Patience & Perseverance
Waiting, repeated attempts and long journeys test the characters in these stories. Compare persistence with preparation, support and the willingness to change a plan. Notice when another attempt helps and when it repeats a harmful mistake; an ending worth discussing may involve stopping, seeking help or choosing a different goal.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Poisoned Food
A young pilgrim shares rice with a starving elder; serpent venom from a kite’s meal kills the old man, and villagers blame the helper.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
The Jackal and the Crocodile
A sweet-talking jackal tricks Miss Crocodile into ferrying him across a stream to a plum tree, and she spends the rest of the tale trying to pay him back.
Indian Folk Tales
The Death and Burial of Poor Hen-Sparrow
A cock-sparrow's new young bride dies; grief spreads in cumulative verses until king, queen, and court dance a frantic mourning song.
Indian Folk Tales
How Raja Rasalu Became a Jogi
Disguised as a begging holy man, Rasalu sings at the gate of the famously beautiful Queen Sundran, wins her heart and then walks away without a backward glance.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 9-12
The Brahmin and the Cobra
A poor farmer leaves milk for the cobra in his field and finds a gold coin every morning, until his greedy son decides to take all the gold at once.