Otwe

by Verna Aardema, Elton C. Fax (Illustrator)

For saving the life of a snake, Ketu is rewarded by being allowed to hear animals think.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

A prolific American children's author and teacher, Verna Norberg Aardema Vugteveen - more commonly known as Verna Aardema - was born in 1911 in New Era, Michigan. She was educated at Michigan State University, and taught grade school from 1934-1973. She also worked as a journalist for the Muskegon Chronicle from 1951-1972. In 1960 she published her first book, the collection of stories, Tales from the Story Hat. She went on to write over thirty more books, most of them folkloric retellings. Her picture-book, Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears, won co-illustrators Leo and Diane Dillon a Caldecott Medal. Aardema was married twice, and died in 2000 in Fort Myers, Florida. (source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Otwe, a Nuer man living near the Mountains of the Moon, helps a little snake in this folktale, he is given the power to understand the speech of animals, but warned never to tell anyone of this new ability. Finding what he hears the animals saying to be irresistibly funny, he begins to laugh all of the time, much to his wife Loti's annoyance. Eventually Loti goes to the chief, and Otwe is given a choice: reveal why he is always laughing, or lose Loti. Loving his wife, Otwe reveals the secret, only to fall down dead on the spot. Is it the end of the story, or will the little snake have something more to say on the subject...?

Adapted by Verna Aardema from the story of The Man and the Snake to be found in Ray Huffman's 1931 Nuer Customs And Folklore , this traditional tale was published in 1960, and accompanied by the illustrations of Elton C. Fax, the celebrated African-American artist who also worked on Aardema's Tales from the Story Hat and The Na of Wa . Both Otwe and The Na of Wa were revised and republished in the 1980s - Otwe as What's So Funny, Ketu?: A Nuer Tale and The Na of Wa as Oh Kojo! How Could You!: An Ashanti Tale - accompanied by new artwork from Marc Brown. Having already read the revised version, I'm glad to have picked up this original. I don't know that I enjoyed Fax's artwork as much as I did Brown's, in the later version, but it was still interesting to see the story accompanied in a different style. The story itself is engaging, full of fun and humor, and is sure to find an appreciative audience with young folklore enthusiasts.