African Folk Tales

A delight for readers and listeners of all ages, these 25 traditional tales from West Africa were originally accompanied by music and dance. The stories' drama and folk wisdom shine through in these captivating retellings, which are illustrated by evocative woodcut illustrations. Age-old fables explain why the leopard has no friends, how wild dogs became domesticated, and why pigs dig. Adventure stories recount a prince's quest for an ancient ivory horn and the struggles of two sisters, separated by slavery, to reunite. All of the stories are populated by memorable characters such as a greedy monkey and ambitious ants, a pair of crickets forced to sing for their supper, a couple of fishermen who compete for a bride, and the Man-in-the-Moon and his wife.