"I have enjoyed the stories that Dr. Mary Joseph has included in this beautifully illustrated book. She tells them the way a grandmother would tell tales to her grandchildren. “Some of the stories appeared in first standard Malayalam text books before Indian Independence; they slowly gave way to stories of the freedom fighters, Mahathma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and others, to foster a spirit of patriotism in the young Republic. ‘The Elephant Never Forgets’ reminds me of my car driver, who skirted around a snake crawling on the road and promptly explained that in the Indian Army, he was taught never to hurt even an animal if it was not going to attack. “I am glad these stories have been translated into English for future generations to enjoy.

— V. T. Thomas (Toms) Kerala cartoonist & creator of "Boban and Molly"

"These tales bring back childhood memories of evenings in Kerala with the sun setting slowly behind the rubber trees, pigeons finding their way home and fluttering into the dove cote above the gate post, cows being led back to their stalls from the pasture and hens being shooed into the henhouse, the children too straggled reluctantly back from the courtyard and, washed and fed, sat contentedly around their grandmother to listen to her well loved, oft repeated stories. This charming illustrated book bring these stories alive again, stories about simple village folk, and about the familiar animals and birds of the Kerala countryside. How we laughed approvingly as the elephant took its little revenge on the teasing tailor and with what apprehension we followed the lump of mud and dry leaf on their perilous journey to Benares. Many a toddler slowly closed their eyes in sleep to the rhythmic narration of the pigeon’s heroic battle to get her eggs back from the thieving carpenter family. With its simple story telling and eye catching illustrations, it offers the children of today a delightful glimpse of the sights and sound of rural Kerala of not too long ago."

— Teresa Bhattacharya Chief Secretary of Karnataka 2001-2002