Mangoes, Mischief, and Tales of Friendship

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Mangoes, Mischief, and Tales of Friendship

Author(s)

Chitra Soundar

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Uma Krishnaswamy

Publisher

Candlewick Press

Genre(s)

folktales

Age Range

Release Date

January 01, 2019

ISBN

9781536200676

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Can Prince Veera and his best friend outsmart the king’s trickiest subjects? Inspired by traditional Indian folktales, these stories are sure to delight.

Being a wise and just ruler is no easy task. That’s what Prince Veera discovers when he and his best friend, Suku, are given the opportunity to preside over the court of his father, King Bheema. Some of the subjects’ complaints are easily addressed, but others are much more challenging. How should they handle the case of the greedy merchant who wishes to charge people for enjoying the smells of his sweets? And can they prove that an innocent man cannot possibly spread bad luck? Will Prince Veera and Suku be able to settle the dispute between a man and his neighbor to whom he sells a well — but not the water in it? Or solve the mystery of the jewels that have turned into pickles? Illustrated throughout by Uma Krishnaswamy, these eight original tales by Chitra Soundar task Veera and Suku with outwitting the kingdom’s greediest, wiliest subjects. Are the two clever boys up to the challenge?

Can Prince Veera and his best friend outsmart the king’s trickiest subjects? Inspired by traditional Indian folktales, these stories are sure to delight.

Editor reviews

4 reviews

Overall rating

3.5

Plot

3.5(2)

Characters

N/A(0)

Writing Style

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Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

3.5(2)

Tales of Friendship and Justice

May 14, 2019

Overall rating

4.0

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MANGOES, MISCHIEF, AND TALES OF FRIENDSHIP is based off of Indian folklore. It's broken up into two parts, but both share a common theme with the same characters. The first part is called A Dollop of Ghee and a Pot of Wisdom and the second one is A Jar of Pickles and a Pinch of Justice. Both stories follow Prince Veera and his friend Suku and include pictures that flow perfectly with the stories.

When his father becomes ill, Prince Veera is allowed to hold court and listen to the citizens complaints. With the help of Suku, Veera manages to outwit the citizens, while teaching a valuable lesson. Soon, Prince Veera and Suku become a witty duo who can best just about anyone in the name of justice. True and equal justice.

I really like that King Bheema is open about letting Prince Veera address the citizens. I also like how the king listens to Prince Veera and accepts when he's made an unfair judgment. Prince Veera is a wise person who takes other people's living situation into account. He doesn't judge people for their background and is open to listening to both sides of the story before thinking things through. While I'm not familiar with Indian folklore, I enjoyed these stories and how the reader can learn a valuable lesson from them.

Final Verdict: I would recommend this to fans of folklore, Indian culture, friendship, and justice.

Bethany Wicker, Listings Manager & Staff Reviewer Top 10 Reviewer 858 reviews

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A Charming Read

November 02, 2018

Overall rating

3.0

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This book took me right back to my childhood! But what’s interesting is that the stories in this book aren’t just retellings of Indian folk tales, but original tales inspired by Indian folklore. And I’ll admit that I was slightly sceptical at first – would the stories be too outdated or old-fashioned? Or too simplistic? Just how exactly was she going to use folkloric traditions to tell original stories? Well, Mangoes, Mischief and Tales of Friendship turned out to be quite a sweet surprise. The stories are stand-alone but are interconnected, driven by two characters, Prince Veera and his friend Suku. I like how well etched out the characters are and the fact that none of the stories are dampened by a moralistic or preachy tone even though they have a clear message. It’s easy to go overboard with the descriptions when you’re dealing with a genre like this, but Chitra Soundar’s writing just hits all the right notes. Yes, there are mangoes and pickles, laddus and elephants, hot summer months and turbaned kings, but it’s all woven together with a deft, light touch. And the illustrations complement the text beautifully!