Hugh Vernon-Jackson

A good collection of various myths pertaining to the harvest, the earthly cycles, heavenly bodies, the origin stories of various tribes, and food. A fun and easy resource to help get your classes interested in, and asking questions about the lives and customs of some African cultures.

Rating: 3 of 5

Stories in this collection focused on scaring, I mean, teaching readers (and I imagine originally it was listeners) the dangers of either (1) disobeying one's parents or (2) leaving the family home without the proper life skills which, in the case of these tales, is hunting with and without parents or tribe mates. There was little variety and most of these super short stories would be better suited for reading aloud as "folk" tales usually are.

These stories provide a moral for children.

African Folk Tales is a collection of 18 West African fables. This book is like unsalted food. There's something there, but it needs just a touch more to be good. The book is part of the Dover Thrift series, so I don't expect a full dissertation on each fable. Still, I'm left unsatisfied, and with a vague feeling that there is something missing, after reading this book.