Africa at the Internet Archive: Pride of African Tales

I wrote about Kimmel's Anansi books yesterday, and today I want to share a collection of stories that includes an Anansi story: A Pride of African Tales by Donna L. Washington:

Donna Washington is a professional storyteller; you can find out more at her website which contains abundant materials for readers, students, teachers, and parents, and she also has videos at YouTube, like this one where she tells the story of Anansi and the Hat-Shaking Dance:

The illustrations are by James Ransome, a wonderful artist and book illustrator; you can find out more at Wikipedia and at his website. In the Anansi story that opens this book, Ransom depicts Anansi in human form, rather than as a spider, which is a great way to help people imagine Anansi as more than a cartoon spider; Anansi belongs to a world of people, beautifully and vividly drawn:

The book contains six stories from western and central Africa, each with a brief introduction and then additional notes in the back of the book. So, for the Anansi story, the notes suggest that people read authors like Appiah, Arkhurst, and Courlander, all of whom are available at the Internet Archive also:

So, if you are looking for a short (70 pages) introduction to the folktales of Africa, with lovely illustrations, Washington and Ransome's book is a great choice. Enjoy!

A Pride of African Tales

by Donna L. Washington