Tales of the Sun - Or Folklore of Southern India #250980

<i>Tales of the Sun, Or Folklore of Southern Indian</i> is a collection of twenty-six classic Indian fables as told to author Georgiania Kingscote. This collection marks the first time many of these tales were ever published, and certainly the first time they were published in English. With the assistance of co-author Pandit Natesa Sastri, Kingscote makes these fables accessible to a western audience for the first time.<br><br>While these stories will be new to most readers, there is a thread of familiarity that runs through each tale presented in this collection. For while these tales were born and developed in India, they include the universal themes that make up all good stories: good versus evil, love versus hate, life versus death. In her introduction, author Kingscote does note one peculiarity, "namely, that craft and cunning are more generally rewarded than virtue, and stupidity condemned. This is the national characteristic."<br><br>The collection of stories included in <i>Tales of the Sun</i> are mostly entertaining. Standouts include <i>The Soothsayer's Son, The Lost Camel,</i> and <i>The Beggar and the Five Muffins.</i> While not every tale is a hit, and the lessons of some can seem outdated to the modern reader, Kingscote has been largely successful in her presentation of illuminating fables from Indian culture.<br><br>Any lover of children's fables will enjoy this collection. It provides the reader with the rare opportunity to read new stories that will seem comfortably familiar. The <i>Tales of the Sun, Or Folklore of Southern Indian</i> is recommended reading.