Review by Booklist Review
When King Bheema falls ill one day, Prince Veera and his friend Suku decide to hold court in his absence. They have, after all, been watching and learning from the sidelines. Prince Veera is a playful sort, better with a joke and a trick than with solving the villagers' problems. Fortunately, Suku's wisdom and sense of fairness compensate. Together they dole out justice to a greedy confectioner who wants to charge a poor man for smelling his desserts; outwit a thief; teach a moneylender a lesson about humanity; and more. 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. Veera is sometimes cheeky, and his father has a sense of humor. Suku is lower in social rank but holds his own among royalty with poise and confidence. Similarly, the illustrations balance traditional Indian art forms with cartoonlike gestures that will make readers smile.--Amina Chaudhri Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Horn Book Review
In this volume of original trickster tales set within a frame story and inspired by Indian folklore, Prince Veera and his friend Suku, a farmer's son, enjoy holding court when the king is not available. Time after time, the pair acts logically and kindly--and metes out appropriate justice, often with a humorous comeuppance for the villain. Traditional black-and-white illustrations are sprinkled throughout. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Eight traditional Indian folktales are retold in new, original settings.Prince Veera and his good friend Suku, the farmer's son, enjoy "play[ing] court," following the example of wise King Bheema. When the king is unwell one day, the two 10-year-olds get permission to hear and judge some simple cases. Does the greedy merchant who makes delicious sweets deserve to be paid by the people who smell their intense fragrance? Did the pot that one neighbor gave to another for safekeeping contain jewels or mango pickles? How do you find out how many crows live in the city? The stories stand alone, as Prince Veera and Suku discuss and ponder, ask questions, and roam about while they contemplate their decisions. The text is simple and has some cultural details, giving a peek into traditional Indian life, but offers very little context or background. A notable omission is that no women or girls are included in any of the stories except one. No backmatter is included, no sources are mentioned, and there is no indication of the time period when these stories take place, detracting from the full enjoyment of these retellings. 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. (Fiction. 7-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
