The 14 stories reprinted here were first published in one of these collections of folklore retold by Ashley Bryan: The Ox of the Wonderful Horns; Beat the Story-Drum, Pum-Pum and Lion and the Ostrich. Their original ochre and deep red illustrations adorn the pages of these tales: "Ananse the Spider in Search of a Fool," "Frog and His Two Wives," "Elephant and Frog Go Courting," "Tortoise, Hare and the Sweet Potatoes," "Hen and Frog," "Why Bush Cow and Elephant Are Bad Friends," "The Husband Who Counted the Spoonfuls, Why Frog and Snake Never Play Together," "How Animals got Their Tails, The Son of the Wind, Jackal's Favorite Game," "The Foolish Boy, and the two original title stories. Bryan's skill in finding the written cadence for each story and his affection for trickster, fool and hero alike make this a treasure trove in which to find some of his best-loved tales. Sources are printed at the end. (Ages 9-12)

Come gather round, young and old, and hear these stories from Africa, retold and illustrated by the incomparable Ashley Bryan. The fourteen stories in this collection are some of his favorites, previously published in The Ox of the Wonderful Horns; Beat the Story-Drum, Pum-Pum (Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration); and Lion and the Ostrich Chicks (Coretta Scott King Honor Book).
Retold with rich, musical narration, and illustrated with Mr. Bryan's distinctive paintings, these tales are full of fun and magic and a few lessons to be learned. They are tales of tricksters, chieftains, and both wise and foolish creatures. You will learn why Frog and Snake never play together, or why Bush Cow and Elephant are bad friends, or of the problems that a husband has because he likes to count spoonfuls. Although the stories come from many parts of Africa, they are full of the universal human spirit, to be shared and treasured for every generation, uh-huh.