MYTHS AND LEGENDS FROM GHANA FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULTURES

``Gatanan, gatanan, ta je, ta komo. A story, a story, let it go, let it come.'' Three Hausa and five Ashanti tales ``remembered'' by the author are retold in such a personal style that one can almost hear the teller's voice. Larungu includes pourquoi stories, trickster tales, and legends based on historical events; even the familiar ones are presented in unusual versions—in ``The Spider and the Terrible Great Ones,'' Spider not only tricks the elephant and hippopotamus into giving him food, then engaging in a tug-of-war, but escapes their enmity with a third deception. The collection has obvious didactic intent—detailed explanatory essays and African proverbs are strewn between stories—but the simple language and pervasive good humor make the lessons more than palatable. Illustrated with amateurish b&w drawings based on African scenes and motifs. (Folklore. 9-12)