Children of Wax: African Folk Tales

by Alexander McCall Smith

Book by Smith, Alexander McCall

Genres: Fiction, Africa, Short Stories, Folk Tales

119 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the international phenomenon The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie Series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, and the 44 Scotland Street series. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and has served on many national and international bodies concerned with bioethics. He was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and he was a law professor at the University of Botswana. He lives in Scotland. Visit him online at www.alexandermccallsmith.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

Reviews

[Susan Frazier-Kouassi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A delightful little book of folk tales...where there is almost a moral to the story. Light but enjoyable reading.

[G Horton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice stories, very child safe unlike some traditional stories.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The actual book I listened to was "The Girl Who Married a Lion" but it is not listed. Children of Wax is one of the 30 stories in the book. They are great Aesop's Fable type stories that would be good for the whole family to listen to in the car.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's something very compelling about these folk tales. Not sure if it's the recurring theme of people getting out of animals after they've been eaten alive or what. I realize one can learn a lot about a culture through folk tales. I'd love to read more.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book of short tales from Africa. They are like Aesop's Fables from Africa. Morality plays for the young. The perspective was most interesting.

Yes, this is another one I forgot I had read. But a fast, easy and entertaining read it is. Good for bedtime.

[Rebes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and sweet.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really odd stories. I think I don't have the cultural context to appreciate them.

[Masha Toit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed these stories - Alexander McCall Smith's retellings of African folk tales. Actually, I found them very inspiring. Some of the stories are sad, but all of them quite magical.