Bringing together twelve stories from Thakurmar Jhuli, originally compiled by Dakshinaranjan Mitra Majumdar in 1907, this book opens a window to the true spirit of grandmother's yarns. From 'Dalim Kumar', the story of a prince who has to match his wits against a demoness to save his brothers to 'Fox the Schoolteacher', a morbid tale about a wily fox whose evil deeds leads to his own downfall, these stories are told in a language that is simple and full of rhymes and songs.

Originating in centuries-old tales passed down through generations in the villages of Bengal, the collection recovers the fast-disappearing heritage of traditional fairytales that were once an oral legacy of every child in India. These twelve stories-freshly translated for the volume and accompanied by evocative line drawings-capture the spirit of the original stories while retaining their readability.