Story Books

‘Gulliver’s Travels’ by Jonathan Swift is a masterpiece story. The book enjoys a unique status in the English literature as a travelogue, children’s storybook, a satire on the political state of affairs during the eighteenth-century England – the accolades, connectivity are endless. In short, Jonathan Swift’s classic is ageless, an all-time entertainer for the old and young at heart.

Happy Moments with Tenali is a collection of popular short stories about the well-known court jester from South India, Tenali Raman. Born in a Telgu family, Tenali Ramakrishna was one of the ashtadiggajas in the court of King Krishna Deva Raya. Though, there have been many court jesters who were known for their extraordinary sense of humour, Tenali Raman continues to be one of the top court jesters of India.

He lived peacefully with his wife Shaivya and son Rohitashva in his kingdom Ayodhya. But suddenly he fell prey to a terrible misfortune. The truthful King had to give away his kingdom and to sell his family to fulfil a promise he had made to the sage Vishwamitra. Mahatma Gandhi was deeply influenced by the virtues of telling the truth when he watched the play of King Harishchandra in his childhood days.

This book is a part of the AUP Mythology Series. Kumbhakarna is a highly interesting character in the Ramayana. He was the devil brother of Ravana, the King of Lanka. Kumbha means a kind of water pot; Karna means ear.

The Panchatantra tales are one of the earliest collection of fables ever written. The authorship of these stories is attributed to a learned Brahmin by the name of Pundit Vishnu Sharma who devised these tales for the purpose of instructing a king’s irresponsible sons in the art of kingship.

“All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn”, said Ernest Hemingway speaking about the great American classic by Mark Twain. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written as a sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, which itself is considered as one of the greatest American classics. It tells the story of Tom Sawyer’s friend Huck and the runaway slave Jim, and their exciting adventure as they travel down the Mississippi River.

We all are quite familiar with the image of the Laughing Buddha. Known to bring good luck, wealth and prosperity, his statue adorns many of our shelves and desks. Popularly known as ‘Hotei’ in Japan and ‘Budai’ or ‘Pu-Tai’ in China, this Chinese monk is a significant and popular symbol in Buddhist and Shinto culture. He is usually seen as the incarnation of Maitreya, the future Buddha.

The story revolves around Antonio, the merchant of Venice. Antonio borrows money from Shylock, the Jewish moneylender, in order to help his friend Bassanio to woo Portia, a rich heiress of Belmont. Shylock agrees to give the money without interest but makes a condition that if the loan is not repaid in three months, he will exact a pound of flesh from the merchant. Antonio agrees. He is confident that his ships will return in time.

‘The Ugly Duckling’, a popular fairy-tale, was written by Hans Christian Andersen. It was first published in 1843 as a part of a collection of stories titled New Fairy Tales and became instantly popular. It is a heart-warming story about a little duckling born in a farmyard whom no one loves because he is ugly.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a popular American children’s novel written by L. Frank Baum. The book, more commonly known in its shorter form, as The Wizard of Oz, was first published on May 17, 1900, and became an instant hit among the readers. The story is about Dorothy, a young orphan girl who lives with her uncle and aunt in the dull, grey city of Kansas, in the middle of a prairie. For miles around, she can see nothing but grassland. Dorothy’s only joy in life is her dog. Toto. She plays with him, all day long.