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Too Much Talk: A West African Folktale
A brightly illustrated retelling of a folktale from Ghana concerns the fun that starts when everything starts talking, including the farmer's yams, the fisherman's fish, and the weaver's cloth.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published October 2, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 26, 2012
Too Much Talk: A West African Folktale is a retelling of a traditional tale about a king who refuses to believe that the yams, fish, and cloth can talk until his royal throne agrees with him.
It is a story which should be encouraged to be read with children out aloud with plenty of participation from them; primarily I think it should be read as a whole class during carpet time. I encountered this book when I read it with a reception class and they seemed to absolutely love it as every talking creature/animal allowed the children to respond with an “aiyee” sound. The use of repetition is fantastic as it allows the children to actively get involved, and the illustrations are based on Ghanaian art, full of colour and movement and this allows the children to get indulged within the story. The talking yams are only the beginning of the series of crazy events which lead to the villagers being alarmed.
It is a very humorous story which has large text on each page and is short, simple and straight to the point; this inevitably allows very young readers (EYFS) to access the story. I would read this during a carpet time to escalate discussions around culture.
It is a story which should be encouraged to be read with children out aloud with plenty of participation from them; primarily I think it should be read as a whole class during carpet time. I encountered this book when I read it with a reception class and they seemed to absolutely love it as every talking creature/animal allowed the children to respond with an “aiyee” sound. The use of repetition is fantastic as it allows the children to actively get involved, and the illustrations are based on Ghanaian art, full of colour and movement and this allows the children to get indulged within the story. The talking yams are only the beginning of the series of crazy events which lead to the villagers being alarmed.
It is a very humorous story which has large text on each page and is short, simple and straight to the point; this inevitably allows very young readers (EYFS) to access the story. I would read this during a carpet time to escalate discussions around culture.
March 29, 2021
Talking inanimate objects cause a ruckus in this fun retelling of an African folktale. I'm always thrilled to see any book illustrated by Stefano Vitale.
October 26, 2012
A multi-cultural society should be reflected in our classrooms, and nothing does this better than a lovely, diverse book shelf. Today, I read the last book in a series of black culture books, for the last day of 'Black History' month, and it ended on a very positive note, with this absolutely brilliant book.
'Too Much Talk: A West African Folktale', is a Ghanaian folktale where the yam talks. This sets in motion the animation of inanimate things.
Now, I just want to contextualise how celebrating a diverse culture can inspire and educate young people - Today, a teacher asked a class, "Can anyone tell me what a yam is?". To my shock lots of hands went up, and a year one pupil was able to tell everyone that it was something we eat. I have grown up friends in their thirties that have no idea what a yam is, yet a boy of five or six can identify one. This shows us that our youth of today is reflecting the social change in the world we live in. Lack of knowledge and experience breeds ignorance, and contempt. There is absolutely no reason that we should be intolerant of other races. Books like this give children all the knowledge and skills they would get from their 'regular' picture books, but it adds a bit of colourful enlightenment to their experience of learning - they come across things they may not have known (e.g. yams, plantain, calaloo) and these are things that are very popular in the respective cultures they originate from, so it is nice if young learners can know about them, (and pupils tend to remember things that interest them).
There is a constant shrieking of the word "Aiyeee!'. The kids absolutely love shouting this out every time it appears in the story, and this happens a lot. Having researched Medearis, her narrative really does spring to life when read aloud, making this absolutely perfect for audience participation. In this tale you will hear a fish, some cloth, and the water talk.
Add some colour and culture to your book shelves and open up your mind to new cultures. With the demands of the classroom it can be so easy to forget that a key life skill is the appreciation of what is 'different' because we come into contact with unique things every day. It is therefore essential to get pupils familiar with things they haven't seen before. A lot of the ignorance in society today seems to stem from people feeling as though diverse cultures are 'robbing' or 'detracting' something away from them, when in fact they are enriching and adding to our society. I want my classroom to be littered with books from different cultures. You will see them everywhere in my class. An absolute necessity in my opinion.
'Too Much Talk: A West African Folktale', is a Ghanaian folktale where the yam talks. This sets in motion the animation of inanimate things.
