Anansi

by Brian Gleeson

Two Jamaican folk tales in which Anansi the spider practices his trickery on others

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Africa

36 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have seen many videos from Rabbit Ears Productions and my favorite ones were The Fool and the Flying Ship and The Fisherman And His Wife. But now, I have stumbled upon another video from the Rabbit Ears series that has also become a favorite of mine and that video is “Anansi.” “Anansi” has become one of my favorite Rabbit Ears videos because of its Jamaican theme story and Denzel Washington’s dazzling narration. Unlike, most Rabbit Ears stories, “Anansi” has two stories combined into one story.

“Anansi” is full of positive elements that I would like to point out. One of those positive elements is Denzel Washington’s narration. Denzel Washington does a terrific job at narrating this story as he speaks with a fluent Jamaican accent making the audience believe that he is really from Jamaica. Probably one of the most memorable quotes spoken by Denzel Washington was when Anansi was telling the other animals he will not eat anything until the eighth day which he brilliantly states, “Me eat on the eighth day!” Another positive element in this story was the music done by UB40. UB40 provides the perfect Jamaican score to match the laid back mood of the story. One great example of UB40’s masterful skills in making Jamaican music was when they start to pace up the beat when Anansi is dancing around trying to get the hot beans off his head and when they create a sharp beat of saws and hammers when reacting the scene where the African-Americans were being sold to slavery in the beginning of the story. The last positive element that I would like to point out is in Steven Guarnaccia’s illustrations. Steven Guarnaccia’s illustrations are jagged yet creative in making the glorious drawings of Anansi and his animal friends. My favorite illustration by Steven Guarnaccia was of Anansi the spider himself as he was portrayed as a Jamaican spider with black dreadlocks and a yellow and orange Hawaiian T-shirt.

“Anansi” is a classic among both adults and children because the children will enjoy the colorful drawings done by Steven Guarnaccia and the masterful storytelling by Denzel Washington. Parents would also enjoy this story because they may have been big fans of Denzel Washington and would not be disappointed for his performance in this short story. Since, there is nothing inappropriate in this story, “Anansi” is a perfect video to watch for the entire family. However, due to lack of animation in this video, some kids who are more familiar with action may find this video a tad bit boring, but Denzel Washington’s narration, UB40’s music and Steven Guarnaccia’s illustrations will keep the kids interested.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[N_amandascholz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is not the audio version I listened to. I could not find the version I listened to in Goodreads or Amazon. It is several Anansi tales written by Brian Gleeson, read by Denzel Washington, and with music by UB40.

[RLL52014_Kayla Pappas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fantastic find! I found it at a library in Arizona while I was away and I really thought it was awesome. The cassette tape version of this gave me a whole new perspective on what Anansi trickster tales are about and I was extremely impressed!

[Kaci Beesecker]

Anansi the spider is teeny-teeny, but his boasts are as tall as tales get. In the first story, Anansi takes Tiger’s challenge and outwits the prideful snake to win possession of all the stories in the jungle. In the second, Anansi devises a scheme to appear important at his mother-in-law’s funeral but gets caught in his own lies and winds up as bald as a mango.

This book could be used in a lesson about folktales, as well as, a way to get students to learn about myths and legends that have evolved over time. As an activity, they could test a myth they have heard about, and do some research on it, or they could create a folktale that they think should be carried on.

[Ashley B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a tale which is originally from Jamaica. The tale is about a spider who has come to have control over all the stories. This spider was upset that the Tiger had everything named after him, so the spider approached the Tiger and asked for something that could be his. The Tiger told Anansi that he had to bring a snake to him. Anansi, being a spider, had to think of some creative ways to get the snake to the Tiger. However, Anansi managed to do the task and was able to have all the stories be his.