Books with title Folktales from Africa

This lively collection comes from West Africa, a place 'where stories grow on trees'. Here are the famous tricksters: Hare, Tortoise, and the greatest of them all - Ananse the spider. The stories are full of larger-than-life characters and situations; and include the tale of how Ananse got his thin waist, how Crocodile learnt his lesson, and how Monkey managed not to get eaten by Shark.

Charming tales featuring animals of the African bush in social situations. Hare, elephant, rhino, baboon and others find ways to overcome problems, outsmart each other and explain facts, habits and events. These are authentic tales remembered from the author's childhood among the Shona people (in present day Zimbabwe). They are lovingly rendered and quaintly illustrated on commission. The author (now deceased) was a seasoned writer of children's programmes for radio.

This anthology of stories and folktales from contemporary African writers captures the rich storytelling tradition of the continent. There's a creation myth from Malawi, a family story from Morocco, and a magical tale from Nigeria, along with stories from Ghana, Angola, Botswana, Egypt, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe. The vivid, full-color illustrations by Nigerian artist Ademola Akintola bring each story to life.

This classic collection of animal tales is quintessentially African. The animals are sly and wise, proud and ingenious in the defeat of natural disadvantages and in the face of each other’s competition. This version of the race between the elephant and the tortoise is unique, and fits seamlessly into stories of the hare’s pranks, the baboon’s attempts to drink the hare’s entire supply of milk and the explanations of why cats live with people (a cunning feminist fable!) and chickens scratch in the ground. Such tales can be of enormous value as a teaching tool, marvellous entertainment and cannot avoid having a good-humoured unifying effect on all who share in their humanity.