THE GIRL WHO MARRIED A GHOST

There once was a children’s-book author named Ifeoma who lived in London with her two sons. While pondering her latest project, the writer recalled the folklore she was regaled with as a youth in her eastern Nigerian village.... Putting pen to paper, Onyefulu resurrects the characters that populated those stories, like sage King Lion and gullible Lizard, for a new generation of readers. She recounts the tale of a greedy, crafty Tortoise, who hides food from all his jungle friends during a famine only to learn the importance of sharing after he is caught out. In the titular tale, the author introduces readers to Ogilisa, a spoiled child who learns the importance of humility and acceptance when she finds her appetite cannot be satisfied in reality. Playful idioms, such as “they were like two seeds in an udala fruit,” and basic introductions to Nigerian culture (mentions of food, clothing and customs) illuminate the basic precepts introduced in this vigorous collection of fables, each of which closes with a moral. The moral of this review? Aesop doesn't have all the answers. (Folklore. 8-12)