The Ninth Jewel of the Mughal Crown : The Birbal Tales from the Oral Traditions of India [Hardcover]

James Moseley (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Birbal Tales

From the rich traditions of India'ss Golden Age, this children'ss classic is a precious gem, polished through 400 years of retelling. Winner of four national awards, this new rendition is full of humor and surprise endings.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-Traveling throughout India for many years, the author collected many tales from the oral tradition surrounding the 14th-century Great Mughal Emperor, Akbar, and his wise advisor, the commoner Birbal. These short stories include clever judgments and sortings out of injustices that Birbal makes, from the familiar Solomonlike offering to cut a precious but disputed tree in half so neighbors can "share" to his tricking of greedy or grasping relatives, jealous wives, or dishonest merchants. As in George Shannon's collections in the worldwide Stories to Solve (Greenwillow, 1985), readers may often guess the solution to a knotty problem before Birbal reveals what happened next. Women are barely a part of these stories and the king treats his conniving wife with loving condescension and proud ownership. But he also treats his faithful advisor with some of the same kingly high-handedness. Done in flat, saturated full color and anchored with black line and patterned borders, the humorous illustrations that introduce each tale show the bearded Birbal and the mustachioed King Akbar engaged in numerous decisions. Unfamiliar titles are italicized and footnoted at the bottom of the page, and historical notes tell about the real Akbar and Birbal. These stories read well as single tales but taken as a whole, they introduce to Western culture one of the best-loved figures in the folklore of India.

Susan Hepler, Burgundy Farm Country Day School, Alexandria, VA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-6, younger for reading aloud. As a young boy in a poor village, Birbal impresses teenage Emperor Akbar by boldly challenging the emperor's pride. Years later, he becomes a judge in the royal court, meting out justice with the wisdom of Solomon and the caustic wit of Judge Judy. The rivalry between Birbal and the court barber is particularly amusing. For instance, at the barber's suggestion, Akbar decides that his late father needs witty company like Birbal in paradise. Birbal agrees to be buried alive, and promptly digs a tunnel to his house, where he stays in hiding for six months. He returns "from the dead" with a shaggy beard and informs the emperor that what paradise really needs is a good barber. Unfortunately, Moseley's illustrations don't evoke the magical world of Akbar's court nearly as well as his prose. But the flat, cartoonish paintings are more than made up for by the witty, charming stories, which are still popular with children in India. Historical notes are appended. John Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 156 pages
• Publisher: Summerwind Marketing, Inc. (November 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970444710
• ISBN-13: 978-0970444714
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,668,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ENCHANTING AND CLEVER!, May 23, 2001

By 

cameron phillips (potomac, md) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ninth Jewel of the Mughal Crown : The Birbal Tales from the Oral Traditions of India (Hardcover)

As an expectant mother, I am already thinking about how I will teach wisdom to my son. The Birbal Tales are not only chock full of wise and clever pearls, but are totally charming at the same time! I have ordered ten copies to give to other expectant couples and my friends who already have children! When will we see Birbal cartoons on TV or video???!!! Soon, I hope!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's okay, but definitely too expensive, November 15, 2007

By 

C. Fernandes (Columbia, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Ninth Jewel of the Mughal Crown : The Birbal Tales from the Oral Traditions of India (Hardcover)

When I was younger, I had read some nice Amar Chitra books. Among them was the Birbal series. Now those books were really good, and I was looking to see if I could find them again. But I couldn't find that series anywhere, and I decided I would try out this book.

To be fair, this book is very well illustrated. And it gives a nice history into how Birbal and Akbar first meet (which I didn't know before). And the stories here are similar to what I remember reading as a kid. But after the first few stories, something seems to be lacking and it loses its appeal. There were so many other nice stories about Birbal that I was hoping to read. This book covers only a few of them.

Still, given that it's hard to find anything else, this book isn't so bad. But it is definitely way too expensive. For the price, I would rather have a lot more stories and less pictures.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful illustrations and timeless stories, March 26, 2007

By 

B. Shethna (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ninth Jewel of the Mughal Crown : The Birbal Tales from the Oral Traditions of India (Hardcover)

I took a chance when I bought this book. I like hardcover books with beautiful illustrations and this definitely meets both criteria. I grew up with Birbal stories and they have a very fond place in my heart. He is the clever court council whom the evil ministers are trying to get rid of, but with his wit, he manages, not only to foil their attempts, but also impress Akbar the king with his clever mind. The stories are just like I remember them, but what makes this book priceless is the illustrations. I believe pictures help us transport ourselves into the time in which the stories are set and the stories remain with us through our lives. I am sure my son will love this book as much as I have.