The children of a village in Bengal take the cows to graze in a forest. They like going to the forest especially for its beautiful banyan tree. They climb it, swing from it, play in its shade . . . they love it. A bad tempered snake lives under the banyan tree. One day it bites a cow and the children are afraid. The snake too is unhappy until he learns the secret of life from a wandering monk. The charming, evocative drawings are adapted from the Kalighat style of painting popular in Bengal. They have strong brush lines filled in with watercolour.