When the Asante people of Ghana came to the New World as slaves, they brought with them the rich, oral tradition of their home culture. Somewhere in their misery, Kwaku Ananse, the mischievous and cunning spider who, with his friends, personified so many human traits survived, and helped them keep their spirits up. Anansi's extreme cleverness, his ability to be both hero and antihero at once, appeal especially to second graders. His stories have fable...