Tricky Spider Tales

Spider wants to be a police captain! Can he capture the evil Blacksnake and show the town he’s a hero? Maybe he can stop Lion from stealing the other animals’ food—but if he’s not careful, he might wind up in Lion’s belly! In these West African Spider tales, YOU decide what happens next! Six journeys to follow! Which will YOU take?

Anansi the Spiderman or rather spider and man originated with the Ashanti people of present day Ghana. Anansi's father, the Sky God Nyame, got so tired of his son's pranks that he turned him into a spider. The stories of Anansi were brought to the Caribbean by slaves, some of whom kept up the oral tradition of their people by recounting some event in the life of their village. The stories also included some folklore such as the life and times of Anansi, the trickster. Accordingly Anansi is described as a creature who was always trying to best anyone with whom he came in contact. The general idea for him was that although small he could outsmart creatures much bigger than himself. This is actually a lesson for us that we should depend on brain power rather than the physical. Anansi took pride in this and sometimes came out on top but sometime things went badly for him. When he was victorious he was “The Man” but during the bad times he became the spider and retreated to his web to hide and wait for more opportunities to outsmart his friends. My granddaughter, Mikailah, is so enamored with Anansi, “The Man” that she only wants to hear stories in which he is victorious in tricking other creatures. She calls him “Nancy”. Her favorite story is about Anansi and Brer Tiger in which Anansi was “sick” and got Brer Tiger to take him to the doctor…

Coyote is awfully hungry! Can he trick Bear into giving him his lunch? Or fool the prairie dogs into inviting him to their feast? But if Coyote’s not careful, HE could end up on the menu! In these Native American Coyote tales, YOU decide what happens next! Six journeys to follow! Which will YOU take?

Monkey, a trickster, encounters many other creatures, some friendly and some dangerous, and the reader makes choices that help keep Monkey out of harm's way.

Fox tries to stop her cousin Roxy from acting like a bully, and the reader helps her make choices as they encounter many other creatures, some friendly and some dangerous.

Raven is cold and hungry. Can she trick her cousin Crow into feeding her snacks? Or can she sneak some fish away from a pair of pelicans? She'll have to keep away from sleeping giants and mean beavers if she wants to taste a single bite!

A witty, often devious spider is the charming hero of these African folk tales from the Ashanti tribe.