The Adventures of Spider: West African Folktales

by Joyce Cooper Arkhurst and Joyce Cooper Arkhurst / illust.by Jerry Pinkney

Book Overview

Presents six tales about Spider, including those which explain how he got a thin waist and a bald head and why he lives in ceilings and dark corners.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316051071
• ISBN13: 9780316051071
• Release Date: November 1992
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.8" x 9.2"
• Age Range: 6 to 9 years
• Grade Range: Grades 1 to 4

Customer Reviews

The Sound of Africa

This product has the sound of Africa. It sounds more athentic than other similar books. It is also more culturely oriented.

Absolutely amazing!

I'd agree with the previous reviewer; however, the author (Joyce Cooper Arkhurst) was indeed the person responsible for popularizing the Anansi stories here in the USA! The vocabulary in the book introduces kids to Africa and West African terms and culture. Joyce was a storyteller at the New York City Public Library many years ago and received a grant to go to West Africa to research the rich oral tradition of storytelling in the villages. This book was the first to popularize the Anansi stories and opened the door for McDermott and others. Enjoy!

This is a great book for children and adult storytellers

The author has presented a simple, easy to read format which will be easy for children to read, understand, and most important, ENJOY! The humor is wonderful. The main character, Spider, will be easily recognizable to those children already familiar with the Anansi stories. Additionally, I am a teacher and have introduced oral storytelling into my second grade classroom. These stories are simple, rich and easy to learn for those who may be interested in becoming a storyteller themselves! It's a thoroughly enjoyable and wonderful book.