The Orphan Girl and Other Stories: West African Folk Tales (International Folk Tales) [Paperback]

Buchi Offodile (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Kent State professor and storyteller Offodile gathered these folktales, some familiar and some new, from Nigeria (his homeland) and other West African countries. His goal was to collect the stories of the elders before they were completely forgotten. Offodile introduces the collection with a brief discussion of the varied cultures of the region and the function of both story and teller in these societies. The tales are then arranged by country in alphabetical order, each section beginning with a map showing the country's continental location and a page of basic information on its geography and society. There are far more stories from Offodile's native Nigeria than from anywhere else, but the entire region is represented. A glossary and an index of stories by subject is included. Recommended as a solid edition of folktale collections for public and academic libraries, this is also appropriate for middle and high school libraries. Katherine Kaigler-Koenig, Ellis Sch., Pittsburgh
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

"The Orphan Girl," an Igbo story of a cruel stepmother who forces the orphan Chika to retrieve water from the river on the day reserved for the ghosts, is perhaps the most widely known of the folk tales collected here. But the others, from trickster tales to origin stories, are equally fascinating. Although these tales share a common geographical background, they have not been selected on the basis of thematic similarity but rather as an acknowledgment of the complexity and diversity within West Africa. It's disappointing that the bulk of the stories come from Nigeria--more representation from the less populous West African nations would have been a plus-- but even so, there is a wealth of cultural, linguistic, and religious traditions encompassed in the stories, which Offodile has effectively rendered in English. In an informative introduction, Offodile explains his desire to preserve a wide swath of stories from a world that may be changing too fast to hold on to its past. Readers will be grateful that these folk tales have been so artfully preserved. John Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 260 pages
• Publisher: Interlink Pub Group Inc (July 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566563755
• ISBN-13: 978-1566563758
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #581,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Story Time Fun!, May 11, 2004

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Spiryt Sista "Spiryt Sista" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Orphan Girl and Other Stories: West African Folk Tales (International Folk Tales) (Paperback)

I'm a teenager and I still enjoy reading the stories. Offodile adds such a creative touch to the stories that keep me enchanted. I'm glad that he has captured so many of these folktales in writing so that I can share them with my children as well. I am lucky, being born of Igbo parents, since my mother can sing the songs to me the way they are supposed to be sung. It is very interesting how similar the stories that aren't even from Nigeria are to the ones that my mother knows. Get this book and keep it in your library for fun stories to enjoy in the future.