From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3-Bryan performs six stories from his published works on this rousing collection. First up is the title tale, from his Coretta Scott King Award-winning picture book (Atheneum, 2003), in which the blackbird shares a bit of his black color with each of the other birds. The other stories are from Ashley Bryan's African Tales, Uh-Huh (Atheneum, 1998). Several are pourquoi tales, explaining "Why Frog and Snake Never Play Together" and "How Animals Got Their Tails"; others tell of tricksters getting their comeuppance, such as "Tortoise, Hare, and the Sweet Potatoes" and "Hen and Frog." Bryan's tales come alive on the page with his stylized writing, and his delivery and vocal performance are a perfect match. Using repetition, vocal modulation, and other classic storytelling techniques, Bryan creates an irresistible folktale experience.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From AudioFile
Ashley Bryan is the consummate storyteller--at one with his stories and possessing a seemingly effortless command of the storyteller's craft. Rhythm, voice, and sound effects all blend into a singular listening experience. Bryan's energy radiates from each of the tales in this Coretta Scott King Award winner. The signature story is one from the Ila-speaking people of Zambia in which the brightly colored birds urge Blackbird to share some of his fine and shiny black coloring with each of them. That folktales embrace cultures everywhere is brought to bear in tales of a lazy, yet crafty frog who tries to take advantage of a neighboring hen and of a slow tortoise and a speedy hare. Hear about times when one frog and one snake had a fabulous day of play and another frog "was pu-l-l-led to the east and pu-l-l-led to the west" in a terrible predicament and could only cro-o-o-ak! A.R. Winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