Now, I just want to contextualise how celebrating a diverse culture can inspire and educate young people - Today, a teacher asked a class, "Can anyone tell me what a yam is?". To my shock lots of hands went up, and a year one pupil was able to tell everyone that it was something we eat. I have grown up friends in their thirties that have no idea what a yam is, yet a boy of five or six can identify one. This shows us that our youth of today is reflecting the social change in the world we live in. Lack of knowledge and experience breeds ignorance, and contempt. There is absolutely no reason that we should be intolerant of other races. Books like this give children all the knowledge and skills they would get from their 'regular' picture books, but it adds a bit of colourful enlightenment to their experience of learning - they come across things they may not have known (e.g. yams, plantain, calaloo) and these are things that are very popular in the respective cultures they originate from, so it is nice if young learners can know about them, (and pupils tend to remember things that interest them).
There is a constant shrieking of the word "Aiyeee!'. The kids absolutely love shouting this out every time it appears in the story, and this happens a lot. Having researched Medearis, her narrative really does spring to life when read aloud, making this absolutely perfect for audience participation. In this tale you will hear a fish, some cloth, and the water talk.
Add some colour and culture to your book shelves and open up your mind to new cultures. With the demands of the classroom it can be so easy to forget that a key life skill is the appreciation of what is 'different' because we come into contact with unique things every day. It is therefore essential to get pupils familiar with things they haven't seen before. A lot of the ignorance in society today seems to stem from people feeling as though diverse cultures are 'robbing' or 'detracting' something away from them, when in fact they are enriching and adding to our society. I want my classroom to be littered with books from different cultures. You will see them everywhere in my class. An absolute necessity in my opinion.
May 28, 2012
I read this book as part of a Barnaby Bear Topic with my year one class. Barnaby was currently visiting Kenya and this was a text chosen for his visit for the class to study and to do work around. It is just an absolutely FANTASTIC book. There is lots of repetition in the story enabling children to get actively involved (they especially loved it when you shout the ooooiiieeeeee! sound) and to develop their speaking skills.
I have taught many lessons which come effortlessly from this story. From using freeze frames to taking on the role of characters in the book and expressing how they feel; to giving the farmer advice on what to do about his talking Yam. This sparked particular controversy but surprisingly the class decided to keep his talking Yam secret and not to tell the world and make lots of money - go figure!
Great traditional illustrations throughout, a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED STORY!
I have taught many lessons which come effortlessly from this story. From using freeze frames to taking on the role of characters in the book and expressing how they feel; to giving the farmer advice on what to do about his talking Yam. This sparked particular controversy but surprisingly the class decided to keep his talking Yam secret and not to tell the world and make lots of money - go figure!
Great traditional illustrations throughout, a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED STORY!
November 19, 2017
Summary:
This is a West African story about a farmer that encounters a talking yam. He goes throughout the city sharing what happened until he gets to the chief.
Writing trait:
Sentence fluency - There is a certain rhythm and flow while reading this story and certain words and phrases are repeated and emphasized.
Mentor text: This would be an ideal story to read to share with students a bit about West African culture. We see different jobs and activities that are done in the town - as well as the weather and phrases that people use. The illustrations are beautiful and vividly show the culture's clothing. Quotations are used sparingly in the story so this could be an opportunity to teach students about characters speaking.
Reading level: M
This is a West African story about a farmer that encounters a talking yam. He goes throughout the city sharing what happened until he gets to the chief.
Writing trait:
Sentence fluency - There is a certain rhythm and flow while reading this story and certain words and phrases are repeated and emphasized.
Mentor text: This would be an ideal story to read to share with students a bit about West African culture. We see different jobs and activities that are done in the town - as well as the weather and phrases that people use. The illustrations are beautiful and vividly show the culture's clothing. Quotations are used sparingly in the story so this could be an opportunity to teach students about characters speaking.
