Come gather round, young and old, and hear these stories from Africa, retold and illustrated by the incomparable Ashley Bryan. The fourteen stories in this collection are some of his favorites, previously published in The Ox of the Wonderful Horns; Beat the Story-Drum, Pum-Pum (Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration); and Lion and the Ostrich Chicks (Coretta Scott King Honor Book).
Retold with rich, musical narration, and illustrated with Mr. Bryan's distinctive paintings, these tales are full of fun and magic and a few lessons to be learned. They are tales of tricksters, chieftains, and both wise and foolish creatures. You will learn why Frog and Snake never play together, or why Bush Cow and Elephant are bad friends, or of the problems that a husband has because he likes to count spoonfuls. Although the stories come from many parts of Africa, they are full of the universal human spirit, to be shared and treasured for every generation, uh-huh.

 

This book is aimed at children in primary school.

There are 198 pages in this book. This book was published 2003 by Simon & Schuster .

Ashley Bryan is the illustrator of more than thirty titles, many of them with texts he also wrote, retold, or selected. His books have been richly acclaimed and highly honored. Beat the Story Drum, Pum-Pum won the Coretta Scott King Award, and four more of his titles have been selected Coretta Scott King Honor Books. Mr. Bryan lives on a small island off the coast of Maine.

This book has the following chapters: Ananse, the spider in search of a fool -- Frog and his two wives -- Elephant and Frog go courting -- Tortoise, Hare, and the sweet potatoes -- The ox of the wonderful horns -- Hen and Frog -- Why Bush Cow and Elephant are bad friends -- The husband who counted the spoonfuls -- Why Frog and Snake never play together -- How animals got their tails -- Lion and the ostrich chicks -- The son of the wind -- Jackal's favorite game -- The foolish boy.