WHY THE SUN AND MOON LIVE IN THE SKY

by Elphinstone Dayrell ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 24, 1968

This Nigerian folk tale posits a previous sharing of earth by sun, moon and water until water visits the house of the sun. Water has warned the sun that his retinue is too large but the sun argues otherwise; sun and moon grow increasingly uncomfortable as water fills the house until they are forced out on the roof, eventually into their permanent places in the sky. As told to Mr. Dayrell by the Efik-Ibibio peoples, it's a difficult concept to picture, a problem the artist handles by depicting African tribesmen appropriately and skillfully dressed as sun, waning-faced moon and water. Mr. Lent's precise contours contain the abstraction by suggesting a dramatic reenactment, admirably represent generalized African motifs. An original approach to a traditional belief, and seeing may be believing.

Pub Date: April 24, 1968

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1968

Categories: CHILDREN'S