Having always lived in a world of perpetual darkness, Mouse, Spider and Fly are the first to volunteer, when Lion calls for someone to travel to the land above the sky, and bring back light for the world. Climbing up a web of spider's construction, the three companions confront the king of this land, who - not wanting to share the light - sets them three seemingly impossible tasks, and, when these are accomplished, still attempts to trick them...

This tale from the Sukuma people of Tanzania - the third such folkloric retelling I have read from Bernstein and Kobrin, following upon How the Sun Made a Promise and Kept It, and The Summer Maker - explains how the first morning came to be. Like the classic tale type in which fire is won from the gods, this is a story in which light is won for the earth, and is well-told. Enid Warner Romanek's black and white illustrations are simple and bold, with some folk art appeal to them. I know very little about the Sukuma, but I found myself wondering whether her depiction of the King (as seen on the front cover), was at all based on their aesthetic traditions. ( )