Ladybird Favourite Tales are the timeless, treasured stories that generations of children have grown up with and loved. These easy-to-read retellings, enhanced by exciting, richly colourful illustrations, faithfully capture all the magic of the original stories.

The Panchatantra, originally written in Sanskrit, has been described as the best collection of the most widely known stories in the world.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Fantastic Fables and Where to Read Them Pssst... come here. A little closer. Yes, yes, right here. Now, what sort of story are you looking for? One with action and adventure, wily villains and valiant warriors? Or something that will make you laugh till your stomach hurts? Or perhaps you’d prefer a tale with some good old-fashioned magic? Well, whatever it is, you’ll find it all here – in this delightful trove of stories picked from one of India’s oldest classics, Somadeva’s Kathasaritasagara (The Ocean of the Streams of Story), dusted and polished for a new generation of readers. Go on, step in, but be careful – the shape-shifters aren’t quite what they seem (obviously), the tricksters are always looking for someone to fool, and don’t be shocked if you meet a talking animal. Oh, and one last thing – make sure you ace the vetala’s quiz. Or else ...

This is the second of three volumes covering the long history of the fable from Sumer to the present day. Historical evidence reaching as far back as Antiquity, supports the study of more than 500 works considered to be fables.

Indic fables.