African Diaspora at Internet Archive: How Animals Saved the People

Since I was sharing Creole tales and stories from Louisiana last week, I wanted to start off this week with a truly beautiful book of stories by Cajun storyteller J. J. Reneaux: How Animals Saved the People: Animal Tales from the South. 

You can find out more about J. J. Reneaux at StoryNet. Not all the stories here are strictly African Diaspora stories, but the creations of African storytellers are an essential ingredient in Reneaux's mix of Cajun, Creole, Native American, and European storytelling elements. Here are the stories you will find in the book: The Golly Whumper [Appalachian] ~ How Miz Gator Lost Her Pea-Green Suit [African-American] ~ How the Bear People Lost Fire [Alabama] ~ Bouki and Lapin Divide the Crops [Creole / African-American] ~ Waiting for BooZoo [African-American] ~ The Poopampareno [European] ~ Buzzard and Chicken Hawk [Cajun / African-American] ~ How Animals Saved the People [Choctaw].

Even more exciting is the fact that the illustrations are by James Ransome (more about Ransome at Wikipedia), who is a protege of Jerry Pinkney. You might remember him from his work with Donna Washington on A Pride of African Tales.

As you can see, he brings the animals beautifully to life, just as Pinkney was able to do also. Here is Rabbit about to trick Gator:

And Rabbit is also going to trick Bouki (depicted as a wolf here) when they decide to farm together:

Plus you'll find one of my all-time favorite folktales in here about the difference between Hawk and Buzzard:

So, if you are looking for a collection of stories that does justice to the different cultures of the American South, this book is a great one to read from start to finish, all just a click away at the Internet Archive. 

How Animals Saved the People:

Animal Tales from the South

by J. J. Reneaux

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