Reading level: M
September 21, 2020
I truly enjoyed this book, I especially loved the ending, because I've been thinking about positions of power lately, and how it must be to die holding on to a temporary position. I also like how it includes ordinary folk and the very real need to have people to talk to every day. Kind of like how we're all addicted to food. We really, really, really need someone to talk to/eat a rice meal every day.
January 7, 2018
What happens when a farmer hears a yam talk back to him?
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This funny little story about talking objects and scared townsfolk had me giggling on every page. The kids loved it too. Short and sweet, perfect for children as early has toddlers and preschool.
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This funny little story about talking objects and scared townsfolk had me giggling on every page. The kids loved it too. Short and sweet, perfect for children as early has toddlers and preschool.
January 9, 2018
This book is so inspirational anyone will love it.
KRISH
Age 7
KRISH
Age 7
April 24, 2019
Maybe one of the favorite children's book read so far this year!
October 23, 2019
It's a great non euro-centric book for my non-european child.
November 9, 2020
Funny , a great read aloud
December 21, 2020
Looking forward to sharing this with year 2.
May 3, 2021
3.5 I could see this being a very fun book to read aloud
March 1, 2021
This book is about a chain of crazy events! A farmer is working one day harvesting, and hears one of his yams that he's about to harvest talk! The farmer panics then runs to the fisherman and tells the tale, the fisherman does not believe him until he hears the fish he caught talk! They both panic and run to the king, who does not believe them after hearing this. This goes on until with other people and inanimate objects in the village. Finally all the people who hear the objects run back to the king, who does not believe them until his own throne talks! The characters are all 2-dimensional because this is a short tale, and they all act in the same way except for the king. Once again all because this is a short tale. I like how fun this book is! Its whimsical and vibrant. The only thing I dislike is that the book does not have really any depth to the characters, they all have the same actions. Though that is because this is meant to be a fun whimsical tale, and not necessarily a novel. If I were a kindergarten teacher, I know students would love this book! Though since I am planning on teaching middle school, I would use this book to have students analyze the artwork throughout the pages.
March 8, 2020
Really enjoyed this story, the repetitive structure is really engaging for children as they begin to be able to predict what is coming, and can help them in being able to write in the style of the book. The ending really put a smile on my face!
The illustrations have a lot of African inspiration and could be really interesting to explore in Art and geography.
The illustrations have a lot of African inspiration and could be really interesting to explore in Art and geography.
July 25, 2012
First the yam talked, then the dog talked, then the fish talked, then the cloth talked and then the water talked. These crazy events send the villagers in disarray. They took their concerns to the chief, who vehemently dismissed their claims and threatened to throw them in jail so they all ran away.
Sat on his royal chair, the chief mocked the gibberish he had been confronted with. To his shock and horror, the chair spoke to him sending him running away, never to be seen again!
I love this book! It is very humorous and uses repetition to exaggerate the events. This is a suitable book to read out loud to a class of Early Years. The children can contribute by reading along. It is a totally awesome traditional tale from West Africa with wonderful illustrations.
Sat on his royal chair, the chief mocked the gibberish he had been confronted with. To his shock and horror, the chair spoke to him sending him running away, never to be seen again!
I love this book! It is very humorous and uses repetition to exaggerate the events. This is a suitable book to read out loud to a class of Early Years. The children can contribute by reading along. It is a totally awesome traditional tale from West Africa with wonderful illustrations.
July 5, 2013
Another excellent ive read to my class on at least two occasions is 'Too Much Talk' The book is ezxcellent because it provides so many opportunities for children to get involved in enunciating words that are continuously repeated during the story. The story also has unique illustrations and a very funny conclusion that the children in my class all know very well by now but love to hear again and again!
September 21, 2009
Traditional Fantasy
The illustrations are fantastic in this book! It would be a great story for a shared reading.
The illustrations are fantastic in this book! It would be a great story for a shared reading.
October 1, 2018
Excellent for storytelling.
A retelling of a traditional West African tale about a king who refuses to believe that yams, fish, and cloth can talk until his throne agrees with him.
A retelling of a traditional West African tale about a king who refuses to believe that yams, fish, and cloth can talk until his throne agrees with him.
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October 9, 2017A goofy story, with illustrations to match.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews