Anansi and the Magic Stick [Paperback]

Eric A. Kimmel (Author), Janet Stevens (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

It's a fine bright day, and all the animals are working--all except Anansi, that is! He's sleeping, as usual. Warthog, Lion, and Zebra laugh so hard at his messy house that they wake him up. Anansi stomps off in a huff--right into an amazing secret! Hyena has a magic stick that follows his orders. If Anansi steals the stick, he'll never have to work again, and his home will be the neatest one in town. Is the magic stick his secret for success? Or the beginning of disasters he can't even imagine?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Anansi and the Magic Stick by Eric A. Kimmel, illus. by Janet Stevens, the arachnid goes too far. Anansi steals the napping Hyena's magic housekeeping stick to water his garden. Unattended, the water floods the town. Stevens's comic creatures with their surprised expressions add kid appeal.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

reS-Gr 3-One fine day finds all of the animals working, working, working, except for Anansi, who would much rather lounge and think than work, even though his house and garden are going to ruin. When he notices that Hyena has a magic stick to do all of his chores, he steals it. "Hocus-pocus, Magic Stick./Plant and water./Quick, quick, quick!" That part works well enough, but when the trickster falls asleep, the stick just keeps watering, watering, watering, until his garden turns into a mighty river and then a lake. When he wakes up, he can't remember the magic words that will stop the stick. Fortunately, Hyena floats and saves the day, but does that teach the spider a lesson? Of course not, and the story ends as he is "planning new tricks, which is just what Anansi does best." This tale has a more traditional ring to it than Kimmel and Stevens's Anansi and the Talking Melon (Holiday, 1994), but whimsical illustrations add a modern-day appearance. The stick waters with an assortment of up-to-date hoses, watering cans, and a circular sprinkler, and the characters include a warthog in a bathing cap, a hare wearing water wings, and caricatures of the author in a dinosaur tube and the illustrator clutching a brush in her teeth. The art has a softer focus than in Talking Melon but the same bright colors fill the pages, and the whole adds up to an enjoyable offering that is clever, funny, surprising, and traditional all at once.

Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House (May 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823417638
• ISBN-13: 978-0823417636
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 9.8 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #151,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eric A. Kimmel is well known for the tales he has retold from around the world. Some of his best-known titles are "Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins" (a Caldecott Honor book), "Gershon's Monster", "Anansi and the Talking Melon", and "The Runaway Tortilla". A former professor of children's literature, he lives in Portland, Oregon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, but lessons learned., December 11, 2004

By 

Pretty_Please (Minnesota, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anansi and the Magic Stick (Paperback)

I remember Anansi the Spider when I was a child, now I read about the spider with my son! Sheesh!
The little spider has dealings with all the animals in his neighborhood about his messy house. While everyone else cleans and works he sleeps. Finally he decides to do something about it, but with someone else's tool, not thinking of the result.
This book made us crack up. At the same time, it taught us a lesson about not being greedy, and doing your own work.
I recommend it highly.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Trickster Tales Delight, May 30, 2008

By 

Arcturus70 "Arcturus70" (In the Orion Spur of the Milky Way Galaxy) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Anansi and the Magic Stick (Paperback)

This is a fantastic story about a lazy, messy spider whose home is the eye sore of an animal neighborhood. Anansi envies Hyena, who appears to do no work at all, and yet all his house work is completed. His yard is always beautiful; everything seems in perfect order. The mischievous spider shadows Hyena to discover his secret: a magic stick that does its owner's bidding when a special chant is uttered. Greedy Anansi schemes to obtain the magic stick and its power for himself. However, with great power comes great responsibility--as the sneaky spider soon discovers.

This beautifully illustrated book captures the fun of the Anansi tale while also teaching the importance of one's personal and social responsibilities. What is very nice in this story is the character of Anansi actually looks like a spider whereas in some children's books, he is shown in a more human-like form.

The tale is fun to read out-loud. It echoes the same universal themes as The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and some intriguing lessons might come from comparison / contrasts activities.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very funny story for older kids, November 12, 2010

By 

AFConnors - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anansi and the Magic Stick (Paperback)

I've read this book to the preschoolers I teach, and it's certainly doable with four- and five-year-olds, but I had to pare down the text a bit. They enjoyed the tale of magic and trickery, but it's probably better for older kids, as recommended by the publisher.