NCW Libraries

A retelling of a traditional Liberian tale in which King Leopard invites all the animals to a spear-throwing contest whose winner will marry his daughter and succeed him as king.

A clever spider tricks Elephant and some other animals into thinking the melon in which he is hiding can talk.

Anansi the Spider steals Hyena's magic stick so he won't have to do the chores, but when the stick's magic won't stop, he gets more than he bargained for.

"The orphan Iyanu is thrust into the wildlands beyond the safety of the walls of her home! She must quickly learn to work with an exile and the people of the Riverlands Settlement if she hopes to save her mentor. Meanwhile, Chancellor Nuro finalizes a diabolical plan that threatens to destroy the entirety of Yorubaland in his greedy hunt to capture Iyanu, also known now as the Chosen One!"--Publisher.

"A teenage orphan with no recollection of her past, suddenly discovers that she has abilities that rival the ancient deities told in the folklore of her people."--

An African folktale about a mouse who pays close attention to her surroundings and avoids being tricked by the cat.

"At a sparrow's urging, a young girl feels a mysterious trembling in her arms, a lightness in her feet, a longing to be free. Her mother tells her that her Granny Liza experienced the same, as did many of their people before her. Perhaps it's time, Mama says, to slip the bonds of earth and join the journey started long ago. To hold each other tight and rise. Drawing on lyrics from the song "We Could Fly" by Rhiannon Giddens and Dirk Powell, which...

Collects ten stories of African folklore, from Amharic and Arabic tales to Shona and Zulu lore.