A retelling of Aesop's fables that relies on the perspective that Aesop was African. The plots and morals are unchanged, but the animals and settings in the story are replaced with African counterparts.

Bevery Naidoo shares sixteen tales in her interpretation/version of Aesop's Fables. I liked the introduction she included at the beginning of the book in which she briefly talks about growing up in South Africa, a place where she was actually able to see some of the animals that are featured in the fables. I also liked how she shares some background about who Aesop was. I think kids would enjoy the information she included in this introduction and may even want to know more about Africa, the animals of Africa, or Aesop. Of the sixteen fables included in this book, I had actually only heard versions of 3 of them prior to reading this. I noticed that those 3 stayed fairly true to the tale I had heard from previously, with some subtle, fun a, kid-friendly differences. One thing that stood out to me in all the stories is the use of language. In the more traditional Aesop's Fables, there is very traditional language used, which can, at times make some of them hard to get a clear picture in you head of what's happening. Naidoo uses very colorful descriptive words and/or phrases. This use of language, along with the creative and playful illustrations by Piet Grobler make this a fun read to self or read aloud! I would recommend this book for grades 3 and up.

I liked this book for two reasons. First, the illustrations enhance the text of the story. Because fables are unrealistic, students may have a difficult time visualizing the story, making it more difficult to comprehend. The illustrations help the audience visualize and comprehend the story so that students can focus on finding the moral of the story. These bright illustrations enhance the written text by providing the audience with an image of the fable, helping them to follow along with the story. The illustrations show a typically abstract image, so that the audience are provided with an additional source to comprehend the fables. I also like the language in the text. The language is descriptive, which helps the audience envision these abstract and unusual stories. For example, the author writes, "Grasping the tortoise with his sharp talons, Eagle carried him up into the sky. He flew higher and higher. Aaaiiieee! Far below, the wterhole became a tiny puddle and a herd of elephants turned into ants!" (p. 10). This shows the descriptive language that is used throughout the fables. The author describes the setting with such detail, helping the audience imagine Eagle flying higher and higher up into the sky. The descriptive language really enhance the stories in the text. Overall, the big idea of this book is to share a variety of morals with the audience through fictional fables. ( )

As Naidoo notes in her introductory letter to the reader, Aesop’s fables aren’t like European fairy tales, with endings where everyone lives happily ever after. Instead, Aesop’s fables are African, with real life consequences.

This is a delightful collection full of familiar stories, tweaked to make them sparkle in beautiful African ways.

“One blistering hot day in the middle of summer, Lion and Warthog had the same idea. Get down to the waterhole and drink! They arrived at the same time and at the very same spot.

‘I go first!’ growled Lion.
‘Hayi khona! Oh no you don’t!’ retorted Warthog.” ( )