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Speaking to an Elephant: and other tales from the Kadars
This collection of folklore features the world of the Kadars, a small indigenous community in south India. Originally narrated to the authors by Kadar elders, these stories recall ways of living in forest habitats that hold lessons for all those interested in regrowing our forests.
60 pages, Paperback
Published May 15, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 9, 2022
Fables from a community that i might have ancient roots in.
May 25, 2018
More than the stories, I love the design of the book and the beautiful Adi Chithra style artwork by Matthew Frame.
I love that Tara Books brings us art and stories from different parts of India (The Kadars, for example, are a 2000-strong indigenous tribe in the forests of Tamilnadu and Kerala). Their books look like works of art. I wish they would bring the same superior quality to their writing as well.
I love that Tara Books brings us art and stories from different parts of India (The Kadars, for example, are a 2000-strong indigenous tribe in the forests of Tamilnadu and Kerala). Their books look like works of art. I wish they would bring the same superior quality to their writing as well.
October 4, 2024
There are 5 stories of the the indigenous Kadars who live in the Western Ghats of Tamilnadu and Kerala. These stories are passed from Grandparents to grandchildren over the ages and embody the essence and wisdom of the forest and all that lives within them including the Kadars. The book is a work of art with top-notch design and illustrations. The stories are indigenous folktales (3*). 5* stars for the unusual design of the book and the lush alluring paintings of the forest and animals by Matthew Frame. This is the companion book of non-fiction on the Kadars Walking is a way of knowing.
October 27, 2025
A collection of stories from Kadur community, narrated by elderly through generations is compiled so carefully in this beautifully illustrated book! We need more of these stories told to us by our grandparents preserved and treasured in this manner!
September 30, 2018
A very enjoyable and unusual collection of folktales from the Kadars, an indigenous people living in South India. The book itself is a crafted work of book art, with smaller sized colored papers providing the bulk of the illustrations in between text pages. "Kadavul's Wedding" was my favorite, largely or the unusual concept of the "wedding" for the creator with no bride or groom, though it was also fun to see it was also a version of the story of why turtle's shell is cracked.
Book Pairings:
Walking is a Way of Knowing by the same authors is a great companion book for more of the world-view and way of life of the Kadars.
Book Pairings:
Walking is a Way of Knowing by the same authors is a great companion book for more of the world-view and way of life of the Kadars.
February 3, 2019
Five short tales explaining the kadars' worldview, which serve mainly as cosmogonic myths. They shed a light on this community's special relationship with the forests they dwell in, which give them shelter and food, and which they treat with respect in return. It's a very topical little book in terms of how we treat the Earth and where we're going with concerns such as climate change, extinction, pollution, deforestation, overexploitation of resources, etc.
July 19, 2026
The artwork blew me away completely, every page carrying the kind of detail you want to just sit with for a while. It's a collection of folklore from the Kadar community, stories passed down the way the best ones always are - mouth to ear, generation to generation, until they end up here on paper. The narration has this quality that makes you feel like you're sitting by a bonfire with your grandmother telling you these stories herself - unhurried, warm, a little magical.
It's less a book you read and more one you're told, and that difference is what makes it stick.
It's less a book you read and more one you're told, and that difference is what makes it stick.
December 25, 2019
A very precious book to have. I can definitely recommend it to anyone who likes myths and short-stories.
September 14, 2020
This is an endearing collection of short tales from the world of Kadars - the forest-dwelling people from South India. The characters in these stories are the animals, birds, and insects. Their setting, the forest. There are no villains - even ‘Pithakannu’ the leopard, though feared, does not harm anyone in these stories. Every character has an angle and all are equally important. There are only happy endings but no morals. But they do have enough drama to kindle the imagination of kids. My daughters and I enjoyed reading and still continue to read these. It is perhaps the Kadars' simple and direct understanding of the forest - its ways and the diverse life forms - that makes these fantastic tales.
I cannot help but compare this with the contemporary beliefs and discourses about animals in pop culture. Wily wolves, cunning foxes, vultures that feast on the flesh, owls that are bad omen, etc. Even donkeys, dogs, garden lizards, skinks, and worms get bad press. Would these help create in children, a favourable opinion of these animals, birds, and insects? How many times in the recent past have we witnessed horrific scenes of a stray leopard being stoned and mauled to death by frenzy mobs? Elephants being traumatised? I think we need to be a lot more considerate to these (and other) fellow-beings, and that consideration should reflect in the stories we tell children. This could help build empathy and care for the beings and the environment in general.
The authors have done a wonderful job of transferring that same directness and simplicity from the Kadars’ language to this book, for those are the qualities that strikes one reading it. Lovely illustrations go hand-in-hand with that. We need to preserve these tales, and most of all, treasure the wisdom of Kadars for our own redemption.
I cannot help but compare this with the contemporary beliefs and discourses about animals in pop culture. Wily wolves, cunning foxes, vultures that feast on the flesh, owls that are bad omen, etc. Even donkeys, dogs, garden lizards, skinks, and worms get bad press. Would these help create in children, a favourable opinion of these animals, birds, and insects? How many times in the recent past have we witnessed horrific scenes of a stray leopard being stoned and mauled to death by frenzy mobs? Elephants being traumatised? I think we need to be a lot more considerate to these (and other) fellow-beings, and that consideration should reflect in the stories we tell children. This could help build empathy and care for the beings and the environment in general.
