African & Diaspora Folktales, Heritage Stories
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale
By John Steptoe
Mufaro's two daughters react in different ways to the King's search for a wife - one is aggressive and selfish, the other kind and dignified. The king disguises himself to learn the true nature of both the girls.
Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti
By Gerald McDermott
In this traditional Ashanti tale, Anansi sets out on a long, difficult journey. Threatened by Fish and Falcon, he is saved from terrible fates by his sons. But which of his sons should Anansi reward? Calling upon Nyame, the God of All Things, Anansi solves his predicament in a touching and highly resourceful fashion.
The Village That Vanished
By Ann Grifalconi, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Young Abekenile and all the villagers of Yao feel safe sheltered deep within the jungle. But word has now come that slavers are on their way! Abekenile looks to the women of her tribe: her mother, who comes up with a clever plan to fool the slavers, and a tribal elder, who stays behind to face the slavers, steadfast in her trust that the ancestor-spirits will watch over her. But as the villagers retreat within the forest, it is Abekenile who finds that she too has the bravery and daring to help her people stay safe and free.
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears
By Verna Aardema, Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
“Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears” is a Caldecott Medal-winning children's book by Verna Aardema, based on a West African folktale, that explains the origin of the mosquito's buzz through a chain reaction of misunderstandings caused by a mosquito's lie, leading to a jungle disaster and a guilty conscience for the mosquito, who now buzzes in people's ears asking if they are still angry.
The Hatseller and the Monkeys
By Baba Wague Diakite
One day, BaMusa sets out for a festival to sell his hats. But when he falls asleep under a mango tree, some mischievous monkeys take them...
A Story: An African Tale Retold
By Gail E. Haley
Long, long ago there were no stories on earth for children to hear. All stories belonged to Nyame, the Sky God. Ananse, the Spider man, wanted to buy some of these stories, so he spun a web up to the sky to bargain with the Sky God. The price the Sky God asked was Osebo, the leopard-of-the-terrible-teeth, Mmboro the hornet-who-stings-like-fire, and Mmoatia the fairy-whom-men-never-see. Can Ananse capture these sly creatures and give the children of earth stories to tell?
The Water Princess
By Susan Verde, Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
With its wide sky and warm earth, Princess Gie Gie’s kingdom is a beautiful land. But clean drinking water is scarce in her small African village. And try as she might, Gie Gie cannot bring the water closer; she cannot make it run clearer. Every morning, she rises before the sun to make the long journey to the well. Instead of a crown, she wears a heavy pot on her head to collect the water. After the voyage home, after boiling the water to drink and clean with, Gie Gie thinks of the trip that tomorrow will bring. And she dreams. She dreams of a day when her village will have cool, crystal-clear water of its own.
