In the Indian Night Sky The Traveller, the Tiger, and the Very Clever Jackal

K-Gr 2—India has been the source of much of the world's folklore, so themes and elements of these two stories will seem familiar to those who recognize them from more familiar African and Asian incarnations. The first book explains why people hide from the heat of the sun and the strength of the wind, but revel in the sweet light of the Moon. The second book tells of a foolish man who releases a hungry tiger from a cage, imperiling his own life until he is rescued by the jackal, who tricks the tiger back into its prison. The folk-primitive illustrations for Clever Jackal, primarily in bright acrylics, hold the eye and add color to a rather limp text. Robinson's stylized line drawings for Night Sky are harder to interpret, and the story itself is more abstract. Libraries with a strong interest in Indian folktales may want to add these volumes to their collections. Otherwise, a collection such as Shenaaz Nanji's Indian Tales (Barefoot, 2007) might be a better choice.—Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY