Mangoes, Mischief, and Tales of Friendship: Stories from India

Soundar’s energetic prose and wisecracking dialogue sparkle and Krishnaswamy’s acrylic folk-based illustrations of characters and nature dance across almost every page. Like any folktale, Mangoes, Mischief, and Tales of Friendship is best when shared. Read aloud, the adventures of Prince Veera and Suku will surely captivate first- through fifth-grade classrooms, the dilemmas providing excellent opportunities for critical thinking. Independent readers age 8 to 12 are likely to delight in the boys’ clever solutions, not to mention their ability to confound and outwit adults.
—Shelf Awareness for Readers (starred review)

These original tales are folkloric in style and content, but refreshingly contemporary in tone and form. The messages are of kindness and compassion, and for speaking up when things are unfair…the illustrations balance traditional Indian art forms with cartoonlike gestures that will make readers smile.
—Booklist

Krishnaswamy’s energetic black-and-white spot art offers authentic glimpses of Indian life, with illustrations of people, birds and animals, the marketplace, the countryside, and more. Readers who are familiar with traditional Indian folktales will recognize these well-known stories; readers new to them may enjoy their quiet simplicity and the wisdom of the two young protagonists.
—Kirkus Reviews Online

It’s a little risky—even benevolent kings do not like being proved wrong—but in these stories for 6- to 10-year-olds ingenuity and good sense help the boys prevail. Veera and Suku are a great team: In between gorging themselves on buttery sweets such as laddus and jalebis, and wolfing down mango pickles with fried fish and rice, the two boys solve mysteries, expose swindlers and humble the arrogant…Originally published in the U.K. in two volumes six years apart, these lively tales benefit from Uma Krishnaswamy’s playful monochrome illustrations.
—The Wall Street Journal

Chitra Soundar is originally from India, where as a child she feasted on folktales and stories from Hindu mythology. She is the author of the picture book Pattan’s Pumpkin: A Traditional Flood Story from Southern India, illustrated by Frané Lessac. Chitra Soundar lives in London.

Uma Krishnaswamy has always loved folk traditions of her native India and other cultures for their richness and vibrancy of color, form, and perspective. She teaches visual studies and lives in Chennai, India.

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