Stories from Africa

by Marguerite P. Dolch and Vincent D. Smith

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811625621
• ISBN13: 9780811625623
• Release Date: January 1975
• Publisher: Garrard Pub. Co.
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Age Range: 7 to 13 years
• Grade Range: Grades 2 to 8

Customer Reviews

See similarities in cultures by common themes in folk tales

My children love folk tales, and they are encouraged to read them at every opportunity. However, they are also more than just a story, being a window into the past allowing us to glimpse how humans used to view the world. With a bit of adult explanation, they can also provide lessons in cultural studies. This collection of stories contain some that deal with the origin of humans, which always seems to start at the same point. Whatever their names, in this case they are Hanna and Bateta, the human species begins with one man and one woman. We often emphasize the differences between cultures. However, if we examine the folk tales, it is easy to see that common themes run through most of them. Perhaps the emphasis should be more on the commonality rather than the diversity. In the African tale of the arrival of death as a fact of human life, it is also a woman who breaks the rules, causing Death to come to Earth and become a constant companion to the human race. Animals with human-like qualities are also prominently featured in many stories, although they are more malevolent than in tales from other cultures. These are not stories about great warriors fighting their way through their enemies, but tales about human existence and at times folly, greed and wisdom. I learned some things about the African perspective, and have encouraged my children to read them and think about how they show how similar we all are.