From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3-Fables from the Panchatantra, an ancient Indian collection first written in Sanskrit around 200 BC, are presented in traditional oral style, accompanied by music and songs. The stories, like Aesop's, gently teach a lesson. Karadi the Bear tells the stories, sometimes to his rowdy nephews. There are tales that warn us to be careful who we pick as friends, as monkey learns when he befriends a crocodile; a funny tale of false pride featuring Dondhu the singing donkey; a story of leadership; one of being true to one's self; and crow teaches us to think before acting. Several of the stories are familiar, yet presented in a fresh light. The well done narration is performed by South Asian actors. Songs, which occasionally last too long, are included in each package. The read-along books, intended for beginning readers, will be useful in classrooms. The slapdash, comical, colorful illustrations are not outstanding and add little to the story. The tapes could be used with the books or stand alone. There are a few editorial mistakes, such as a missing page-turn signal and a lapse in gender for a character. Despite these very minor errors, libraries with large South Asian communities will want to purchase this collection. For better illustration and stories in this same spirit, see the series Under the Banyan (Nov. 1998), also distributed by Banyan Tree.
Angela J. Reynolds, West Slope Community Library, Portland, ORCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.