This is a collection of some of Ruskin Bond's short classics, set in the hills and rural parts of India from the era of around 1950's or 60's. Grandfather's Private Zoo - about a family that owned a range of animals as their pets, Angry River - story of selfless friendship of two children, The Blue Umbrella - a girl whose pretty blue umbrella makes her the envy of the whole village, Ghost Trouble - a humorous personification of a ghost, Cricket for the Crocodile - a funny tale about the madness for cricket, Dust on the Mountain - the psyche behind rural people to explore the city life, The Road to the Bazaar - this has again a series of stories describing the contentment of village life. This book is a treat for children to relax, and grown-ups to go back to their childhood and simpler times.