories from Scotland had a magical air about them. I found some solace in the one about death called “A Strange Visitor”.
The story of Anansi kept my son giggling given that he is very naughty :) Gaegul the frog who did not listen to his mother appealed all the more given how similar he was to him. A recent bird watching trip where he saw the hornbills for the first time up close made him appreciate the story of the hornbill. We learnt new words like Shonbori in Japanese. He was excited to know where each story was from and loved learning about new places and spotting them on the globe. We are now eagerly waiting for the next book by the author. Just one set of stories is clearly not enough! :)
Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Penguin India, for review. Thank you to Greeshma and Mansi, from Penguin, for sending across the book!
Recommended Age
The book is apt for anyone aged 8 and above.
Reasons to Read
To get a glimpse into the life of a storyteller.
To savour some fantastic tales, old and new, with a twist here and a song there, from all over the world.
Where to buy from?
An independent indie bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.