The Rumor: A Jataka Tale from India [Hardcover]

Jan Thornhill (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

"The world is breaking up!"

As the worrywart hare tries to settle down for a quiet nap in her favorite sun-dappled grove of palms and mango trees, she is startled into action by a sudden and very loud explosion. Convinced that the world is breaking up, the hare tears out of the grove, into a thicket, across a marshland, through a forest, out into the brushland and onto the open plain. Along the way, she spreads her alarming news, gathering an ever-increasing herd of terrified animals: hares, wild boars, deer, tigers, and rhinos. The stampede continues and the frenzy grows, until one wise voice prevails....

Long known for her vibrant and exquisitely detailed storyscapes, award-winning author and illustrator Jan Thornhill does not disappoint here. This beautifully told traditional story, set in India's lush landscapes, is a very special rendition of the classic "sky is falling" fable known and loved around the world.

The richness of the art adds layers to the deceptively simple fable -- young readers will love to pore over the hidden details Jan Thornhill has placed in each scene. Nature Notes at the back of the book give additional information on the flora, and fauna featured in the story. The Rumor is a true classic -- perfect for reading aloud again and again.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-The plot of this beautifully rendered tale is reminiscent of the story of Chicken Little. When a young hare hears a mango crash to earth, she believes that the world is breaking up. As she flees in panic, she gathers up thousands of hares, boars, deer, tigers, and rhinoceroses, who join her in her flight. Unlike Chicken Little, this hare finally meets a wise and kind lion (representing the Buddha, although this is mentioned only in the endnote) who takes her back to find the mango and recognize her mistake. This is a story worth knowing, both for its cultural heritage and for its wise message, and it is retold in well-chosen language with just enough repetition to make the narrative sing without bogging it down. Best of all, however, are the illustrations. Rich greens, blues, and red-oranges dominate bordered paintings of hordes of animals running through the habitats of India. Some pages have a Rousseau-like look. Others are almost tessellations of creatures moving in unison. Varying perspectives move from close-ups of animals to bird's-eye views of forest, stream, marshland, and mango grove. The plot, language, and illustrations combine to make a fine read-aloud.
Ellen Heath, Orchard School, Ridgewood, NJ
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. "What if the world breaks apart?" wonders an anxiety-prone hare in this folktale set in a lush forest in India. When a mango falls to the ground with a loud noise, the hare panics and speeds off, convinced that, indeed, the world is breaking apart. Her terror is contagious, and soon she's joined by other animals--boars, deer, tigers, rhinos--until the crowd meets a lion that brings reason and calm. An author's note refers to this as a retelling of an ancient Jataka tale--a story in which the Buddha appears in animal form. There's no mention of Buddha until that final note, however, so most children will think of Chicken Little when they read this well-told parable about the danger of rumors and how mass hysteria happens. The cumulative list of animals and the slightly blurred but luxurious color spreads of animals on the run have solid child appeal. Other stories rooted in Buddhist tradition can be found in the Read-alikes feature "Beginning Buddhism" [BKL Ja 1 & 15 02]. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Maple Tree Press (September 7, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 189437939X
• ISBN-13: 978-1894379397
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,200,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jataka/Buddhist classic - great illustrations, November 7, 2007

By 

Ingela "Ingela" (Sydney, NSW) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Rumor: A Jataka Tale from India (Paperback)

Alot of Jataka stories for children have really second rate illustrations; they are just not inspiring. This one is a first class retelling of a Jataka/Buddhist classic, with really lovely illustrations to match the fantastic story. Basically, the moral lesson of the story (indicative of all Jataka stories) is that you should use your reason and decide things for yourself, rather than just doing or believing something because others say so. I was not blown away by this book (partly because there is alot of US spelling, which is a bit off-putting for my Aussie-English tastes) but I do think it is one of the few children's Dharma books (that I have seen) actually worth having. Suitable for age 2-8