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
A page-turning adventure that’s truly out of this world.
Roswell Johnson is about to go on a bigger journey than he could ever imagine.
Precocious 11-year-old Roswell, one of the few Black kids in his class, loves everything about astronomy, space, and the conspiracy theories that often accompany these topics. After all, inspired by a UFO sighting, his late father did name him Roswell. Following a major disappointment at the school science fair, Roswell’s ready to give it all up when aliens accidentally abduct him (along with Persephone, one of his grandparents’ chickens). He finds himself on a mission to save Earth from colonization while exploring far-flung corners of the galaxy and strange alien planets. Roswell’s journey is complicated by the fact that he’s being hunted by Reptoids, a vicious race of aliens who want to cause chaos and will stop at nothing. Along the way, he befriends a ragtag group of aliens, and together they race against the galactic clock before time runs out and he loses everything he loves. The combination of factual information and witty humor will maintain readers’ engagement as they follow Roswell’s journey. Much of the information about space, including the names of stars and constellations and facts about planets, is accurate and presented in an entertaining and seamless way. Actor and novelist Colfer also touches on prejudice and racism: Roswell grapples with both the injustices he faces and the ones he sees others confront. Final art not seen.
A page-turning adventure that’s truly out of this world. (author’s note, glossary) (Science fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: June 4, 2024
ISBN: 9780316515047
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
File under “laugh riot.”
A rogue spell-check program’s bid to transform all life-forms into that eminently useful office item, the paper clip, touches off a fresh round of lunar lunacy.
Predicated on the entirely reasonable premise that eliminating all spelling and grammar errors everywhere would logically lead to the necessity of exterminating carbon-based life in the universe, this third series entry combines high stakes with daffy banter and daring exploits. CheckMate—a chipper, jumped-up editing program—has invented the Transmogratron, a giant laser that will fulfill its ultimate goals in both the cyber world and “meatspace.” Facing challenges as random as prankster lunar unicorns and a disarmingly motherly Motherboard, scowling First Cat joins a motley crew of diversely carbon- and silicon-based allies, led by the pearlescent Queen of the Moon. They’re in a race to the finish—diverted occasionally by, for instance, a relentlessly punny comic-book interlude featuring a pair of literal and figurative Pool Sharks. They ultimately triumph thanks to teamwork and moxie. Following a celebratory party and toasts to “new friends…and steadfast comrades” (and, of course, “MEOW”), the story’s energetic, brightly colored panels close with a reveal of the next volume. (“I always hate it when comics end by announcing a sequel. SO CRINGE!” declares an authorial stand-in.) It can’t come too soon.
File under “laugh riot.” (Graphic science fiction. 8-11)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9780063315280
Page Count: 272
Publisher: HarperAlley
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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