The authors have done a wonderful job of transferring that same directness and simplicity from the Kadars’ language to this book, for those are the qualities that strikes one reading it. Lovely illustrations go hand-in-hand with that. We need to preserve these tales, and most of all, treasure the wisdom of Kadars for our own redemption.
April 8, 2018
Speaking To An Elephant is a collection of five short stories from the Kadar forest. The fables in Speaking To An Elephant deal with themes around benevolence, gratitude and co-existence. Kadavul, the creator, in these stories is portrayed as a benevolent father who gives generously but also disciplines.
Speaking to an Elephant with its rich and intricate illustrations captures the dark and dense undergrowth and wildlife of the Indian tropical rainforest. Just like the unexpectedness of the jungle, the fantastic swatches of design popping out at the turn of every page adds to the fantastical quality of these images. These sketches of the flora and fauna, Aamai the tortoise, Ongal the hornbill and Pithakannu the leopard add surprise and intrigue to the narrative. Most interestingly, human figures seem to be missing from these representations, perhaps indicating that the jungle, unlike the rest of the world, is not centred around humans.
I found that there was a lot to discover in these drawings, the more attention you paid them. In true Tara books style, each of the five stories are also bookended by mesmerising black and white full page illustrations. In case you didn’t know, Tara books in their own words “is pushing the boundaries of the book form”. To them design is not an embellishment; it is basic to how a book creates meaning. Though it seemed whimsical to me at first to have such a heavily illustrated book, once I entered the forest through the first page, the illustrations transported me to that sticky hot tropical jungle where the breeze is busy playing among the treetops. Read more of this review on fictionhead.in
Speaking to an Elephant with its rich and intricate illustrations captures the dark and dense undergrowth and wildlife of the Indian tropical rainforest. Just like the unexpectedness of the jungle, the fantastic swatches of design popping out at the turn of every page adds to the fantastical quality of these images. These sketches of the flora and fauna, Aamai the tortoise, Ongal the hornbill and Pithakannu the leopard add surprise and intrigue to the narrative. Most interestingly, human figures seem to be missing from these representations, perhaps indicating that the jungle, unlike the rest of the world, is not centred around humans.
I found that there was a lot to discover in these drawings, the more attention you paid them. In true Tara books style, each of the five stories are also bookended by mesmerising black and white full page illustrations. In case you didn’t know, Tara books in their own words “is pushing the boundaries of the book form”. To them design is not an embellishment; it is basic to how a book creates meaning. Though it seemed whimsical to me at first to have such a heavily illustrated book, once I entered the forest through the first page, the illustrations transported me to that sticky hot tropical jungle where the breeze is busy playing among the treetops. Read more of this review on fictionhead.in
March 1, 2018
This beautifully illustrated, slim volume contains a remarkable collection of folk tales of the Kadar people--the original forest people of the Anamalai in the Western Ghats mountains of southern India. Manish Chandi and Madhuri Ramesh, in their retelling of these oral narratives of the Kadar bring readers into the rich imaginative, cultural, and natural worlds of the Kadar. Originally hunter-gatherers, the Kadar today live in forest villages gathering and selling forest produce, cultivating cardamom and other crops, working in nearby plantation estates or assisting scientists in field research, and employed in other occupations and professions in town and city as they integrate with the wider world on their own terms.
The five stories in this book, a sample of a much larger repertoire of the Kadar, are well chosen and absorbing tales: 'God's Feast', 'How the Kadars and Elephants Became Friends', Kadavul's Wedding', 'The Grasshopper and the Mouse Deer', and 'The Forest is Our Home'. They provide glimpses into the Kadar's ways of life in the forest, their immersive and deeply connected world view of the forest as their home, and how they coexist with an astonishing diversity of plants and animals that share the land with them.
The book is available in Tamil translation, too. The extraordinary artwork by Matthew Frame beautifully embellishes the stories and makes this book something to collect, read, and cherish.
The five stories in this book, a sample of a much larger repertoire of the Kadar, are well chosen and absorbing tales: 'God's Feast', 'How the Kadars and Elephants Became Friends', Kadavul's Wedding', 'The Grasshopper and the Mouse Deer', and 'The Forest is Our Home'. They provide glimpses into the Kadar's ways of life in the forest, their immersive and deeply connected world view of the forest as their home, and how they coexist with an astonishing diversity of plants and animals that share the land with them.
The book is available in Tamil translation, too. The extraordinary artwork by Matthew Frame beautifully embellishes the stories and makes this book something to collect, read, and cherish.
September 3, 2018
A beautifully illustrated tiny tome with a handful of stories that leave you yearning for more.
November 14, 2018
Collection of folktales from a people group in South India. The illustrations are half pages intertwined with the full page story- an interesting style! It adds to the enjoyment I think.
April 25, 2019
Gorgeous illustrations.
November 17, 2019
Beautifully narrated, geniously illustrated. What's not to love?
May 16, 2025
A collection of stories of the forest, from the storytellers of Kadars with illustrations.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews