Great Illustrated Animal Stories in Western Literature

The one book with a multi-layered approach is A. A. Milne's "Winnie the Pooh" stories. In addition to the honey loving Winnie the bear, the other characters are the bossy Rabbit, the anxious Piglet, the wise Owl, the depressive Eeyore, the mother Kanga & her son Roo, (making the kangaroo pair) & the ever bouncing Tigger. Looking after this menagerie is the boy Christopher Robin. "Decorations" by E. H. Shepard are integral to the books.

The first books to be loved by very young children were the ones by Beatrix Potter, who insisted that the books be small to suit children's hands. Her artwork was in a class of her own. Not only Peter Rabbit but other animals & birds appear in her stories.

The Little Grey Rabbit stories written by Alison Uttley & illustrated by Margaret Tempest brought to life the unselfish Little Grey Rabbit, the boastful Hare, the vain Squirrel, the Hedgehog family, postman Robin, Moldy Warp the mole, & again the wise Owl (like in Winnie).

Probably the most attractive books with incredibly detailed illustrations are the Brambley Hedge books featuring adorable mice, written & illustrated by Jill Barklem.

Even though "The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame was not conceived initially as an illustrated book, it must be mentioned that the edition with the impressionist illustrations by Inga Moore, is really out of this world.

Soundaryalahari (Attributed to Sri Shankaracharya.)

This work comprises 100 verses, the first 41 verses purely devotional in nature & the rest describing the physical beauty of the Divine Mother. As Swami Vivekananda said "The Absolute is formless, but energy is female. When the energy takes form, it is called 'Mother.' Mother is the moving power, disturbing into waves the water-calm of the Absolute." It is also a tantric text giving the yantras, their description, details & benefits for all the 100 verses.

The unique aspect of the work is the celebration of idealised feminine beauty according to the norms of classical Sanskrit poetry (from verse 42 onwards) but as adoration of the Divine Mother.

A similar adoration of Divine feminine beauty is celebrated in Western Art by artists ranging from Giotto di Bondone to the celebrated Renaissance triumvirate of Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo Buonarotti & Raphael Sanzio in their adoration inspiring Madonnas holding the Infant Christ. The spiritual radiance in the countenance of the Virgin Mary in their paintings is luminous.

Invaluable Historical Handbooks

The Domesday Book (1086) is one of the most famous documents in English history. It was compiled towards the end of William the Conquerer's life, after the Norman Conquest of England, when he commissioned surveyors to travel the length & breadth of the country, itemising the 'possessions of each of the magnates, their lands, their habitations, their men.' Few countries have an equivalent historical resource. (From "The Penguin Classics Book" by Henry Eliot.) It's usefulness & relevance can be gauged by the fact that it is still in print.

Sri. D. V. Gundappa (DVG) compiled a "Mysore  Mirror" for the year 1915. It was first prepared in English & later translated into Kannada. He writes in the preface that necessary development activities cannot be undertaken without first having an exact picture of the present. This is presented in the table of contents listing the geographical area, climate, flora & fauna, minerals, population (with various types of break-up), religions, language, history, livelihoods, industries, trade, education, government (including legislative, executive & judiciary) & detailed, meticulous, quantitative presentation of the above. It gives an exact objective picture of the state on that year & is an invaluable source book. This occupies 130 pages in the last section of the last of the 11 volumes of DVG's complete works in Kannada.