Reading Notes: More Jataka Tales Part B

Reading Notes from More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbit (click here for a full list of the tales in Part B)

My favorite story from this part was The Elephant and The Dog. Their friendship was very beautiful, and I'd like to capture that same loving camaraderie in my own retelling of the story. I prefer having human characters in my story (find it easier to portray emotions and dialogue that way), so I think I will change the elephant into a princess and the dog into her servant. That's the only possible way I can think of justifying the elephant and dog's separation in my retelling, because servants used to be given as gifts to other nobles. At the end of my story, I'd like the servant to become a free woman and serve the princess as her most trusted advisor. I'm very excited to tell this story!

(Two smiling women, the friendship in this picture gives the same feeling that I want for the princess and her friend in my story. Wikimedia Commons)