SPEAK TO THE WINDS: Proverbs from Africa

Even if you've only dipped into the Courlander collections, you have enough familiarity with African lore and wisdom to know that the culture is ill represented here. And even without such acquaintance we would assume that the bite has been lost in translation, for we can't imagine a people surviving very long with such soppy platitudes for guidance. Divided into such topics as children, virtue, human conduct, human beings, etc., the sayings include such truisms as ""all knowledge is acquired by learning"" and ""there is no fraud in truth"" and such debatable complacencies as ""To own a few things is better than to be a thief,"" ""one who has family and friends is richer than one who has money"" and ""love exceeds reward."" The pity is not only that the selections could have been so much more provocative but also that Dingda McCannon's black and white illustrations have the flavor and naive Strength that are lacking in the text.