Drawing on images and characters from traditional African myths, legends, and folklore, this colorful anthology features three short stories and three poems from Kenya.
Folklore and Fairy Tales
The Giant Devil Dingo
Unlike all the other animals and birds, the dingo was not a man in the beginning, but had always been a dog. This legend of Gaiya the giant devil-dingo tells how the modern day dingo was created.
Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky
An African folktale tells how the sun and water once lived on earth as friends, but because the sun failed to build his house large enough, he and his wife, the moon, were driven into the sky when the water came to visit them.
The Singing Snake
A retelling of the Australian aboriginal tale about a snake that swallows a lark in an effort to win a singing contest.
Nyumba Ya Mumbi: The Gikuyu Creation Myth
Retells the story of the creation of the Gikuyu people of Kenya.
The Rainbow Serpent
Recounts the aborigine story of creation featuring Goorialla, the great Rainbow Serpent.
Iblis
An Islamic version of the story of Adam and Eve and the fall from Paradise. In this Islamic version of Adam and Eve’s expulsion from Eden, the devil is called Iblis.
The Adventures Of Robin Hood
Recounts the life and adventures of Robin Hood, who, with his band of followers, lived in Sherwood Forest as an outlaw dedicated to fighting tyranny.
Shi Er Sheng Xiao De Gu Shi
Written in Chinese. A story of the zodiac, adapted from a Chinese folklore.
The Green Frogs
A folktale about two green frogs who always disobey their mother, explaining why green frogs cry out whenever it rains.