Verna Aardema, Author, Friso Henstra, Illustrator, Frisco Henstra, Illustrator Dial Books $12.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8037-0522-7
Once again, Aardema ( Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears ) proves what an effective--and valuable--genre the folktale is. Young readers will find the hero of this story so engaging and entertaining that they won't even realize he is teaching them...
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Verna Aardema, Author, Nancy Clouse, Illustrator Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company $15 (1p) ISBN 978-0-8028-5073-7
In this lackluster retelling of an African tribal legend, a poor man who ``never listened to his wife'' follows his greed and leads his family to near starvation not once, but four times. Despite Sebgugugu's complacent impenitence, the patient Imana,
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Verna Aardema, Author, Petra Mathers, Illustrator Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers $17 (34p) ISBN 978-0-679-80921-0
The growing interest in multicultural themes, combined with the seemingly endless supply of folktales from all corners of the world, is a boon for readers, as many of these stories are translated and presented in picture-book form. This classic...
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Verna Aardema, Author, Yumi Heo, Illustrator Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers $17 (0p) ISBN 978-0-679-86934-4
Salvaged from Aardema's out-of-print Tales for the Third Ear, this Masai tale shines as a standalone offering, thanks partly to Heo's (The Green Frogs) fresh, invigorating oil and pencil illustrations. A cubless, lonely lioness snatches four chicks...
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Verna Aardema, Author, Marc Tolon Brown, Illustrator Puffin Books $4.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8037-0646-0
Noted Aardema's traditional Nuer tale is accompanied by lively illustrations. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)
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Verna Aardema, Author, Marcia Brown, Illustrator Scholastic $14.95 (1p) ISBN 978-0-590-48367-4
In an inspired pairing, Aardema (Misoso; Jackal's Flying Lesson, reviewed June 26) and Caldecott Medalist Brown's (Stone Soup) pump up the energy in this animated Kenyan pourquoi tale. Suggesting the oral tradition from which the story comes,...
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Verna Aardema, Author, Joe Cepeda, Illustrator , illus. by Joe Cepeda. S&S/Aladdin $6.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-689-85677-8
In this tale, revised from Aardema's Tales from the Story Hat, the youngest son of a chief who has just died is left with only a kola tree, and the kindness he has bequeathed onto other creatures, to live by. Ages 4-8. (Jan.)
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Verna Aardema, Author, Susan Meddaugh, Illustrator Puffin Books $4.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8037-0553-1
When the nasty Zimwi captures a little girl, Bimwili, and puts her in his drum, her quick-thinking sisters save her from harm, in this witty tale from Zanzibar. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
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Verna Aardema, Author, Reynold Ruffins, Illustrator Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers $19.95 (96p) ISBN 978-0-679-83430-4
A dozen well-told stories from Africa illustrate the diversity of that continent, highlighting the richness of specific cultures as well as the more general importance of the spoken word. Some stories seem familiar-a pourquoi tale from Sierra Leone...
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Verna Aardema, Author, Victoria Chess, Illustrator Dial Books $14.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8037-1553-0
In this humorous tale, revised from an entry in the author's 1973 collection Behind the Back of the Mountain, an opportunistic rabbit on an African savanna unrepentantly cons her friends. She gets Ostrich to locate some berry bushes, slyly devours...
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Verna Aardema, Author, Will Hillenbrand, Illustrator Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers $14 (0p) ISBN 978-0-679-80081-1
``One day in the town of Tondo, Bowane the civet cat met a beautiful feline he wanted for a wife.'' After returning home to collect the necessary goods, Bowane sets out for Tondo to claim his bride. He asks three friends--pigeon, python and turtle--t
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Verna Aardema, Author, Will Hillenbrand, Illustrator Dragonfly Books $5.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-679-85309-1
Hillenbrand's muted, stylized illustrations complement Aardema's wry narration of Bowane the civet cat's slow, slow journey toward his prospective bride. Ages 3-8. (Feb.)
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Verna Aardema, Author, Bryna Waldman, Illustrator Dial Books $14.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8037-1164-8
Celebrated folklorist Aardema ( Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears ) captures the buoyant rhythms of oral literature once again in this lighthearted Ashanti tale of a trickster done in by his own foolishness. Lazy Anansi hopes to find a fishing...
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Verna Aardema, Author, Jerry Pinkney, Illustrator Dial Books $11.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8037-0297-4
First with Bush-rat and then with Turtle, Rabbit visits the calabash tree, about which the honey guide bird has trilled songs of sweet nectar. But that tree is Lion's, and he confronts the invaders just as they are settling into a meal. Quick-witted,
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Verna Aardema, Author, Mike Slosberg, Author, Teurlay, Illustrator Puffin Books $4.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8037-0449-7
A funny Sudanese tale about the way cats rose to prominence over dogs, with splashy illustrations by Brown. Ages 4-8. (March)
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Verna Aardema, Author, Victoria Chase, Illustrator, Victoria Chess, Illustrator Dial Books $10.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8037-0412-1
Artist and author, displaying the considerable wit and style for which each is known, turn an age-old idea on its side: the events surrounding a contest for the hand of a princess. King Gorilla is intent on selecting a strong, brave husband for his...
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