Product Description

Anansi the spider plans to trick Turtle into catching a fish for his dinner, but Turtle proves to be smarter and ends up with a free meal. Explains the origin of spider webs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8056051 in Books
• Published on: 1990-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Audio Cassette

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-- In a companion volume to Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock (Holiday, 1990), Kimmel and Stevens team up again to extend the humor of a trickster tale from Africa. Anansi joins Turtle on a fishing excursion, intending to con him out of all the fish. Anansi's stubborn selfishness proves to be his undoing day after day until, at last, he realizes the folly of his ways because he has been tricked into doing all the work and is still hungry. Kimmel has adapted Joyce Cooper Arkhurst's sparer version found in The Adventures of Spider , (Little, 1964; o.p.) transforming the fisherman into a turtle and judiciously exercising his storyteller's prerogative to add humorous details and lively dialogue that follows a repetitive pattern. Although the ending has been changed substantially from the original source, it is nonetheless satisfying and suits this variation of the tale. Stevens's watercolor illustrations feature bright colors and bold black outlines and range from broad humor to subtle slyness. She, too, has taken liberties in her interpretation by affording Turtle human trappings and consistently portraying Anansi as an unadorned spider. Together, the text and art combine in a fresh new version that is a fine choice for oral presentation or for independent reading. --Starr LaTronica, North Berkeley Library, CA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
In what the author describes on the jacket as ``a variation of a [West African] tale found in Joyce Cooper Arkhurst's The Adventures of Spider,'' the spider trickster is roundly tricked by his friend Turtle. Turtle agrees to teach Anansi to fish, describing the first step, netmaking, as hard work they can share: ``One of us can work while the other gets tired.'' Lazy Anansi is quick to choose work, while Turtle lounges peacefully in the chair he has brought, ``getting very tired.'' So it goes until a fish is finally caught and consumed by Turtle: ``One of us should eat while the other gets full.'' Finally catching on, the hungry Anansi goes to Warthog for justice but gets no sympathy--his reputation is known, and his story, though true, is outrageously implausible. At least he's learned to weave a web. Kimmel's funny, accessible telling is nicely complemented in Stevens's art, depicting the lively events in bold lines and assertive colors and adding amusing details like Turtle's accumulating beach-style paraphernalia--including a loudly flowered shirt and a boombox. Sure to delight the picture book crowd. (Folklore/Picture book. 4-10) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About the Author
Eric A. Kimmel has written, retold, or adapted a number of stories from around the world, including Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, a Caldecott Honor Book. He also retold Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock, which reviewers described as "a fine choice as a read-aloud" (booklist) and to be "welcomed by all trickster fans" (School Library Journal). When asked about the origins of Anansi Goes Fishing, Dr. Kimmel replied, "It's a variation of a tale found in Joyce Cooper Arkhurst's The Advestures of Spider. The Anansi tales are originally from West Africa but are also familiar in Caribbean culture. Sometimes, Anansi assumes the form of a man; other times, he is depicted as a spider." Professor of Education at Portland State University, Dr. Kimmel is a frequent lecturer and storyteller at schools and conferences. He an his wife, Doris, live in Portland, Oregon.

Janet Stevens received her B.F.A. from the University of Colorado. Widely admired for her dipictions of animals, she has illustrated more than 20 Children's books. Among them are Anansi and the Moss-covered Rock and Nanny goat and the Seven Little Kids, both retold by Dr. Kimmel, and Androcles and the Lion the The Tortoise and the Hare, which Janet adapted as well as illustrated. Ms. Stevens lives in Boulder, Colorado, with her husband and two children.

Customer Reviews

We love Anansi!
All the books in the Anansi series are fun! We love to read them to our children for many reasons: They learn something (at least somewhat) useful, they're enjoyable for them AND they're enjoyable for us! The kids love to see how someone will trick this lazy spider!

The first time we found this book was in a library, and it was a 'book on tape' set. If you can find this, we recommend it, too, as the reader is very funny! :)

In this book, Anansi wants a fish just like his friend the turtle has just caught. And what fun it is to see the logic turtle uses to get Anansi to do all the work while turtle 'gets tired'! We love this book! It is good clean fun! :)

Kids love tricksters!
Anansi is lazy and he likes to play tricks! This time, turtle outsmarts Anansi. Anansi does all of the work while turtle gets tired. The kids in my class ask to listen to this book and the other Anansi tales, retold by Eric Kimmel, over and over again. This one takes a little bit more thinking to figure out what the tricks are.