"When Hippo Was Hairy" is just one of the thirty-six fascinating stories about African animals in this imaginative book. The folklore and mythology of the African people have been handed down by word of mouth through generations of tribal life. In a land which, until very recently, teemed with the richest wildlife in the world, people and animals lived for centuries in close proximity to one another, and came to know and understand each other intimately. African folk tales reflect this special relationship. Nick Greaves, who lives in Zimbabwe, has studied the traditional animal stories of different tribes from many parts of the continent. In this book, he records some of the best. There are tales about Lion, Cheetah, Hyena, Elephant, and many others. Some are humorous, some sad, but all make compelling reading. Not only do they preserve for all time Africa's animal folklore, they also provide a fascinating, vivid, exciting picture of a land and its people. Each animal has been painted in brilliant detail and colourful, realistic style by Rod Clement, and nearly every story is illustrated by his lively sketches. After the stories about each animal, there is factual information about the animal's habits, lifespan, size, gestation period and other useful and interesting details. This is complemented by a map of Africa showing where the animal still lives today. This is a unique book of stories, paintings and facts about one of the world's great heritages - the wildlife of Africa - presented in a way that will entertain all ages and tastes and, hopefully, help to preserve that heritage too.

 

There are 144 pages in this book. This book was published 1990 by James Clarke & Co Ltd .

Nick Greaves was born and educated in England, where he studied geology and environmental sciences before leaving to work in southern Africa. His work as a geologist took him to many of the remote and unspoiled regions of south Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Southern Africa. There he developed a lasting fascination for the wildlife and its varied, often fragile habitat. He now lives in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Rod Clement is a renowned author, illustrator and cartoonist. He has written and illustrated Grandad's Teeth, Just Another Ordinary Day and Feathers for Phoebe, and illustrated Edward the Emu and Edwina the Emu, both written by Sheena Knowles. He is also the cartoonist for several Australian newspapers. He lives in Sydney, Australia.

This book has the following chapters: Acknowledgements Introduction General Information In the Beginning Why does the Lion Roar? (A Batonka story) Why the Lion does not eat Fruit? (A Hambakushu story) Facts about Lions The Dreadful Crime of Kadima the Hare (A Hambakushu story) Why Why the Leopard Hides his Food up a Tree (A Ndebele story) Facts about Leopards How Cheetah got his Speed (A Bushman story) Why the Cheeks of the Cheetah are Stained with Tears (A Zulu story) Facts about Cheetahs The Revenge of Wild Dog (Ndebele story) Facts about Wild Dogs The Greedy Hyena (A Shona story) Facts about Hyenas The Tree-climbing Jackal (A story from Swaziland) How Jackal got his Markings (A Hottentot story) The day Jackal Fooled the King of Beasts (A Zulu story) Facts about Jackals Elephant Learns some Manners (A Shona story) The Elephant and the rain (An ancient Bushman story) Facts about Elephants Why Rhino scatters his Dung (A Batonka story) The Lost Quill (A Ndebele story) Facts about Rhinoceros No Fish for the Hippo (A Bushman story) When Hippo was Hairy (A Ndebele story) Facts about Hippopotamus The Day of the Hunting Buffalo (A Bushman story) Facts about Buffalo The day Baboon outwitted Leopard (A Zulu story) Facts about Baboons Why Giraffe and the Oxpecker are Good Friends (A Bushman legend) Why the Giraffe has a Long Neck (An East African story) The Giraffein the Sky (An ancient Bushman legend) Facts about Giraffes Why Waterbuck helped Crocodile (A Makushu story from the Okavango) How the Waterbuck got its White Circle Facts about Waterbucks The First Zebra (A tale from the Angoni of Central Africa) How the Zebra got his Stripes (A Zulu story) Facts about Zebras How Tsessebe got his Peculiar Horns (A Bushman story) Facts about Tsessebe Why the Wart Hog goes about on his Knees (A Zulu story) Why Wart Hog is so Ugly (A story from East Africa) Facts about Wart Hogs The Race that was Rigged (A Swazi story) The Tug-of-War (An Ndebele story) Facts about Hares Why the Dassie has no Tail (A Xhosa fable) Facts about Dassies The Foolishness of the Ostrich (A Bushman legend) Why Ostrich has a Long Neck (A Sesotho story) The Ostrich and her Chicks (A tale from the Masai) Facts about Ostriches The Living Stones (A Swazi legend) Facts about Tortoises Glossary Bibliiography