Book Title – Kings, Saviours & Scoundrels: Timeless Tales from Katha Sarita Sagara
Author – Anupama Jain
Genre – Folktales/Legends
Publisher – Readomania
Recommended Age – 7+ years
Timeless Tales from Katha Sarita Sagara by Anupama Jain is a retelling of tales from the Kathā-saritsāgara – one of India’s oldest classics. It is a well-known collection of stories from the 11th century. It was also told in Sanskrit by Somadeva who was a Brahmin Sanskrit scholar from Kashmir. The stories are very old, but the morals conveyed by them are still relevant and understandable to kids as well.
These 41 tales are similar to the Chandamama and Panchatantra stories. All the stories seem to pull you in, and they are easy to read and end with a moral message, told in a straightforward manner.
While reading the book, we meet the valiant warriors with great kindness and the courageous souls who thought out of the box. We get to know about the origins of Vikram and Vetal. We come across the glorious and courageous women who took charge of their lives and the brave kings who trod on the righteous path. We experience humor and laugh with some quirky villagers who are full of beans. We savour the heart-tugging friendships between the unlikely souls of the creatures that won’t give up despite all odds. Many minute details of each story will hook you to the book.
The tales are so interesting that you can’t put the book down till you are done! I highly recommend this engaging and enriching book to people of all age groups.
You can purchase your copy of the book from here.
// This book review has been penned by 11-year-old Srikar Chitta from Hyderabad as we celebrate the work of Anupama Jain who has been chosen as the Featured Author of March 2022 at Beyond the Box //