Mouse, Fox, Spider, and Snake all want to scare Bear. But Bear is the bravest animal in the forest–nothing scares Bear. Except, maybe, one thing. Bear says that he’s scared of manju cakes. Armed with that knowledge, the other animals throw their manju cakes at him. . . .only to learn that the only scary thing is how much Bear loves to eat them!
What would you do if you woke up one night to find the shadow of a giant chicken passing your bedroom door? Go and investigate, of course! When Anyaugo follows a giant chicken into her kitchen one warm night in Nigeria, she embarks on a fun-filled adventure where nothing is quite as it seems. Is the mischievous giant chicken a friend or a foe? More importantly, will Anyaugo be able to save the food for the New Yam Festival the next day?
After much coaching, Bouki wins the prize for dancing the king’s secret dance but is then outwitted by his sneaky friend.
Anansi and his wife outsmart the Sky God and win back the beloved folktales of their people.
A clever cat wins for his master a fortune and the hand of a princess.
This collection of 12 brief Latin American trickster tales is lively and humorous.
A willy fox outwits Jaguar in three trickster tales set in the jungles of South America.
After being caught by a hunter, a clever turtle uses her wits and her talent playing the flute to trick the hunter’s children into helping her escape.
Jabut’s shell was smooth and shiny, and the songs he played on his flute were sweet. But his music was a reminder, too, of the mischievous pranks Jabut sometimes played. When a concert takes place in heaven, Vulture offers to fly Jabut there . . . all the while plotting a trick of his own.
This is a collection of African American short stories. McKissack based the stories on those she heard as a child while sitting on her grandparents’ porch.