Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Reading Notes: Babbitt. Jataka Tales, Part B

These are my reading notes for Part B of The Jataka tales retold for children.

I thought the story, "The Elephant Girly-Face," was an interesting one.  A good and kind elephant named Girly-Face would never have hurt a fly.  But, one night he overheard some robbers saying that they must not be afraid to kill.  They will go into the house and kill anyone that awakens.  Girly-Face overheard this and thought it is how he should act.  So the next day he killed two of his keepers.  The king was surprised to hear this and decided the elephant had probably heard some bad talk.  So, the kind sent some men over to talk about how hurting and killing people is wrong.  Girly-Face overheard this and decided it is how he must act again.

I also liked, "The Ox Who Never Envied the Pig."  There were two brother oxes.  The younger brother noticed how a pig had been eating a lot of really good food lately.  HE complained to his older brother that it is unfair that the pig gets to eat all that and he and his brother do all the work while only eating straw and grass.  The older brother told him not to be jealous and that the big was being fattened to be slaughtered.  Sure enough the pig was killed to be eaten and the younger brother was suddenly happy to be working hard and eating his boring food!

"Girly-Face" (Max Pixel)


 
Bibliography:
Jataka Tales by Ellen Babbitt. Link.

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