In the royal bedroom, a king sleeps soundly while two tiny creatures—a louse and a bedbug—watch him from the folds of his soft sheets. Both want a taste of the king’s blood, but each has a different plan for how to get it. Who will succeed, and who will be squashed by the royal staff? Meanwhile, in a faraway jungle, Lambakarna, a clever rabbit, must find a way to protect his tribe after a pack of wild elephants wreak havoc. Can Lambakarna concoct a plan to outwit the king of elephants and save his friends? These exciting tales are the perfect introduction to the magical world of the Panchatantra, perhaps the oldest surviving collection of Indian fables. Retold in easy-to-read prose and vibrantly illustrated, this collection will captivate young readers.
Meena Arora Nayak is a former professor of English and Mythology. She is the author of the novels A Dust Storm in Delhi, Endless Rain, About Daddy, and In the Aftermath, as well as The Puffin Book of Legendary Lives, Evil in the Mahabharata, The Blue Lotus: Myths and Folktales of India, The Kathasaritsagara of Somadeva, Adbhut: Marvellous Creatures of Indian Myth and Folklore, The Panchatantra of Vishnusharma: A Retelling, and The Girl in the Magical Flute: Stories from Myths and Folk Tales of India.
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