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Ananse and the Lizard: A West African Tale
Can the legendary trickster be out-tricked?
All the young men had gathered in the village courtyard to hear the Chief’s pronouncement: Whoever guesses his daughter’s name will have her hand in marriage, inherit half his riches, and become the next Chief. No one outside the palace had ever heard the royal daughter’s name.
In a stroke of luck Ananse the spider discovers the secret.
“I, Ananse the most wise . . . the most clever . . . I alone know the name of the Chief’s daughter! . . .”
But clever Lizard has plans of his own.
Pat Cumming’s lively retelling and vibrant illustrations capture all the mischief and humor of Ananse, one of the most popular characters of West African lore.
All the young men had gathered in the village courtyard to hear the Chief’s pronouncement: Whoever guesses his daughter’s name will have her hand in marriage, inherit half his riches, and become the next Chief. No one outside the palace had ever heard the royal daughter’s name.
In a stroke of luck Ananse the spider discovers the secret.
“I, Ananse the most wise . . . the most clever . . . I alone know the name of the Chief’s daughter! . . .”
But clever Lizard has plans of his own.
Pat Cumming’s lively retelling and vibrant illustrations capture all the mischief and humor of Ananse, one of the most popular characters of West African lore.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
October 31, 2013
Ananse and the Lizard is a traditional picture storybook retold and illustrated by Pat Cummings. This is a West African tale suitable for readers aged eight and up. The vivid colors help the fable come to life and allow the reader to experience a small part of the African culture.
The tale of Ananse and the Lizard is about an African chief who will give the hand of his daughter and half of his kingdom to the suitor who can correctly guess her name. Now, the guess is a gamble in itself, because if the guess is wrong then the potential suitor must pay with his life. Ananse reads the post, and even though he is a spider, he pursues the hand of the princess. By accident, Ananse discovers the name of the princess and begins to make plans as the future chief. Unfortunately, a lizard tricks Ananse into telling him the name of the princess and claims the hand of the princess for him. Thus, Ananse swore that when he would catch that lizard by himself, he would tear him apart limb by limb. This is the reason why lizards seem nervous by stretching their necks back and forth, afraid that Ananse will get them for double crossers.
This book can teach children not to be over confident with something they still do not have. As well, as beware of those who pretend to be your friends to get ahead in life and use you. Children can easily learn from the chief who kept his word despite of a lizard coming forth to claim the hand of his daughter that he promised.
The illustrations were created with different mediums like “watercolor, gouache, and color pencils on Fabriano Artistico hot-press paper.”All the colors Cummings used were very vibrant and the patterns were representative of the African culture. The introduction page sets the tone of a traditional tale by having the shadows of people sitting around listening to a storyteller at dusk, getting ready for a tale. The artist depicted Ananse and his world in a realistic cartoon style. The detail she created in the warm tones for the people’s flesh and kept the grasshoppers metallic yellow eyes, and the grasshopper’s black eyes. She added her fantasy elements in the Grasshoppers home which has a couch , bed, dining table and even lends Ananse one of his fancy robes. However,the text is rather long for a picture book, and the font is kept small in its own text box separate from the illustrations. The text does alternate; it is not always on the right or left hand.
Overall, it has details an older child will appreciate and be able to see up close, during SSR or guided reading. I definitely recommend Ananse and the Lizard, a traditional tale for young readers that I will certainly use in my future classroom. This is grand way to teach children about culture and incorporate their favorite reptiles and bugs.
The tale of Ananse and the Lizard is about an African chief who will give the hand of his daughter and half of his kingdom to the suitor who can correctly guess her name. Now, the guess is a gamble in itself, because if the guess is wrong then the potential suitor must pay with his life. Ananse reads the post, and even though he is a spider, he pursues the hand of the princess. By accident, Ananse discovers the name of the princess and begins to make plans as the future chief. Unfortunately, a lizard tricks Ananse into telling him the name of the princess and claims the hand of the princess for him. Thus, Ananse swore that when he would catch that lizard by himself, he would tear him apart limb by limb. This is the reason why lizards seem nervous by stretching their necks back and forth, afraid that Ananse will get them for double crossers.
This book can teach children not to be over confident with something they still do not have. As well, as beware of those who pretend to be your friends to get ahead in life and use you. Children can easily learn from the chief who kept his word despite of a lizard coming forth to claim the hand of his daughter that he promised.
The illustrations were created with different mediums like “watercolor, gouache, and color pencils on Fabriano Artistico hot-press paper.”All the colors Cummings used were very vibrant and the patterns were representative of the African culture. The introduction page sets the tone of a traditional tale by having the shadows of people sitting around listening to a storyteller at dusk, getting ready for a tale. The artist depicted Ananse and his world in a realistic cartoon style. The detail she created in the warm tones for the people’s flesh and kept the grasshoppers metallic yellow eyes, and the grasshopper’s black eyes. She added her fantasy elements in the Grasshoppers home which has a couch , bed, dining table and even lends Ananse one of his fancy robes. However,the text is rather long for a picture book, and the font is kept small in its own text box separate from the illustrations. The text does alternate; it is not always on the right or left hand.
