"Under the Great Plum Tree" by Sufiya Ahmed and Reza Dalvand (Tiny Owl)

Growing up in a part of London that was ethnically diverse, rich with many cultural influences that made their way into school, I've always been drawn to stories from around the world - particularly India and the Far East.

That's why I'm always delighted to see publishers like Tiny Owl bringing those stories to the west, stories that are colourful, vibrant and gloriously descriptive.

That's a very good way to describe the reinvention of a classic "World Story" - "Under the Great Plum Tree" by Safiya Ahmed and Reza Dalvand.

Safiya and Reza have woven a beautiful book that tells the classic fable of The Monkey and the Crocodile - a story that can be found in several countries and cultures in one form or another.

Reworked and revised, this version of the story begins with an unlikely friendship between Miss Bandari and Mr Magarmach, which forms when the pair meet under the great plum tree, deep in the heart of India. 

Mr Magarmach is old and his hunting days are over but Miss Bandari loves hearing his stories as they munch plums together. One day their friendship is tested but with courage, trust and forgiveness they discover that living happily together tastes just as sweet as Miss Bandari’s golden plums.

As previously mentioned, this story can be found as a fable from the Panchatantra, an ancient Indian collection of animal fables dated to 300 BCE but it’s also a tale found in many culstures from Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, China, Japan and the Caribbean. Ripe with just the right amount of cheeky humour, with a sage message of friendship and tolerance tweaked in too. Gorgeous work!

Sum this book up in a sentence: An amazing book, perfect for reinvigorating early years reading when traditional 'western' subjects get a bit samey (which they unfortunately often do). 

"Under the Great Plum Tree" by Sufiya Ahmed and Reza Dalvand is out now, published by Tiny Owl Books (kindly supplied for review).