Clever Prince Veera and his best friend, Suku, are back in a vibrant new collection of stories riddled with surprises. When the prince’s great uncle, Raja Apoorva, invites the boys to the summer festival in Peetalpur, Prince Veera and Suku are excited to compete in the games. It’s no easy feat to make the peahen sing (when peahens can’t sing) or defeat the country’s champion wrestler, but Raja Apoorva’s riddles prove the ultimate test of the boys’ wit and wisdom. Who owns the tree that provides the palace figs? What intruder dared pull the Raja’s beard? And what are the secrets of the holy man and the astronomer? Packed with glorious trickster tradition and wise-cracking dialogue, these festive tales of two fast-thinking friends will captivate listeners of all ages.

Being a wise and just ruler is no easy task. That’s what Prince Veera discovers when he and his best friend, Suku, are given the opportunity to preside over the court of his father, King Bheema. Some of the subjects’ complaints are easily addressed, but others are much more challenging. How should they handle the case of the greedy merchant who wishes to charge people for enjoying the smells of his sweets? And can they prove that an innocent man cannot possibly spread bad luck? Will Prince Veera and Suku be able to settle the dispute between a man and his neighbor to whom he sells a well–but not the water in it? Or solve the mystery of the jewels that have turned into pickles? These eight original tales by Chitra Soundar task Veera and Suku with outwitting the kingdom’s greediest, wiliest subjects. Are the two clever boys up to the challenge?

Sona Sharma’s house is full of three generations of people who joke often and argue sometimes. Relatives come over unannounced, the phone rings frequently, and friends drop by all the time. Then one day, Amma tells Sona that she is going to have a baby. Is that good? Sona isn’t so sure. She doesn’t want to share her room or her things with a new baby, not to mention the attention of Amma, Appa, Thatha, and Paatti. And despite Amma’s assurance that the sky always has room for new stars, Sona doesn’t feel stretchy or big-hearted like the sky. But when she learns there will be a baby-naming ceremony, she’s determined to find the best name for her new brother or sister–one as nice as her own, a Hindi word for “gold.”