Greedy Zebra

by Mwenye Hadithi, Adrienne Kennaway (Illustrator)

When the animals discovere a cave full of furs and skins, they discarde their drab skins for glossy new ones. Greedy zebra, arrives late, after a delicious snack, only to find a few stripes of black cloth. He squeezes into them but Greedy Zebra iis too big for them and his new coat bursts open!

The story of how all the animals chose their clothing, except for Greedy Zebra, who had to take the left-over pieces . . .

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Africa, Childrens, Fiction, Humor, Folklore

32 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1984

About the author

Mwenye Hadithi, meaning "he who has the stories," is a name used by Bruce Hobson, who was inspired by Adrienne Kennaway's vibrant use of color to write stories for children. Mr. Hobson grew up on ten acres of bush garden with porcupines and gazelles; crocodiles in the rose bed; and a hippopotamus that once got stuck between the courtyard gates--all of which fostered his great love of animals and bush country of Kenya. Mr. Hobson lives in Nairobi with his wife and child.
(From the inside cover of one of his books)

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Was Introduced to this story via BBC's Words & Pictures, A good story. Will be passing down to younger children to enjoy.

[Eddie B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seems that "Greedy Zebra" is the top rated book in the "African Animal Tales" series. But in this series I've personally seen prettier art and brighter ideas.

[Tom Stickings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greedy Zebra is a charming and funny tale about how the zebra came to have stripes. The Story begins in a bleak, bland world in which the animal kingdom is void of colour and decoration. One day, some animals come across the entrance to a cave and, inside, they find all the coats and furs and horns and tusks one could imagine. Animals travel to the cave from far and wide in order to pick out an appearance that suits them; all except Greedy Zebra. He is so busy chomping on grass and leaves he hardly cares about the cave, until he sees his friends sporting their glorious new adornments. By the time Greedy Zebra gets to the cave, it is virtually empty, only a strip of black fur remains. Greedy Zebra makes himself a coat and squeezes in, but he is so fat, the coat bursts, revealing stripes of his big white belly to all.

Greedy Zebra would be enjoyed by children across the primary spectrum but is perhaps best suited to use as a class reading book in lower Key Stage 2, or for individual reading in upper Key Stage 2. The illustrations are beautiful throughout the book, but become increasingly striking as the story develops and the creatures become more colourful. Perfect for a treat at the end of the day, this book would also work well as part of a project on folklore and legend, especially as an example of a non European tale.

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss 3 and I like to explore different books at the library and try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.

Greedy Zebra
by Mwenye Hadithi

A wonderful folk tale about how the animals choose / make their beautiful looks but fat lazy zebra is too slow to arrive. He stitches some scraps of fabric together but his belly bursts the stitches open leaving him with black and white stripes instead.

[Alysa Fenner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute book, but I gave it 4 stars because of fat-shaming. I just don't think even when talking about animals, a child should hear things that would make them feel bad about themselves. There is just such a stigma around the word "fat" Also, the fact that Zebras are actually black with white stripes when this book would lead you to believe it was the other way around is why I docked a star. It was a very cute concept tho!

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Greedy Zebra (a.k.a. My son),

You are wrapped up in yourself and, consequently, missing out on some really great things in life. When you finally realize that everybody else has something you want, I am happy at your arrival. Adjustments often feel confining when accustomed to overindulgence. Your new look may not match everybody else or what you envisioned, but your new stripes are truly beautiful and I love them …. and you!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great "just-so-story" type book that explains how zebras got their stripes, how all the other animals got their horns and patterns, and even why rhinoceros is grumpy. I used it in preschool storytime and it went well, kids were engaged even though it is a on the longer side of PSS books, and didn't have a lot of actions or repetition. Great illustrations.

[Amy Aldridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written story of a very greedy zebra and how he got his black and white stripes!

[Tara Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this story. I would use this in ks1 or lower ks2 alongside the greedy zebra episode of Tinga Tanga.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful and hilarious example of folklore translated into the picture book format. We loved it.

[Thijs Werkman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a funny and charming story. I’m nanny for a 5 year old and he definitely loves this story.

[Tori Serrano]

The Greedy Zebra is about a world where all the animals have no color and are very dull. One day they find a cave where there is material that the animals can make fur out of. While all the other animals are surrounding the cave to get their furs and horns, the Greedy Zebra is too busy eating grass. All he wants to do is continue to eat grass and not bother to stop and create his own fur, until he notices his friend Sable the antelope. She looks beautiful, so he makes his way to the cave but continues to stop and eat more grass. Along the way he sees all the other animals in their fur or making their fur and he gets excited and imagines all of these different ideas. When he finally reaches the cave all that is left is a black cloth. When he puts the black cloth on it stretches and rips creating the stripes on the greedy zebra.
This story is a really creative way to tell students on how the zebra gained its strips. It can be a life lesson where you can teach students on not to be greedy, because if they are greedy then they will miss out on things in life. Students won’t have to learn the hard way like the greedy zebra. It can also teach that eating too much food can lead to gaining a lot of weight. This story can lead to teaching students about food groups and eating the correct amount of portions for food to stay healthy.
I really enjoyed the pictures of the book. They definitely followed the story very well. The colors in the beginning were very dull, then later in the book they were all very bright and colorful. I also liked the greedy zebra’s facial expressions, they completely demonstrated what the zebra was feeling and how it acted. Along with all the other animals in the story, all their facial expressions were through their eyes.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting story explaining how the animals got their various furs, horns and spots. It is an original and funny tale which may engage a young reader not only because of the interesting plot but also through remarkable, very colourful pictures.

