In this folk tale from India, a wily jackal tricks his best friend crane into catching 12 fish. He selfishly scoffs the lot then gobbles up crane as well. Jackal's appetite is insatiable. For any slights (real or imagined) he demolishes other animals in the forest, singing:
"Through the lips and over the gums. Watch out stomach! Here it comes!"
The last victim is elephant. The jackal's tummy has now swollen to such enormous proportions that BLAM! his poor tummy bursts. All the animals come tumbling out.
This delightful rhyming story is also a work of art which has been handcrafted and screen-printed. The striking black and white illustrations were made by Sunita, a young woman artist from Rajasthan. Her intricate patterned drawings were inspired by the traditional paintings which women from her Meena tribe paint on the walls and floors of village houses.
They are in an x-ray style so the children can clearly see the animals inside the jackal's tummy.
A story for children age three upwards.
Title: Gobble You Up
Author: Gita Wolf and Sunita
Publisher: Tara Books
RRP: $36.95
Available from folktree.co.nz.
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