Customer Reviews

Favorite African Folktales

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These stories are folk tales edited by Nelson Mendela who compiled these for his grandchildren. I used this book for plays and readings when teaching in Namibia. The tenth thru twelveth gradel class loved these stories and it helped them to enjoy Animal Farm. Fellow Fulbrighters' children also expressed an interest, so I provided them with chapters from the book. I also e-mailed them to my grandchildren in Scottsdale Arizona and they loved them. The talking animals often lead us to a morality play conclusion that is not specific to any culture. Further, each story, while written for children up to the age of 10, uses words unique to southern african cultures. A few of the these unique words are not easily found in a dictionary, but one can guess the nature of the meaning of the mysterious word from the context of the story. It is a wonderful window into village life in Africa and provides an important and different world view and explanation of how things came to be the way they are. It is also a fun book to read to younger children who are not yet reading on their own.

If you are at all considering getting a collection of folk tales, get this one. I liked it so much I'm using it in a college research writing course I'm teaching. Very readable, fascinating tales of all kinds. Honestly, the only story that didn't impress me was the final one, and other than that one tale, I'm sure there is plenty to satisfy anybody. The stories reveal quite a bit about the African cultures they derive from, but they also compare well to other mythic stories, fables, and traditions, and are thus a great addition to an overall exploration of world folk myth.

The stories are great for children, too, and I found myself reading a few of the stories to my kids at bedtime. They were sad when the book was finished, for they, too, really enjoyed the tales.