Wonder Teller
Cover of The Lambikin: A Gentle Retelling
Folktales & LegendsPicture bookLevel 3Ages 3–5

The Lambikin: A Gentle Retelling

English · 21 pages · 572 words · 5 min read

A gentle retelling for listeners ages 3–5 of the Punjabi tale “The Lambikin” from Joseph Jacobs’s Indian Fairy Tales (1892): a tiny lamb sings his way past a Jackal, a Vulture, a Tiger, a Wolf, a Dog, and an Eagle by promising to come back fatter from Granny’s, then rolls home hidden in a little drum, “Tum-pa, tum-too!”, until the sharp Jackal knows his voice.

Read first 4 pages
Original work by
Traditional; selected and edited by Joseph Jacobs
Adapted by
Wonder Teller

A look inside

The opening of The Lambikin: A Gentle Retelling, free to read.

  1. Illustration from page 2 of The Lambikin: A Gentle Retelling

    Far down a dusty path stood Granny’s house. Skip, hop, wobble! Along came Lambikin, a tiny lamb on shaky legs. Granny had treats, and he meant to eat every one.

  2. Illustration from page 3 of The Lambikin: A Gentle Retelling

    Rustle! Out of the grass stepped a Jackal, a thin wild dog with a hungry look. “Lambikin! Lambikin! I’ll EAT YOU!”

  3. Illustration from page 4 of The Lambikin: A Gentle Retelling

    Was Lambikin scared? Not a bit! “To Granny’s house I go, where I shall fatter grow, then you can eat me so,” he sang, kicking up his heels. “That sounds fair,” said the Jackal. “Off you go.”

More Folktales & Legends

Traditional fairy tales, fables, myths, and legends

See the whole library