A Pride of African Tales [Hardcover]

Donna L. Washington (Author), James Ransome (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

This treasure trove of lavishly illustrated stories comes from different regions in Africa. In "Anansi," an uproarious story from Ghana, the tables are turned on lazy Anansi. "The Boy Who Wanted the Moon," set in the Congo, explains why there are monkeys in the world. "Shansa Mutongo Shima," a thrilling story of the Tabura people from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, reveals the dangers of judging by appearances. In "The Roof of Leaves," from the Congo, a married couple learns a lesson about anger and forgiveness. "The Wedding Basket," set in Nigeria, is a cautionary tale about taboos. In "The Talking Skull," from Cameroon, a foolish man learns too late the wisdom of keeping his mouth shut.

Each tale reflects the rhythms and cadences of the storyteller's muse. For her research, Donna Washington consulted as many written and oral sources as she could find. And award-winning artist James Ransome's stunning water-color paintings illuminate the diversity of the African people, clothing, architecture, landscape, and wildlife. Readers will discover that despite the variety, these stories about human foibles hold universal truths for everyone, everywhere.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-5–Like a group of lions, these six stories are majestic. "Anansi's Fishing Expedition" (Ghana), "The Roof of Leaves" (the Congo), "The Wedding Basket" (Nigeria), and "The Talking Skull" (Cameroon) are among the tales included. Each one begins with a short note of explanation and is identified as a pourquoi, trickster, or cautionary tale. A map of Africa pinpoints the countries of origin and brief source notes are appended. The morals are not lost, but the writing is not heavy-handed. The smooth retellings are paired with extraordinarily lush watercolors. Most of the paintings are single page but there are several dramatic spreads that capture the eye. Taking a cue from African textiles, Ransome uses distinctive borders that mirror elements from the text–a cloth pattern, a leafy fern, a cheetah's spots. These selections can be read alone but they beg to be shared aloud. The phrasing and cadences invite pauses and should encourage successful retelling–good for librarians and those who coach children in storytelling contests. A handsome package.–Harriett Fargnoli, Great Neck Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-5. In her introduction to this fine collection of African tales, Washington speaks of her project a bit sheepishly. After all, she writes, "Stories are meant to be told," not written down. Nonetheless, children who encounter these supple, charismatic retellings will not come away feeling shortchanged. Her choices represent a range of cultures and genres, including an Anansi trickster tale, a pourquoi tale, and several cautionary tales, but all explore human folly with a light, generous touch. Washington adopts a new voice for each story, sometimes incorporating phrases that presumably reflect the conventions of the featured region ("People, I will tell you of a little thing, a little, little thing"), and she provides meticulous source notes. Ransome contributes lush, naturalistic watercolors, reinforcing the stories' varied origins by altering the landscape and costumes as appropriate and providing maps for geographical context. Storytellers looking for material will welcome this versatile offering, as will educators seeking to deepen children's understanding of Africa's diversity and the richness of its narrative tradition. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Amistad (December 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060249293
• ISBN-13: 978-0060249298
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,311,380 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT BOOK, May 9, 2004

By 

A. L. Straayer (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Pride of African Tales (Hardcover)

I don't mean to take anything away from the compiler of these
tales (Donna Washington) because they are a fine group and
she does a wonderful job of retelling them. But I am a collector
of children's books and I collect with the quality of llustrations in mind. So my review is mostly about the illustrations.

James Ransome has had the happy fortune to often be associated with books of really high quality, and I would have to say that of all those that I am familiar with, this is probably his best. It is a great coming together of story, illustration, & printing that makes collecting children's books fun and satisfying.

The illustrations are vivid, lush, and provide a real sense of
place. Ransome captures the villages, the market place, the
forests & grasslands of Africa that I have found equalled only by illustrator Trina Schart Hyman.

A wonderful bonus to the book is the map in the front and
the "Story Notes and Further Reading" in the back. A perfect
book for a school library.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Stories with Great Messages, October 10, 2004

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Pride of African Tales (Hardcover)

A PRIDE OF AFRICAN TALES is a collection of folktales which have their roots in several West African nations including Ghana, Cameroon, and Nigeria. Each story is preceded by a brief introduction which gives readers a little background on the history and origin of the particular tale. Although I enjoyed all of the stories in the collection, my two favorites were "Shansa Mutoungo Shima" and "The Roof of Leaves." "Shansa Mutoungo Shima" tells the story of Bwalya, a young woman who learns an important lesson about judging people by the way they look. In "The Roof of Leaves" a married couple has an argument followed by a misunderstanding, and both of them must learn an important lesson about swallowing their pride and more importantly about forgiveness.

In the introduction, author Donna L. Washington states that the stories which make up this collection are meant to be told not read, and she encourages readers to bring the stories to life. This book is a "must have" for any child's library, as it is the type of book that can be read over and over again. The book is well organized and the stories are diverse and will appeal to both boys and girls. Washington has compiled a wonderful collection which pairs West African Folktales with a splash of history. Additional resources are provided at the end of the book for readers wanting to learn more about the origins of a particular story and for further reading. James Ransome's eye-catching illustrations add yet another dimension to this collection, and I was impressed by the way the illustrations for each story were consistent with the setting in which it took place.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

4.0 out of 5 stars Good stories, March 7, 2010

By 

J. Donahue (Detroit, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Pride of African Tales (Hardcover)

Since I work in a school with predominately African American students, I am always interested in helping the kids learn good values and think about things in healthy ways with Africn inspired ideas. The book has lovely illustrations and the points made are clear and enjoyable. I hope to be able to tell the stories myself one day VS reading them.