A collection of folktales from the nine tribes of Ethiopia, along with two stories from Ethiopia’s religious traditions.
Folklore and Fairy Tales
Bury My Bones But Keep My Words: African Tales For Retelling
A collection of thirteen traditional tales from various regions of Africa, including “The Man with a Tree on His Head,” “There’s One Day for the Victim,” and “The Two Swindlers.”
The Ancient Africans
A retelling of several ancient African myths, with background information describing the history, geography, belief systems, and customs of various peoples of Africa.
How Giraffe Got Such A Long Neck– And Why Rhino Is So Grumpy
The Leopard’s Drum: An Asante Tale from West Africa
Because Osebo the leopard won’t share his magnificent drum with anyone, Nyame the Sky-God offers a reward to whichever animal presents the drum to him.
King Solomon and the Bee
A retelling of the traditional tale about a bee that repays King Solomon’s kindness by helping him solve the Queen of Sheba’s riddle.
Api and the Boy Stranger
In this Ivory Coast legend, Api and her family are repaid for their kindness to a stranger with a mysterious warning to leave their village and go to the other side of the river Amman.
Chinye: A West African Folk Tale
Poor Chinye! Back and forth through the dark forest she goes, fetching and carrying for her cruel stepmother and lazy stepsister. Terror lurks behind every tree, and ghostly figures cross her path–but strange powers are watching over her, and waiting somewhere in the moonlight is a hut piled high with magic gourds.
Kassim’s Shoes
Kassim succumbs to pressure to abandon his old shoes but has trouble discarding them.
This for That
Rabbit tricks the other animals of the African plain into giving her food and other treats.