The book starts with the description of the animals, which appearance is dull. However, one day the huge cave appears with lots of various amazing materials in it. Animals get an opportunity to choose materials to make new clothes for themselves in order to look prettier. All animals rush to sew new clothes, besides the Zebra, which is occupied by constant eating. Even when he decides to move towards the cave, he still stops on the way in order to eat. When he reaches the cave, there is nothing left for him besides pieces of black material. He stitches them together but as constant eating made him fat he finds it hard to fit in this material and consequently it breaks making his tummy stay white.

This story can link to the lesson about different animals. Children may research facts about various animals introduced in the book and present them to the class. Overall, “Greedy Zebra” is a funny story worth introducing during story time but also useful as a resource for independent reading.

[Dean Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Greedy Zebra by Mwenye Hadithi is an excellent read and is an African folktale of how animals began to find their unique prints and colours.

In a depressing world where the animal kingdom is dreary and bland in colour, a mysterious cave is discovered and inside lays all of the bright, vibrant coats, hoofs, tusks and furs that we know our animals today fashion. Whilst most animals rush to find the perfect coat, one animal is too busy eating from a nearby tree. By the time the 'Greedy Zebra' decides to find himself a coat, all that remains is some dull, black fur. The zebra squeezes into this tight coat (just about managing to do so) but before he knows it his fat bursts through, creating stripes of his large, white stomach.

This tale is an excellent, funny and charming read that can be enjoyed by all, especially those in Key Stage One and lower Key Stage Two. The illustrations perfectly compliment the book and engage the reader even further than the words on the page can.

This story is perfect across the curriculum including work on folktales and legend in English, prints in art and discussion in PSHE.

I would definitely recommend this book and although I read this with a class during World Book Week, this story can be enjoed by all at any time.

[Layla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so charming and educational, perfect for young readers. It tells the story of how all the animals came to get their fur/tusks. It says a cave is discovered with lots of beautiful furs and tusk, and animals travel to pick out what to wear. However, the zebra is too greedy, and decided to eat all the unoccupied grass while the animals are in the cave. By the time the zebra reaches the cave, he is so large from eating and there is only a small black jacket left, which rips when he wears it, giving hi stripes. I think the story is so funny and creative, as well as the illustrations. I would love to read this to a classroom because it is a treat with a lesson, teaching how greed will not take you far in life.

[Fatuma Ntalo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is quite an Interesting read. It starts when all the animals are sad because of their appearance except for one Greedy Zebra.It is about how the animals got to choose their features and Zebra had to take the left overs.'strips'.Years 2s loved this text and there is a lot you can do with them using this text.It is a good cross curricular text. Art to draw what the animals saw in the cave , for literacy description of characters/ scenery, acting out scenes (hot seating), sentence starters,dialogue, writing a dairy (feelings) it can be used as a build up to big write.

[Melissa Macfarlane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Greedy Zebra is another special book from my childhood. In fact, I dug out my old dusty copy from my bookshelf to write this review. The book has beautifully unique art inside and is also full of morals. The Greedy Zebra is lazy and therefore misses out on something beautiful. This in itself would be a fine moral for a story to have alone, however, The Greedy Zebra also touches on diversity. All the animals are different and make different choices depending on their preferences and abilities. Overall, this story is witty, humerus, intelligent and thought provoking for readers of any age.

[Jenny Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy this series of picture books as they all have their own message behind them to teach children. This one focused on a greedy zebra who could not stop eating whilst everyone got their new coats. It showed how once he finally got their he did not fit into anything that was left but yet he did not seem to mind.

[Modboy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely story depicting how the zebra got it's stripes and how the other African animals received their beautiful coats. Reads like a folktale and may or may not be based on one. I really like the unique art style and clever story but warn that it may be too wordy for some toddlers.

[Ephie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a lovely story that reads like an African myth about how animals got their colours, coats and spots or stripes.

However, the language used is too complicated for young children and, considering it is an illustrated book, it therefore misses the mark.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful tale explaining how the zebra ended up with his stripes.

[Mallori Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

FANTASTIC ILLUSTRATIONS

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this story about how the animals got their coats and horns... Especially the zebra.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

African story about how a zebra ended up with plain black stripes. I use this book for story elements and teaching author's purpose (not to mention explaining the concept of greediness).

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relates how the animals of the world, once all a dull color, acquired their furs and spots and stripes and horns, and how Zebra's greedy appetite caused him to get his particular coloring.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute folk tale about how the animals of the world got their coats. More specifically, It's about how the Zebra got his stripes.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely want to learn to tell this one; think it will be perfect. Madam and I loved this. The illustrations are the perfect complement.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the illustrations! Thoroughly enjoyed this engrossing story

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute story about how zebras got their stripes.

[Sigourney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teaching year one has its perks. I'm only slightly (very) obsessed with discovering new and adorable children's books.