The Blue Jackal

Written by Shobha Viswanath

Narrated by Naseeruddin Shah

One day, a jackal wakes up to find that his fur has turned blue and decides to take advantage of the situation. Adapted by Shobha Viswanath with rich artwork by Dileep Joshi in Warli, this book is an unforgettable visual experience.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Storyside IN
• Release date: Jan 29, 2021
• ISBN: 9788181900340

Reviews for The Blue Jackal

[janeslist · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book as part of the Librarything Early Reviewer program. This children's book is a retelling of an Indian folk tale, with illustrations based on a traditional style. Juno the Jackal accidentally colors himself blue while hiding from guard dogs, and then for a while convinces the forest animals that he is king. The illustrations are high contrast (white lines on purple and maroon backgrounds) and interesting. It did take me a while to figure out which animal in the pictures was the main character, but I think that could be part of the fun. The text is done in rhythmic rhyming, which I like and look forward to reading out loud, but there were definitely a couple spots where the rhythm didn't scan quite right for me. Otherwise, a fun little book.

[librarianshannon_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Viswanath’s retelling of The Blue Jackal is in rhyme, making it enjoyable to read aloud. Children can search for Juno the jackal on each page, who becomes blue after falling in a vat of Indigo. The other animals, who once abused and neglected him, now think Juno must be a god and seek to obey his orders. But what will happen as Juno’s real color starts showing?This children’s book recounts a tale from the Panchatantra, a 3rd century Indian literature consisting of five books of animal fables. They are much like Aesop’s fables, delving into difficult topics like morality, philosophy, and ethics. This tale is from the first book, The Separation of Friends, which is the longest book in the set. Though I am interested in fables, it was the illustrations that attracted me to this book. Burgundy and violet dominate with white-painted figures and landscapes to tell the tale, and an Indigo-dyed jackal throughout. The illustrations are done in the painting style of the Warli. The Warli tribe on the outskirts of Mumbai has had little outside influence and their artwork was only discovered in the 1970s.Their paintings resemble prehistoric cave paintings, but they are far more complex and offer details into both animal and human communities and relationships. The paintings are done inside their huts, with walls made of earth, branches, and cow dung. This must count for the rich burgundy background. The white pigment is painted on using a bamboo stick, providing a painterly quality stroke with little fine detail. The limited color palette and simple illustrations are expected in a children’s book, but they also help readers absorb a rather serious tale about contempt.

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Indian author Shobha Viswanath and artist Dileep Joshi join forces in this rhyming picture-book retelling of a tale from The Panchatantra, an ancient Sanskrit collection of animal fables dating back to the second century BCE. The narrative follows the much-bullied Jumo the jackal as his fortunes rise and fall. Bullied by the other jackals, and constantly hungry, Jumo finds himself approaching a human village one night, and is chased by the dogs until he seeks refuge in a dyer's hut. Here he falls into a pot of indigo dye, and emerges a bright blue shade. Made king of the animals in the nearby forest, he banishes all of the jackals who tormented him, only to find himself joining in their howling one night. His true identity revealed, Jumo himself is chased from the jungle, but revels in the fact that he once was king...Although I am familiar with The Panchantantra, also known in the English-speaking world as The Fables of Bidpai, as well as with its Arabic/Persian adaptation, Kalīla wa-Dimna, I have never actually read any translation of the collection, and this despite my interest in folklore and fable. Clearly, this will need to be remedied! I found Viswanath's retelling here engaging, and think that her rhyming text would make for an excellent read-aloud, whether at story-time, or during a bedtime reading session. The accompanying artwork from Joshi, done in the style of the Warli people, with white painting on a maroon or purple background, was very striking, and is sure to hold the reader's attention. I myself found it lovely, and really appreciated the folk-art aesthetic of it, and the sense, almost of pictograms, that it was a language of its own kind. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for animal fables and/or stories with an Indian cultural setting.

[lizzyslibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a folk story retelling with such beautiful artwork that I could stare at it for hours. Seems to be for early elementary age children, but is both told and illustrated in such a way that I think both younger and older children would enjoy it.

[kesterbird · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The drawings/art style is really just riviting- we spent some period of an hour or more inventing stories about all the background critters and why the tiger looks so upset, and afterword found ourselves researching the group the style is derived from. Wonderful. the story was a tad disappointing, in comparison.

[rdg301library · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is a retelling of a fable from India. The illustrations by Dileep Joshi were inspired by the art of the Warli tribe in western India. Their paintings use only white (from rice flour) on a mud background that is often the reddish-brown color of most of the pages of the book.The story, about a jackal who is bullied until he falls in a vat of blue dye and is treated like a king, is told in rhyme, making it more accessible for younger children. This will be a great multicultural addition to a traditional literature collection for teachers and libraries.

[vintage_books_baby · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book in exchange for a review.Re-written from a 3rd Century BCE Indian fable, The Blue Jackal is a story set to rhyme. Juno, a small jackal, is not included in the jackal activities. He was the runt of the litter and often left hungry in the forest.One day Juno tries to chase animals for food in the nearby village and is chased by dogs. He falls into a vat of blue dye and becomes a blue jackal. Returning to his forest home, he is thought to be a King and is treated with reverence, respect and food by the other animals.Juno runs with this story, and starts acting like the King who is a Jackal. What does he do? How does he treat his family? What happens to him when the rain falls and the dye is washed out of his fur?I loved this book. The book size is comfortable for small hands, well-bound, and I particularly liked the artwork. The rhyming was good, but wasn't as smooth as I expected, with a few hiccups. I give this book 5 stars.My six year old daughter said "the artwork scared her" and that she was going to have nightmares because the animals were scary. (She didn't). She didn't seem to like the story too much, but maybe she was wanted to hear the next book before bedtime. She gave it 3 stars. To compromise, I gave the book 4 stars.In summary, I felt this was a GREAT book, but parents might want to check the maturity of their children due to the artwork, which may scare them.

[rosenectur · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The artwork is wonderful (and there is a nice explanation of the style and history of the art in the back of the book.) The story it written in a nice rhyming format and is a cute story. The five year old enjoyed it a lot. She really enjoying the pictures of the different types of animals and pointed them out to me, "That one is a lion." "That one is a giraffe."