1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Stevens, Janet. 1988. ANANSI AND THE MOSS-COVERED ROCK. retold by Eric A. Kimmel. New York: Holiday House. ISBN 082340689X
2. PLOT SUMMARY
A spider named Anansi walked through the forest and found a magic rock. Every time Anansi would say the words "Isn't this a strange moss-covered rock", he would fall down fast asleep for an hour. Anansi decided to use this rock to trick the other animals in the forest so that he could steal their food because he was too lazy to get food for himself. Anansi tricked and took the food of the lion, elephant, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, giraffe, and zebra.
Little Bush Deer found out what Anansi was doing. She decided to pretend she didn't know what he'd been up to so she could teach him a lesson. When Little Bush Deer followed Anansi into the forest and he showed her the rock, she pretended not to see it, until out of anger and frustration, Anansi said the words "Isn't this a strange moss-covered rock!" and fell to the ground fast asleep. As Anansi slept, Little Bush Deer told the other animals what Anansi had done and they all went to Anansi's house and took back all the food that he had stolen from them.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The characters in this folktale, Anansi and the animals mentioned above, are delightful to look at as the story unfolds. Anansi is not only clever and mischievous, but extremely fun to watch as he takes obvious delight in tricking the other animals out of their hard earned food. Anansi's eight little legs seem to move him across the page as he crawls up to each animal in the forest and asks them to go for a walk in the cool forest with him because the day is so hot. These same eight little legs are later shown jumping up and down in frustration as Little Bush Deer plays word games with Anansi until he ends up shouting the magic words and falling into a deep sleep.
The conversation between Anansi and the little deer is very amusing as Little Bush Deer says "Say what?" Anansi then says "You know." The words "You know" are repeated by Little Bush Deer. Anansi then shouts "You're not supposed to say 'you know!' " to which Little Bush Deer replies "What am I supposed to say?" This final question tricks Anansi into saying the magic words "You're supposed to say, 'Isn't this a strange moss-covered rock!' " Anansi then falls to the ground with a KPOM! Kimmel's use of onomatopoeia makes each animal's fall more hilarious. Children will delight in reading the "KPOM!" sound that is easily recognizable as it is written each time in all capital letters.
The story is illustrated in a realistic style with a great emphasis on small details. Each animal is beautifully drawn in ink and then painted with perfect precision. The reader can see the beads of sweat falling off the lion's forehead, the tiny hairs on each of Anansi's legs, and each wrinkle on the elephant. The scenery of the forest that is the setting of this story is also meticulously illustrated. The illustrations are drawn with a sense of humor as the lion has a pet iguana on a leash tied to his rocking chair, the elephant has a ceiling fan above his lawn chair propelled by two little mice, and the Little Bush Deer climbs a coconut tree to retrieve coconuts. Children will have fun looking for the Little Bush Deer, quietly watching on each page, as Anansi tricks all of the other animals in the forest.
The theme of this story has to do with being honest and treating others well. Anansi was not honest with the other animals in the story and ended up getting tricked by all of them in the same way Anansi tricked them. Because Anansi stole from them, the animals gave him a taste of his own medicine and left him with nothing when he woke up from the rock's magic spell. At the end of the story, it states "But if you think Anansi learned his lesson, you're mistaken. Because he's still playing tricks to this very day." This allows for more Anansi adventures, which will surely be demanded by young readers.
Anansi the spider is a character from African culture. He is known as a great trickster. Eric Kimmel and Janet Stevens do a wonderful job of bringing this very entertaining and likable character to life in this story.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Africa Access Review: "Repetition and a well-paced narrative make this picture book a hit with the younger set."
School Library Journal: "Stevens' complementary, colorful illustrations add detail, humor, and movement to the text."
5. CONNECTIONS
This story is an excellent way to teach children about African folk tales.
*Other books about Anansi the spider by Eric Kimmel and Janet Stevens:
ANANSI AND THE TALKING MELON. ISBN 0823411044
ANANSI GOES FISHING. ISBN 082340918X
*Other books for children about African folk tales:
Bryant, Laura. TALES OF AFRICA: RETOLD TIMELESS CLASSICS. retold by Nancy Tolson. ISBN 0780778510
Morton, Lee J. ANIMAL STORIES FROM AFRICA. by Marguerite P. Dolch. ISBN 081162563X
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