Larbi the mouse loved his pretty wife, Leila, working hard to provide her with all the beautiful things, from silver earrings to silk scarves, she desired. But when Leila takes a dip, one hot day, after a pleasant shopping expedition in the market, the foolish lady-mouse discovers that her decision to bathe fully clothed (for fear of someone stealing her finery), has serious consequences. As does her refusal to accept any help that might damage her beauty...

Although I am generally quite impatient with the "female vanity as cause of human misfortune" theme - sure, friend, it's the group with lesser power that has caused all these problems, throughout history - I actually found Larbi and Leila hilarious. Probably not the reaction that the original storyteller (and Harold Berson) were going for... But here you have a traditional Tunisian folktale, in which the female dies because she won't go skinny-dipping! Ha! I absolutely love it...

Note: sensitive younger readers may be quite distressed by the ending of this tale - with Larbi weeping over the drowned body of his very unwise wife - so please proceed accordingly, parents! ( )