African Folktales at Internet Archive: Ji-nongo-nongo Means Riddles

I'm finishing up this week with another book illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, and this time it's a book of riddles collected by Verna Aardema: Ji-nongo-nongo Means Riddles, which is just a click away at the Internet Archive.

You can use these links to see previous posts about both the author Verna Aardema and the illustrator Jerry Pinkney. 

Riddles and proverbs are an incredibly important part of the African folk tradition, and I shared a book of riddles earlier this summer: The House with No Door: African Riddle Poems by Brian Swann with illustrations by Ashley Bryan. This book draws on riddle traditions from across Africa, with forty riddles as found in about a dozen different tribal traditions; you can find information about the sources used in the credits section at the front of the book. The title comes from the Kimbundu language of Angola, and refers to a traditional Angolan guessing game.

Lots of the riddles have to do with animals, just as so many proverbs are also about animals, and these riddles often have a proverbial value to them. For example:

Who has a house too small for guests?

The answer is..... the tortoise. This Yoruba riddle plays with the physical fact of the tortoise's shell, but it also resonates with the greedy selfishness of the trickster tortoise in Yoruba culture; being hospitable is not one of the tortoise's qualities. And if the tortoise does invite you to dinner, you better be careful!

The illustrations are in Pinkney's beautiful, distinctive style; here's a page that accompanies some of the animal riddles:

And one of my favorite proverbs in the book gets its own full-page illustration:

What can the buffalo do that two strong men can not? 

I'll put the picture here so that you can think about it; the picture gives you a clue, and you'll find the answer below the picture.

The answer: Grow horns!

And here's another one with a nice proverbial quality to it:

What is it that even the ostrich with its long neck and sharp eyes cannot see?

Again, I'll put the answer down below the illustration so you can ponder...

The answer: The future!

So, that seems like a fitting phrase to use here at the end of this week's recommendations, but I'll be back next week with more. Meanwhile, enjoy all the riddles here, and the gorgeous illustrations:

Ji-nongo-nongo Means Riddles
by Verna Aardema

with illustrations by Jerry Pinkney