Book excerpt: Meet the superstars of India’s animal kingdom! A crocodile who loves eating rice. A mule who won an award for bravery. A photogenic tigress who ruled Ranthambore. Swashbuckling monitor lizards. Rats believed to be the children of a goddess. Cuddly dogs who help nervous travellers. Five thousand punctual parrots... These and many other curious creatures, along with their equally curious human friends, inhabit the pages of this very curious book. Soar, crawl, hop and scamper about with them as they take you on a most unusual journey around the country. Cheerfully told and charmingly illustrated, these animal stories, collected from cities, jungles, rescue missions and maybe even your own neighbourhood, are funny, fascinating and downright adorable. And the best part? They’re all completely true!