Indian author Shobha Viswanath and artist Dileep Joshi join forces in this rhyming picture-book retelling of a tale from The Panchatantra, an ancient Sanskrit collection of animal fables dating back to the second century BCE. The narrative follows the much-bullied Jumo the jackal as his fortunes rise and fall. Bullied by the other jackals, and constantly hungry, Jumo finds himself approaching a human village one night, and is chased by the dogs until he seeks refuge in a dyer's hut. Here he falls into a pot of indigo dye, and emerges a bright blue shade. Made king of the animals in the nearby forest, he banishes all of the jackals who tormented him, only to find himself joining in their howling one night. His true identity revealed, Jumo himself is chased from the jungle, but revels in the fact that he once was king...

Although I am familiar with The Panchantantra, also known in the English-speaking world as The Fables of Bidpai, as well as with its Arabic/Persian adaptation, Kalīla wa-Dimna, I have never actually read any translation of the collection, and this despite my interest in folklore and fable. Clearly, this will need to be remedied! I found Viswanath's retelling here engaging, and think that her rhyming text would make for an excellent read-aloud, whether at story-time, or during a bedtime reading session. The accompanying artwork from Joshi, done in the style of the Warli people, with white painting on a maroon or purple background, was very striking, and is sure to hold the reader's attention. I myself found it lovely, and really appreciated the folk-art aesthetic of it, and the sense, almost of pictograms, that it was a language of its own kind. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for animal fables and/or stories with an Indian cultural setting. ( )

This is a retelling of a folk tale from India. While the story is told in simple, clear language appropriate for any age (the story is about identity, sense of self and self-worth), the artwork is what makes this special. The darker palette reinforces the night setting of the story, and the drawings are suggestive of cave drawings. They seem to float, crawl, and fly across the page. Based on Indian Warli artwork of white rice flour painting on a mud background, according to the inside blurb, the drawings are reduced to complex patterns of lines that come alive in swirls and repetitive motions and counter-motions. As an adult, I must admit I was far more interested in the artwork, but the story and art are well integrated.
Highly recommended for children, and any adults interested in modern re-use of ancient art-forms. This title expands the current folk lit area to include India, which I rarely find in an illustrated format for children. ( )

What do you do when you are a jackal runt and everyone picks on you. You go away to find food elsewhere. This is what Juno did in this story. It is also the story of how Juno the jackal became blue and what happened next.
This is a traditional story from India and the artwork is also based on artwork in India. If you are studying fables or art from around the world, this book could be a valuable addition to your lesson.

This is a folk story retelling with such beautiful artwork that I could stare at it for hours. Seems to be for early elementary age children, but is both told and illustrated in such a way that I think both younger and older children would enjoy it. ( )

The drawings/art style is really just riviting- we spent some period of an hour or more inventing stories about all the background critters and why the tiger looks so upset, and afterword found ourselves researching the group the style is derived from. Wonderful.

the story was a tad disappointing, in comparison. ( )