Anansi and the Talking Melon [Paperback]

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

Book Description

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

A clever spider tricks Elephant and some other animals into thinking the melon in which he is hiding can talk.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-Another of Kimmel's retellings of the fabled African spider and his escapades, joining Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock (1990) and Anansi Goes Fishing (1992, both Holiday). In this tale, lazy Anansi eats his way into Elephant's melon but is then too bloated to crawl out. The always sneaky spider decides it is a perfect opportunity to play a trick and so convinces the animal that he owns a talking melon. Elephant can't wait to share his discovery with King Monkey. Along the way he is joined by Hippo, Warthog, Ostrich, Rhino, and Turtle. King Monkey, skeptical at first, becomes irate when the melon insults him. Of course, the resulting mayhem only adds to Anansi's delight. The same elements that made Kimmel's earlier books popular are in evidence here. The snappy narration is well suited for individual reading or group sharing. The colorful line-and-wash illustrations are filled with movement and playful energy. Stevens's anthropomorphic animals are both expressive and endearing. A surefire hit.
Heide Piehler, Shorewood Public Library, WI
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Ages 4-8. In a very funny trickster tale, Anansi the Spider outwits all the great galumphing gullible animals, including Elephant, Hippo, Warthog, and even the stupid king. Hiding inside a melon, the wily spider tricks the animals, one by one, into believing that the melon can talk, and what he says is usually an insult. The setting is vaguely tropical, and Stevens' double-page comic illustrations show the furious animals in all their ridiculous contortions as they try to work out what's going on with the swelling luscious fruit that is badmouthing them. The melon's most outrageous insult is that the animals are stupid enough to talk to melons. With perfect pacing and repetition and with surprising reversals up to the very last page, this is a great choice for reading aloud and storytelling. Hazel Rochman --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 (April 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823411672
• ISBN-13: 978-0823411672
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 9.8 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77,319 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

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Trickery at its best!!, March 30, 1999

By 

"ateacher" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anansi and the Talking Melon (Paperback)

Anansi the spider bores his way into one of Elephant's melons and thus begins the great trickery of some of the greatest animals in the Animal Kingdom. I used this book with the second grade class and we loved the human characteristics of the animals and all the funny things Anansi says while he is in the melon. It is a great book to act out in the puppet theater and we had great fun taking on the roles of the elephant, monkey, spider and other surprised and astonished animals.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anansi the trickster strikes again!, June 27, 2001

By 

Summer Belle "Word Affectionado" (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Anansi and the Talking Melon (Paperback)

That Anansi is such a scoundral!!

After boring into one of Elephants melons, he eats himself too big to get out!! So, Anansi waits to get thing again...Only, he's bored! So he decides to amuse himself at Elephant's expense... and Hippo's...and Warthog's...Well, you get the idea.

This is a cute story about a trickster spider. Janet Stevens' illustrations are, as always, excellent. Anansi is not just a regular spider. Stevens gives him expressions and a personality. You wind up laughing with Anansi's pranks. Very well done!

I would definitly recommend this book. I read it to a group of young school age kids - 5-9. They could kinda tell where the story was going, but were more than willing to sit for the ride.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for preschool/kindergarten agers, May 31, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Anansi and the Talking Melon (Paperback)

My 5 year old son LOVED the mischief Anansi got into and understood the lessons that were being taught. It is written in a way that younger kids can understand and the illustrations are great!