There are actually two copies available at the Internet Archive, so if one is checked out, you can borrow the other one:
I also wanted to note a cute artifact on one of the copies; some child has put stickers on the cover, including a crown on the leopard's head, ha ha. Although it is really the frog who rules in this story, as you might be able to guess from his position and posture there on the cover.
The illustrations are by Barbara Spurll, whom Mollel has worked with in the past; I'll have more to say about their collaboration later in the week. Meanwhile, take a look at her very literate leopard:
If you haven't figure it out yet, this is the same legend that Aardema retold in Who's in Rabbit's House? that we read back in May (featuring artwork by Leo and Diane Dillon). In Mollel's version, the hare's house that has become occupied by a formidable monster, and just as in Aardema's version, a series of animals promises to help hare drive the monster out, the only difference being that the African jackal has been replaced by a fox (there are some foxes in Africa, but they are far less plentiful than the jackals). For a version of the story in Maa with an interlinear English translation, see that earlier blog post.
Each storyteller who does a version of this story puts their own spin on it based on what they include, or not, and the details they imagine. One of the most distinctive things about this version is the lunch/supper refrain of the "monster" in the rabbit's home. Each time a new animal challenges the monster, it replies: "I eat rhinos for lunch and elephants for supper." Then, at the end, the frog challenges back: "I eat rhinos for breakfast, elephants for lunch, and monsters for supper." That shift from lunch-supper to breakfast-lucnh-supper is very elegant! And if you are curious about the challenge in a traditional Maasai version recorded a century ago, you can read that here.
Then, in a charming turn of events, it turns out the caterpillar really just wanted to find somewhere cozy and quiet where it could take a nap. The frog is sympathetic, and the two of them go off together at the end to resume their napping!
I promised to say something about Mollel's other collaboration with Spurll, and it's a book we read back in July for Anansi Book Club: The Flying Tortoise. I actually like the art for this book even better because of the richer, deeper detail that Spurll brings to her portraits of the animals there. For example, Here is Mbeku the Tortoise setting his plans in motion with help from his only friend, Ngwele the Lizard, who is a great character in this story too. My guess is that while Lizard is busy sewing the feathers into wings for Tortoise, Tortoise is thinking that he might like to eat that lovely little butterfly: he's got a dangerous, hungry look on his face!
I also wanted to share today another highly recommended book by Mollel, and this one features another Maasai legend: The Orphan Boy. I wish the book had a subtitle to help people realize what it is about: it's a Maasai legend about a star that comes down from the sky, the "orphan boy" of the book's title, and who finds a home with a lonely old man.
The illustrations are by Paul Morin, and they are beautiful. Here is his depiction of the radiant star-boy:
I also wanted to mention another beautiful book by Mollel which takes a traditional African tale and places it in a contemporary setting, telling the story about a young girl who has to take care of her very annoying little brother. As Mollel explains in his author's note, he decided to adapt the traditional story to make it be about children. The book is Subira, Subira.
Because he has set the story in Tanzania, he has written a song in Swahili as part of the story; the word "subira" means "patience," which is the theme of the story, and the notes for the tune are in the back of the book (click on the image for a larger view):
The beautiful artwork is by Linda Saport.
Plus you can find even more books by Mollel at the Archive, all just a click away!
To wrap up the week, I have a series of beautiful videos from Mollel, all about encouraging young people to tell their own stories. Because this is part of YouTube-for-kids I cannot put the videos into a playlist, but here are links to them one by one, and I embedded the starting video below.
Make a story out of a shared tale
So, Mollel was already one of my favorite children's writers before this week, but after reading more of his books and learning more about his work, I am an even bigger fan than before. I hope you have enjoyed learning about him too!
by Tololwa Mollel
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