Anansi's Party Time [Hardcover]

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

Book Description

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

The fifth book in the popular Anansi trickster tales series by acclaimed author-and-illustrator team Eric A. Kimmel and Janet Stevens. Anansi is throwing a party. He invites Turtle, but plays so many tricks on him that Turtle can't have any fun. So turtle decides to get even and throws a part of his own. A companion to "Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock", "Anansi Goes Fishing", "Anansi and the Talking Melon," and "Anansi and the Magic Stick".

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2—Children will delight in hearing this tale of the spider's comeuppance. After Anansi invites Turtle to a party just to play a trick on him, Turtle exacts his revenge. Almost every page, illustrated in acrylic ink and colored pencils, has some comical element. Laughs abound from the twisted path on the party map invitation that Anansi initially sends to Turtle and then later when Turtle sends a similar one back, to the hilarious costumes that Turtle tries on before he makes his choice of what to wear. Crocodile and Hippo loom large on the page underwater as they try to guess the mystery animal party game. Stevens has captured additional humor in the animals' droll facial features. Children will ask for repeated readings as they pause over the details in the artwork.—Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA
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From Booklist

The latest in Kimmel-Stevens’ series about the spider that figures prominently in West African folklore shows how the trickster himself gets tricked, this time by a plodding turtle. Anansi invites Turtle to a party, but his directions are circuitous, Turtle takes forever arriving, and then Anansi sends him back for various items until Turtle has missed the party. Turtle retaliates with an invite of his own to his underwater home that necessitates Anansi holding on to a crab to keep from floating away, causing him to miss all the fun. Stevens’ mixed-media artwork adds to the story’s comic intensity. Preschool-Grade 2. --Connie Fletcher

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House (September 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823419223
• ISBN-13: 978-0823419227
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 10.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,069,108 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

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Turtle finds out that Anansi's party was a fake ... will Turtle get his revenge?, May 29, 2009

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Anansi's Party Time (Hardcover)

Turtle played a trick on Anansi, the spider, a long time ago, but he didn't forget. Some time after that when he was sure the trick was long forgotten, Turtle received an invitation, including a map, to a party at Anansi's house. Everyone loves a party, including Turtle. Invitation in hand he started off to the spider's house, but he was so slow it would take him a long time to get there. At last he arrived and knocked at the door only to find that he'd forgotten something, something he didn't know he was supposed to bring. "Where is your costume?"

Back he went to his house. Of course it took Turtle a long time to get there and a long time to pick out a costume. Off to Anansi's house again where, as he soon found out, he had forgotten something he didn't know he was supposed to bring. "Where's your dish?" Back he went to his house. Naturally it took him a long time to go home and bring back the dish. Turtle was beginning to get discouraged when he was told that "Nobody can eat that plate. Go home and put something on it." By the time he did that and returned Anansi claimed the party was over and he realized he'd been tricked! Not to be undone, Turtle had a plan!

This is a delightful story that young children will enjoy. They will soon figure out that sly Anansi has been up to no good and will root for poor Turtle to come up with a plan that even that tricky old spider can't figure out. The art work is fun and cheerful and will make this one a surefire page turner. "Dear Anansi, I'm having a party . . . " Do you think Turtle can trick the trickiest spider in town?