Breaking the notions of big and small, powerful and weak, this is a story that teaches us never to under estimate anyone based on what they look like.

The Oxford Reading Tree Traditional Tales series is a collection of some of the best known stories from around the world carefully adapted for children to read themselves. The Mouse and the Elephant is an Indian tale based on the Panchatantra story about helping others.

The Panchatantra is an ancient Indian inter-related collection of animal fables. It is the oldest collection of Indian fables surviving. Both animals and human are portrayed as the characters of the Panchatantra tales. These extraordinary tales are liked, even loved by people of all age group because of the fact that they serve as the best guide to instill moral values in children.

The Panchatantra is a collection of folktales and fables claimed to have been authored in Sanskrit over 2500 years ago by the famous Hindu Scholar Pandit Vishnu Sharma. It provides insight into human behaviour despite the fact that all the characters are from the animal realm. The precise date of the composition of the Panchatantra is unknown and ranges between 1200 BCE and 300 CE. Some researchers date him to the third century BCE.

Retells an ancient Sanskrit tale of how the mice and elephants became friends.

The Oxford Reading Tree Traditional Tales series includes 40 of the best known stories from all over the world, which have been passed down for generations. They are a perfect introduction to different cultures, traditions and morals. All the stories are carefully levelled to Oxford Reading Tree stages and matched to the phonics progression in Letters and Sounds, enabling your children to read the stories independently. There are four Traditional Tales titles available for each Oxford Reading Tree Stages, from Stage 1 through to Stage 9. Accompanying free Group/Guided Reading notes are available online at www.oxfordprimary.co.uk/tales , along with an eBook and storyteller video for each stage. Parents can also visit www.oxfordowl.co.uk for practical advice, helpful information about phonics, lots of fun activities and free eBooks. The Singles Pack includes a Mixed Pack for each of the above stages, 1 book of each title, plus a Teacher's Handbook.