Verna Aardema

a West African tale

Why mosquitoes buzz in people's ears

Lazy Anansi seeks to trick someone into doing the heavy work of laying his fish trap, but instead he is fooled into doing the job himself. Anansi, in human form, is tricked by Bonsu when they go fishing.

An Ashanti Tale

Anansi Finds a Fool

A collection of nine folk tales from Africa.

Tales from the Story Hat

With the help of a blue crane, a mother dove rescues her babies from a not-so-clever jackal.

A Khoikhoi Tale

Jackal's Flying Lesson

Ten folk legends from southern Africa include Hottentot, Zulu, and Bantu tales.

Black Folktales from Southern Africa

Behind the Back of the Mountain

Howard True Wheeler

A little lamb uses her clever wiles to keep a coyote from eating her up

A Tale from Ayutla, Mexico

Borreguita and the Coyote

A tale from the Akamba people of Kenya that explains why the ostrich has such a long neck.

A Tale from the Akamba of Kenya

How the Ostrich Got Its Long Neck

Jerry Pinkney

With the help of his friends Bush-rat and Turtle, smart and nimble Rabbit makes a fool of the mighty but slow-witted king of the forest.

A Swahili Tale

Rabbit Makes a Monkey of Lion

An African folktale follows the son of a chief who must make his way in the world with only a sackful of kola nuts and the help of some creatures that he has treated with kindness. Reprint.

A Tale from Liberia

Koi and the Kola Nuts

Noted children's author and storyteller Verna Aardema recounts her life and describes how her daily activities and writing process are interwoven.

A Bookworm who Hatched

Anansi and his wife outsmart the Sky God and win back the beloved folktales of their people.

Anansi Does the Impossible

In this traditional tale, discovered in Kenya, a young herd boy Ki-pat must find a way to end the dreadful drought that has come to the beautiful Kapiti Plain and save the animals that live there. Authored by Verna Aardema, Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain is a delightful rhyming story full of bright and vivid illustrations by Beatriz Vidal. The cumulative rhyme is a joy to read aloud and a wonderful way to engage young children.

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain

Find out how Ki-pat the herd boy ended a dreadful drought. An enjoyable and vividly illustrated rhyming story.

An Anhanti Tale

Anansi Does the Impossible!

Long ago, when the earth was set down and the sky was lifted up, all the folktales were owned by the Sky God. And Anansi, that cunning little spider, was determined to buy them back. The payment? A live python, one real fairy, and forty-seven stinging hornets. Not such a high price to pay for all the folktales on earth. But how will Anansi find these hard to come bgy items? It sounds impossible! There's only one way to find the help he needs -- Anansi must go to his clever wife, Aso. But will she be smart enough to outwit the Sky God and get the stories back? This humorous retelling of an Ashanti tale brings Anansi together with his better half in an ingenious scheme that will delight readers of all ages!

Verna Aardema

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