Daily Times

Oxford University Press (OUP) has recently published five new books, the details of which are as follows.

Kitabon ki Kehkashan

Beautifully illustrated in full colour, the stories in Kitabon ki Kehkashan are written in a lively and engaging manner. Wide ranging in subject matter, the inspiration behind them is the storytelling tradition passed on down the generations. Most of the stories in this collection carry a moral lesson, thus serving the dual purpose of entertainment and education.

Thori Tara Maathay Chand

Asif Farrukhi

Thori Tara Maathay Chand is a captivating story about three women, namely Jannat Bibi and her stepmother and stepsister. Jannat is mistreated by them and not given enough to eat. The girl is helped by her cow in more ways than one. It so happens that an old man is so pleased with Jannat for a kindly act that he bestows a prayer on her and a star begins to glow on her chin and a moon shines on her forehead. Seeing this, the stepmother and stepsister become very jealous and they scheme against her. Is their plan successful? What happens to Jannat Bibi? Read the story to find out.

Peir ki Paheli

Fahmida Riaz

This interesting riddle was finally solved by little Tao-chi who lived in the jungle. Who helped him in solving the riddle? What problems did he face? Read the story to find out.

Rehamdil Madari

Naheed Khan

The story revolves round a man and his monkey. Young readers will get an insight into how he entertains his audience by making the monkey perform various tricks and why it obeys him. The lesson that the story conveys is that animals should be treated with love and kindness.

Ullu aur Kawwa

Intizar Husain

The birds of the jungle feel that they need someone to unite them; they choose the owl as their king. They also consult the crow who tells them a story and the birds decide that they don’t need a king. The owl is very angry with the crow and the enmity between the two continues to this day. This is an absorbing tale written by the well-known writer Intizar Husain.

Bi Putki

Asif Farrukhi

This amusing tale is about a tiny little girl and her comical adventures in a grand palace. This is one of the stories that writer Asif Farrukhi heard from his grandmother when he was a child. He is a well-known author, translator, and literary critic who has not only written short stories for adults but also for children.

Published in Daily Times, June 24^th 2018.