Anansi

Anansi the Spider, a master trickster, uses the powers of a magical rock to dupe his neighbors.

Trapped inside one of Elephant's melons after eating too much, Anansi speaks to Elephant who is convinced he has grown a talking melon.

Anansi the spider plans to trick Turtle into catching a fish for his dinner, but Turtle proves to be smarter and ends up with a free meal. Explains the origin of spider webs.

The magic trickster, Anansi the spider, is back! As usual, Anansi would rather loaf than work, so he steals Hyena's magic stick to do all his chores. When Anansi wakes up from a nap, he can't remember the magic words that will stop the stick. Fortunately, Hyena saves the day, but once again Anansi doesn't learn his lesson! This fable, like Kimmel's and Stevens' other Anansi stories, offers elements both traditional and surprising, and is full of the energy and slapstick fun that make their tales so enjoyable.

In this fifth book in the delightful series about the trickster spider, Anansi receives his comeuppance from Turtle. When Anansi invites Turtle to a party just to trick him, Turtle finds his own hilarious way to exact his revenge. The droll humor and the bold, brightly colored illustrations combine for another hilarious tale.

Anansi the Spider is the master trickster, and his shenanigans are humorously presented in these fantastic narratives based on West African folktales. In Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock the clever Anansi uses a magic rock he finds to pilfer food from his animal friends. What he doesn't realize is that the shy Little Bush Deer is observing his antics, and ultimately tricks the trickster! Rhythmic text helps build the suspense to a satisfying and delightful conclusion. The funny, accessible telling of “Anansi Goes Fishing” is a perfect companion to the first tale in this series of stories about the Trickster Spider. This time it's Turtle who outwits the Lazy Anansi when the spider asks his friend to teach him how to fish. Hoping to con Turtle of his fish, instead Anansi gets stuck doing all the work, and though he appeals for justice from Judge Warthog, his reputation precedes him and he receives no sympathy. Fortunately, he does learn the skill of weaving in this sprightly tale sure to amuse the picture book crowd.

After eating his way into Elephant's melon and getting stuck, Anansi decides his only way out is to trick his friends into believing that the melon can talk. Elephant is delighted to share his special melon with the other animals, especially King Monkey. When the melon insults the King, however, mayhem ensues, much to Anansi's glee. Snappy and fresh, this playful tale is a perfect read-aloud. In the most recent book about the sly Spider, Anansi steals Hyena's magic cleaning stick, with disastrous results. The essence of the various animals' characters is brilliantly captured in this humorous narration and the lesson learned is as engaging as the story itself.