Grandma and the Great Gourd: A Bengali Folktale

Once upon a time, in a little village in India, there lived an old woman whom everyone called Grandma. She loved gardening and had the best vegetable patch in the village. One day, Grandma received a letter from her daughter, who lived on the other side of the jungle.

“Please come and visit me,” said the letter. “I haven’t seen you in so long. I miss you.”

And so, Grandma begins a perilous journey to the far side of the jungle. Along the way, she encounters three very hungry animals: a sly ...