African Folk Tales-a must read

A Pride of African Tales by Donna L Washington

Donna Washington offers readers a look into African Tales. It’s been a long time since I have read folk tales, but reading this book reminded me that people should take time to read such stories. Not only are these stories creative but they allow readers to learn a little about the author, the culture, and how people from this culture explain things, such as how monkeys originated. Each story is unique and after reading the different stories I found myself thinking of ways that I could tell tales to present similar messages. Many of the stories are also humorous and clever which kept my interest and is probably the reason why these tales have survived and been passed down through generations. In one of the stories a boy who is recognized as a “trickster” wants to find a friend to help him go fishing so that he doesn’t have to do much work. But, his plan fails when he ends up being tricked by the friend into doing most of the work. Other stories in this collection show us that we should act understanding and caring towards those whom we love. These African Tales reflect human nature, present how people may make mistakes, and demonstrate how they may overcome obstacles or deal with the decisions they make. The text is simple yet elaborate which enables the pictures painted on the pages to become images in the reader’s mind. I would recommend reading these stories since they carry messages and truths that many people can identify with. This book inspired me to continue reading folk tales so that I can learn how to develop my own tale. I remember being in elementary school trying to write my own short stories. Although my stories probably had poor grammar and made little sense I still enjoyed writing them because it allowed me to be creative. It is my hope that these folk tales and others will reopen my eyes to such creativity and help me to develop a short story for children.