A tortoise and a woodpecker plot together to save their friend, the deer, from a hunter’s trap. A crocodile wants to eat a monkey but he doesn’t realise how clever monkeys are. A jackal overhears a priest’s words and decides to take over the kingdom of Varanasi. The Jatakas are part of the Buddhist tradition. They tell the story of Buddha’s previous lives, as a Bodhisattva. They were originally written in Pali, between the third century BC and the fifth century AD. The animals in these stories act as stand-ins for human beings, with many of the same virtues, faults and emotions. Written and illustrated with humour, every story serves to remind the reader that greed and selfishness will always be punished, and that compassion and honesty will be rewarded.<\/p>\n\n