Anansi [Paperback]

Brian Gleeson (Author), UB40 (Author), Steven Guarnaccia (Illustrator), Denzel Washington (Narrator)

Book Description

Two hilarious Jamaican folktales starring a tiny spider whose boasts are bigger than life! In the first of two tales, Anansi outwits the prideful Snake in order to win possession of all the stories in the jungle. In the second tale, Anansi gets caught in his own web of lies and ends up as bald as a mango. Brian Gleeson's uproarious adaptation perfectly evokes the rhythms of the West Indies, and Steven Guarnaccia's graphically bold Anansi is as hip and as lovable as they come. Music by UB40.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 6-- Retellings of two Jamaican stories. The first tells how Anansi came to possess all stories, and the second tells of his plan to seem important at his mother-in-law's funeral. The selections follow one after another in the book, as they would in the oral tradition, with no separation or demarcation. The prose is spare and droll as befits trickster tales in which creatures such as Anansi can be both wise and foolish. The illustrations are bright, modern, stylized paintings. The bug-eyed, wildly dressed, top-hatted spider/man plays off against other more naturally represented animal characters and a simple tropical backdrop. Denzel Washington uses Jamaican dialect and narrates in the present tense (the book uses past tense), capturing the rhythms of Caribbean storytelling. UB40 provides lively reggae accompaniment. Gail Haley's A Story, A Story (Atheneum, 1970) is an African version of the opening tale, and Gerald McDermott's Anansi the Spider (Holt, 1972) is also West African. Students may wish to compare these picture-book versions of African stories with their Caribbean counterparts. --Barbara Chatton, College of Education, University of Wyoming, Laramie
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (Juv); Pap/Cas edition (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689815840
• ISBN-13: 978-0689815843
• Product Dimensions: 13.5 x 9.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,939,034 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yah mahn!, August 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Anansi [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is a really fun video for any age. Denzel Washington's Caribbean accent and UB 40's funky music are real treats, and the cartoons are cool. This video even managed to capture our oh-so-cool and very hard to please seventh-graders! I heard plenty of "yah mahn's" around the halls in school afterwards. Enjoy this video of the clever teeny-weeny spider who tricks both the longest and the strongest animal in the jungle!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yah mahn!, March 7, 2001

By 

"school-librarian" (Sweden) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anansi [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is a great video just for entertainment, or for use with a folk tale theme. Denzel Washington's Jamaican narration, the funny cartoon illustrations and UB40's reggea rhythms even got our very hard-to-please and oh-so-cool 7th graders hooked. Expect to hear plenty of "yah mahn"'s around your house or school after showing this video of the teeny teeny spider who manages to trick even the strongest animal (the tiger) and the longest animal (the snake) in the bush, by being clever.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Video to Use in the Classroom, June 5, 2010

By 

Nadine Nadeau (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Anansi (VHS Tape)

I bought this VHS video to use with my first grade students. They loved it. It was a great visual alternative to the standard read aloud. I only wish it were available as a DVD.