'Too often, the picture that we get of African countries is a bleak one, and we see little of the joy and humour which is so immediately and strikingly evident to any visitor to that part of the world.' Alexander McCall Smith From the wild plains of Sudan to a village in Cameroon, this collection of stories gathers together folk tales from many different African traditions. Over forty stories are narrated in a lively, conversational style and accompanied by vibrant colour illustrations. Discover how man lost his tail, puzzle over riddles, and meet a variety of animals from the lazy rabbit to the wicked leopard. These magical tales are ideal read-aloud bedtime stories for children aged 7 and up, or for older ones to read to themselves.

 

This book has been graded for interest at 7-10 years.

There are 96 pages in this book. It is an anthology. This book was published 2009 by Floris Books .

Alexander McCall Smith grew up in Zimbabwe and then moved to Scotland. He is a professor of Medical Law and has written over 50 books, including the well-loved and best-selling No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. He lives in Edinburgh. Magdalene Sacranie first visited Malawi as a physiotherapist with VSO in 1969. There she met her husband, and became captivated by the warmth of the people and their rich cultural heritage. In 2005 she started fundraising for the Children's Fund of Malawi. Alexander McCall Smith is the bestselling author of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series of books, set in Botswana.

This book has the following chapters: Foreword by Alexander McCall Smith Introduction How Wisdom Was Spread - Ghana The Basket of Dreams - South Africa How Tortoise Got His Shell - Nigeria The Two Brothers - Cameroon The Hunter, the Egg, the Broom and the Stone - Congo The Bull and the Woman - South Africa The Lost Amulet - Malawi The Beautiful Bird - Swaziland Dilemma Tales - Liberia, Uganda The Tale of Mr Little-Hare - Zambia The Garden - Tanzania The Quick-thinking Hyena - Senegal The Crocodile and the Monkey - Kenya The Lord-of-the-Rain's Daughter - East Africa The Punishment of the Elephants - Sudan Elephant, Hippopotamus and Clever Tortoise - Zaire The Lovely Ten - Mali Jackal and Little Bush Pig - North Africa The Quarrel Between Earth and Sky - Nigeria Father, Son and Donkey - Ghana Trickster Hare and the Water Hole - West Africa The Toad and the Frog - Cameroon Old Tinderbox - South Africa Three Short Tales from Malawi - Malawi Sun, Wind and Cloud - East Africa The Fisherman and the Ring - Malawi The Proud Horse - Sudan The Wise Old Father - Zambia Tortoise and Baboon Match Tricks - West Africa Lord of the Jungle - Nigeria Mr Leopard and Little Goat - Mali Tako the Tortoise and Guye the Hornbill - Ghana How Hare Got His Split Lip - South Africa The Quarrel -East Africa The Wicked Leopardess and the Clever Sheep - Nigeria God's Hat - West Africa How the Friendship Between Hawk and Fowl Ended - Ghana The White Bird - South Africa The Seven Bridegrooms - Malawi Acknowledgements Bibliography The Children's Fund of Malawi