"It's a surefire tale made splendid by gorgeous illustrations and bookmaking. . . As creatures accumulate in the jackal's belly, the stylized forms are cleverly, and beautifully, re-formed and rearranged, to excellent effect. Meticulously, the art is silkscreened onto sturdy kraft paper by a dozen printers (credited by name), and hand bound (the binders are also named)... a true work of art." - starred review, Horn Book Magazine

"Punchy writing and bold images make this a promising read-aloud prospect." -Publishers Weekly

Meet the most wily jackal in the forest. Too lazy to hunt for food, he decides to trick his friend the crane, and soon gets carried away, gobbling up every animal he encounters. This lighthearted story, told in cumulative rhyme, is an adaptation of an oral trickster tale from Rajasthan, India. It is illustrated in finger paintings by the talented Sunita, a young woman artist from the Meena tribe. Sunita adapts her traditional art form, Mandna, traditionally painted by women on the walls and floors of their village homes.

Each copy is made completely by hand.