A delightful introduction to African stories of tigers, lions, turtles, and a famous spider.
A spider and trickster stars in this collection of seven folktales.
In this volume, Duncan has compiled a series of stories that she told over the years as a children’s librarian. They all feature Anansi, a spider and trickster from West African folklore. According to the author, Anansi tales were brought to the United States and the Caribbean with the slave trade, with the spider continuing his tricks with animals in the New World. In this book, they include Tiger and Turtle. Anansi is the constant in the seven stories, including the first, in which he tricks Tiger into naming tales after him (hence, readers are perusing the “Anansi stories”). In many of the tales, Anansi plays tricks, such as conning Turtle into doing work for him and cheating Lion out of some yams. A few stories don’t involve pranks, such as “Anansi and the Hat-Shaking Dance,” which explains why most spiders don’t have hair and like tall grass. In the last tale, Anansi is back to tricking Tiger, and at the end, it’s clear that the spider continues to play his pranks. “He is still playing tricks to this day, so be very careful if you run into him!” Duncan writes. The tales are all brought to life with the help of the whimsical, colorful images by South African illustrator Newsome, who skillfully portrays Turtle, Tiger, and, of course, Anansi. Anansi isn’t a particularly likable character. In fact, he’s sometimes a trickster, sometimes a fibber, and sometimes a lazy spider. As Turtle says, “Anansi says all the right things, but he does all the wrong things.” Still, he’s basically harmless, and children, no doubt, will be entertained by his antics. The author has honed these stories over the years. They are tightly written and follow a comfortable, if predictable, rhythm: Anansi wants something, tells lies or tricks someone to get it, and often finds that in the end he has been deceived. There are a few tales that go on too long, but for the most part, this collection is an easy read that showcases an African folklore legend.
A delightful introduction to African stories of tigers, lions, turtles, and a famous spider.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 9781039141247
Page Count: 49
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Enigmatic enemies, sabotage, space travel, and short, bone-wracking bits of time travel make for a banging adventure.
All remaining humans are leaving Mars for a distant planet, but departure day goes sideways.
The “burning husk” of Earth fell into the sun five years ago, and Mars is about to become uninhabitable. The Scorpius leaves today with the last 100 million passengers. Thirteen-year-old Liam’s sad to go: he was born on Mars and identifies as a Martian, unconcerned that his Earth heritage is “Thai, Irish, Nigerian, Texan, and like ten more.” His parents and his friend Phoebe’s parents are rushing the final research for terraforming their destination planet when a radioactive explosion, complete with mushroom cloud, blows the lab to bits. The Scorpius departs with Liam’s sister and the 100 million aboard, leaving Liam, Phoebe, and a highly skilled robot functionally alone (their parents are alive but unconscious)—can they catch the Scorpius? Emerson’s story is fast, exciting, and terrifying, involving spacecraft of many sizes, travel through space, more explosions, an alien gadget that shows Liam the near future (and that extraterrestrials exist! Humans hadn’t known), and some shadowy characters. Who’s the blue ET chronologist murdered in Scene 1? Who’s trying to exterminate humankind, and why? How many unrelated ET groups are out there? A stunning reveal at the end will leave readers gasping for the next installment.
Enigmatic enemies, sabotage, space travel, and short, bone-wracking bits of time travel make for a banging adventure. (Science fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-230671-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Walden Pond Press/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016
A thoughtful, humorous, community-centered exploration of identity and Buddhism.
Stories of Buddha’s past lives help a young boy “find [himself] in the moment.”
Binh and his siblings, who are of Vietnamese descent, can’t believe they’re spending the weekend at a silent meditation retreat. Binh would rather play his Game Boy so he doesn’t have to meditate and inevitably think about the bullies at school. It is only when Sister Peace tells stories about the Buddha and his past life that Binh is able to imagine himself entering a video game–inspired world and thus process his feelings of shame, isolation, and anger. With each Jataka tale, Binh’s awareness expands, and so, too, does his ability to be present for and helpful to those around him. A welcome addition to the handful of middle-grade stories featuring Buddhist protagonists, this exploration of identity and Buddhist principles will find an audience with young readers who love Raina Telgemeier but aren’t quite ready to level up to the complexity and nuance of Gene Luen Yang’s epic American Born Chinese (2006). The video game elements are compelling, although they understandably diminish as the story progresses and the protagonist’s inner life grows. Warm fall colors and luscious black lines anchor the story as it transitions among flashbacks, stories, and the present day. Filled with talking animals, the parables can be a little heavy-handed, but the witty banter between Binh and the narrator during fantasy sequences provides levity. (This review was updated for accuracy.)
A thoughtful, humorous, community-centered exploration of identity and Buddhism. (bibliography) (Graphic fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023
ISBN: 9780759555488
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Little, Brown Ink
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
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