IT'S TIME FOR TRICKS!

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.