Verna Aardema - Bibliography

Bibliography

• Anansi Does the Impossible!: An Ashanti Tale. Illustrated by Lisa Desimini. 1st ed. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1997.

Anansi and his wife outsmart the Sky God and win back the beloved folktales of their people.

• Anansi Finds a Fool: An Ashanti Tale. Pictures by Bryna Waldman. 1st ed. New York: Dial Books, 1992.

Lazy Anansi seeks to trick someone into doing the heavy work of laying his fish trap, but instead he is fooled into doing the job himself.

• Behind the Back of the Mountain; Black Folktales from Southern Africa. Pictures by Leo and Diane Dillon. New York: Dial Press, 1973.

Ten folk legends from southern Africa include Hottentot, Zulu and Bantu tales.

• Bimwili & the Zimwi: A Tale from Zanzibar. Pictures by Susan Meddaugh. 1st ed. New York: Dial Books, 1985.

A Swahili girl is abducted by a Zimwi and told to be the voice inside his singing drum.

• Borreguita and the Coyote: A Tale from Ayutla, Mexico. Illustrated by Petra Mathers. New York: Knopf; distributed by Random House, 1991.

A little lamb uses her clever wiles to keep a coyote from eating her up.

• Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plan: A Nandi Tale. Pictures by Beatriz Vidal. New York: Dial Press, 1981.

A cumulative rhyme relating how K-pat brought rain to the drought-stricken Kapiti Plain.

• Half-a-Ball-of-Kenki: An Ashanti Tale. With pictures by Diane Stanley Zuromskis. New York: F. Warne, 1979.

Half-a-Ball-of-Kenki rescues Fly from Leopard and, in the ensuing fray, Leopard receives a spotted coat forever.

• How the Ostrich Got Its Long Neck; A Tale from the Akamba of Kenya. Illustrated by Marcia Brown. New York: Scholastic, 1995.

A tale from the Akamba people of Kenya that explains why the ostrich has such a long neck.

• Jackal's Flying Lesson: A Khoikhoi Tale. Illustrated by Dale Gottlieb. New York: Knopf; distributed by Random House, 1995.

With the help of a blue crane, a mother dove rescues her babies from a not-so-clever Jackal.

• Ji-nongo-nongo Means Riddles. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Four Winds Press, 1978.

Presents a collection of riddles from Africa.

• Koi and the Kola Nuts: A Tale from Liberia. Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. 1st ed. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1999.

An African folktale in which the son of the chief must make his way in the world with only a sackful of kola nuts and the help of some creatures that he has treated with kindness.

• The Lonely Lioness and the Ostrich Chicks: A Masai Tale. Illustrated by Yumi Heo. New York: A.A. Knopf; distributed by Random House, 1996.

In this retelling of a Maasai tale, a mongoose helps an ostrich get her chicks back from the lonely lioness who has stolen them.

• Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa Illustrated by Reynold Ruffins. New York: Knopf; distributed by Random House, 1994.

A collection of folktales from different parts of Africa.

• More Tales from the Story Hat. Illustrated by Elton Fax. New York: Coward-McCann, 1966.

Presents eleven folktales from Africa.

• The Na of Wa. Illustrated by Elton Fax. New York: Coward-McCann, 1960.
• Oh, Kojo! How Could You!: An Ashanti Tale. Pictures by Marc Brown. 1st ed. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1984.

Relates how a young man named Kojo finally gets the better of the tricky Anansi.

• Otwe. Illustrated by Elton Fax. New York: Coward-McCann, 1960.

Pedro & the Padre: A Tale from Jalisco, Mexico. Pictures by Friso Henstra. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1991. In this Mexican folktale, a lazy boy learns a lesson about lying.

• Princess Gorilla and a New Kind of Water: A Mpongwe Tale. Pictures by Victoria Chess. 1st ed. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1988.

King Gorilla decrees that no one may marry his daughter until a suitor strong enough to consume a barrel of strange, intoxicating water is found.

• Rabbit Makes a Monkey of Lion: A Swahili Tale. Pictures by Jerry Pinkney. 1st ed. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1989.

With the help of his friends Bush-rat and Turtle, smart and nimble Rabbit makes a fool of the mighty but slow-witted king of the forest.

• Sebgugugu the Glutton: A Bantu Tale from Rwanda. Illustrated by Nancy L. Clouse. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans; Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 1993.

A greedy poor man tests the patience of Imana, Lord of Rwanda, until he loses everything.

• The Riddle of the Drum: A Tale from Tizapan, Mexico. Illustrated by Tony Chen. New York: Four Winds Press, 1979.

Anxious to keep his daughter from marrying, a king announces that no man may marry his daughter unless he guesses the kind of leather used in a drum made by a wizard. Sebgugugu the Glutton: A Bantu Tale from Rwanda. Illustrated by Nancy L. Clouse. Grand Rapids,

• Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans; Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 1993.

A greedy poor man tests the patience of Imana, Lord of Rwanda, until he loses everything.

• The Sky-god Stories. Illustrated by Elton Fax. New York: Coward-McCann, 1960.
• Tales from the Story Hat. Illustrated by Elton Fax. New York: Coward-McCann, 1960.

A collection of nine folk tales from Africa.

• This for That: A Tonga Tale. Pictures by Victoria Chess. 1st ed. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1997.
• Tales from the Third Ear, from Equatorial Africa. Drawings by Ib Ohlsson. 1st ed. New York: Dutton, 1969.

Nine African folk tales recount the adventures of a lonely lioness, a cunning spider, a lying hyena and others.

• Traveling to Tondo: A Tale of the Knundo of Zaire. Illustrated by Will Hillenbradn. New York: Knopf; distributed by Random House, 1991.
• The Vingananee and the Tree Toad: A Liberian Tale. With illustrations by Ellen Weiss. New York: Puffin Books, 1988; New York: Warne, 1983.

A strange animal called the Vingananee beats up all the other animals and eats their stew until the tiny Tree Toad offers to fight him.

• What's So Funny, Ketu?: A Nuer Tale. Pictures by Marc Brown. New York: Dial Press, 1982.

For saving the life of a snake, Ketu is rewarded by being allowed to hear animals think.

• Who's in Rabbit's House?: A Masai Tale. Pictures by Leo and Diane Dillon. New York: Dial Press, 1977.

Rabbit has a problem - someone is inside her house and won't let her in.

• Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears: A West African Tale. Pictures by Leo and Diane Dillon. New York: Dial Press, 1975.

A retelling of a traditional West African tale that reveals how the mosquito developed its annoying habit.