Tiny Owl Publishing Ltd Under The Great Plum Tree

An unlikely friendship between Miss Bandari and Mr Magarmach forms when the pair meet at the foot of a plum tree deep in the heart of India. Mr Magarmach is old and his hunting days are over but Miss Bandari loves hearing his stories as they munch plums together. One day their friendship is tested but with courage, trust and forgiveness they discover that living happily together tastes just as sweet as Miss Bandari’s golden plums.

The story of the monkey and the crocodile is a fable from the Panchatantra, an ancient Indian collection of animal fables dated to 300 BCE. But it’s a tale from around the world and versions can be found in Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, China, Japan and the Caribbean.

About the Author

Sufiya Ahmed was born in India and arrived in the UK as a baby. She lived in Bolton, Lancashire, before moving to London where she still lives. Sufiya has worked in advertising and in the House of Commons, but is now a full-time author. In 2010 Sufiya set up the BIBI Foundation, a non-profit organisation, to arrange visits to the Houses of Parliament for diverse and underprivileged school children. She wrote this book about a kind-hearted bandari and a silly old magarmach after listening to her mother’s tales about the Indian jungle.

About the illustrator

Reza Dalvand was born in 1989 in Iran. As a child, he had only one idea in mind: to draw. After studying graphic design at the Isfahan University of Fine Arts, he obtained a master’s degree in illustration at the University of Tehran. An llustrator and author of children’s books, he has published several children’s books in Persian, French, German and Japanese in Asia and Europe.