Books with author Abraham Akpan

We believed that spiders brought good luck and always welcomed them into our mud homes. So when Mfon the elephant met Utu the spider one morning, he was happy to see her but surprised when she challenged him to a race to prove who was cleverer. He was sure there was no way this tiny creature could beat him. As everyone knows, elephants are much larger than spiders; in Mfon’s mind, that made him the natural winner. But Utu taught Mfon a lesson he would never forget when she gathered nine of her sisters and outwitted him in a ten-mile race.

We believed that spiders brought good luck and always welcomed them into our mud homes. So when Mfon the elephant met Utu the spider one morning, he was happy to see her but surprised when she challenged him to a race to prove who was cleverer. He was sure there was no way this tiny creature could beat him. As everyone knows, elephants are much larger than spiders; in Mfon’s mind, that made him the natural winner. But Utu taught Mfon a lesson he would never forget when she gathered nine of her sisters and outwitted him in a ten-mile race.

Not all of life's lessons are learned in the classroom; many are learned from wise creatures that live among us. In The Wise Dove, a young Nigerian girl picks up a dove, and instead of flying away frightened it will be harmed, the dove befriends the girl. Through a bit of trickery, he teaches her some lessons about succeeding in life. He tells her it is important to keep what you have and not cry over what you don’t have. He also tells her it is important to be alert at all times, not to let down her guard, because she could easily be tricked.

We believed that spiders brought good luck and always welcomed them into our mud homes. So when Mfon the elephant met Utu the spider one morning, he was happy to see her but surprised when she challenged him to a race to prove who was cleverer. He was sure there was no way this tiny creature could beat him. As everyone knows, elephants are much larger than spiders; in Mfon’s mind, that made him the natural winner. But Utu taught Mfon a lesson he would never forget when she gathered nine of her sisters and outwitted him in a ten-mile race.

We believed that spiders brought good luck and always welcomed them into our mud homes. So when Mfon the elephant met Utu the spider one morning, he was happy to see her but surprised when she challenged him to a race to prove who was cleverer. He was sure there was no way this tiny creature could beat him. As everyone knows, elephants are much larger than spiders; in Mfon’s mind, that made him the natural winner. But Utu taught Mfon a lesson he would never forget when she gathered nine of her sisters and outwitted him in a ten-mile race.