Overall, it has details an older child will appreciate and be able to see up close, during SSR or guided reading. I definitely recommend Ananse and the Lizard, a traditional tale for young readers that I will certainly use in my future classroom. This is grand way to teach children about culture and incorporate their favorite reptiles and bugs.
April 9, 2014
I really enjoyed this retelling of an Ananse tale. The basic morals were based on using a critical mind and eye when it comes to trust and not counting your eggs before they hatch.
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October 28, 2019Genre: Traditional Literature - Non-European
Grade Levels: K-2
Themes: Legends, Folklore, Lizard, Spiders
Major Award: N/A
Summary- At the start of this story, the Chief announces that anyone who can guess his daughter’s name will get to marry her and receive half his fortune. Ananse luckily stumbles upon a guard saying the daughter’s name and decided he will be the one to marry her. Lizard, however, has a different plan. He tricks Ananse into telling him the name of the daughter. Rather than keep it a secret as he is supposed to, he goes and announces the name to the Chief and marries his daughter. Ananse warns that if he ever sees the lizard again, he will be sorry.
Personal Response- I loved reading a traditional literature book that I wasn’t familiar with. I could see this book being something that is passed down generations. I feel like it was similar to some story I have heard before, but I can’t think of what it was. When Ananse found out the name of the daughter, I had a feeling that something was going to go wrong. My favorite part was the end where it mentions that this story is why lizards always seem nervous.
Other Info- The motif in this book is trickery when the lizard tricks Ananse into telling him the chief's daughter's name. The story structure is circular because at the beginning of the story, Anaese is just a regular spider, he goes through a journey of trying to marry the chief's daughter, fails, and then is back to his regular old life. The plot has very clear rising actions, climax, and resolution events. The characters are seen in very flat dimensions. The lizard is only shown as sneaky and bad while the spider is seen as the good, helpless character. This story has a few themes including not trusting a stranger. This book could be beneficial to my students because they probably haven’t heard many african tales like this. It would help give them insight into diverse cultures and probably keep more students engaged because it isn’t your basic Little Red Riding Hood.
Reader response/Classroom Connection -
1) This would be a good book to do a plot mountain for. There are many events that lead up to the climax and although there is not a clear resolution, there are some events on the downfall after the climax. Younger students could be given pictures of events or pre-typed answers to stick to the story mountain. For older kids, they could be asked to write the answers themselves.
2) Students could talk about the characterization of both the lizard and the spider. They would get a cutout of each character where they would write words to describe this character at different points in the story. This could be done in small groups working together or as a whole group if the teacher wanted to write the answers on the board and help guide students.
Grade Levels: K-2
Themes: Legends, Folklore, Lizard, Spiders
Major Award: N/A
Summary- At the start of this story, the Chief announces that anyone who can guess his daughter’s name will get to marry her and receive half his fortune. Ananse luckily stumbles upon a guard saying the daughter’s name and decided he will be the one to marry her. Lizard, however, has a different plan. He tricks Ananse into telling him the name of the daughter. Rather than keep it a secret as he is supposed to, he goes and announces the name to the Chief and marries his daughter. Ananse warns that if he ever sees the lizard again, he will be sorry.
Personal Response- I loved reading a traditional literature book that I wasn’t familiar with. I could see this book being something that is passed down generations. I feel like it was similar to some story I have heard before, but I can’t think of what it was. When Ananse found out the name of the daughter, I had a feeling that something was going to go wrong. My favorite part was the end where it mentions that this story is why lizards always seem nervous.
Other Info- The motif in this book is trickery when the lizard tricks Ananse into telling him the chief's daughter's name. The story structure is circular because at the beginning of the story, Anaese is just a regular spider, he goes through a journey of trying to marry the chief's daughter, fails, and then is back to his regular old life. The plot has very clear rising actions, climax, and resolution events. The characters are seen in very flat dimensions. The lizard is only shown as sneaky and bad while the spider is seen as the good, helpless character. This story has a few themes including not trusting a stranger. This book could be beneficial to my students because they probably haven’t heard many african tales like this. It would help give them insight into diverse cultures and probably keep more students engaged because it isn’t your basic Little Red Riding Hood.
Reader response/Classroom Connection -
1) This would be a good book to do a plot mountain for. There are many events that lead up to the climax and although there is not a clear resolution, there are some events on the downfall after the climax. Younger students could be given pictures of events or pre-typed answers to stick to the story mountain. For older kids, they could be asked to write the answers themselves.
2) Students could talk about the characterization of both the lizard and the spider. They would get a cutout of each character where they would write words to describe this character at different points in the story. This could be done in small groups working together or as a whole group if the teacher wanted to write the answers on the board and help guide students.
May 11, 2024
When Ananse the spider discovers that the chief's daughter is to be given in marriage to whomever can guess her name, along with half of the chief's kingdom, that arachnid trickster immediately sets out to win such a prize for himself. Although fortunate enough to overhear the chief's daughter in conversation with her servants, and thereby learn her name, Ananse is himself tricked when he entrusts this information to Lizard, who makes good use of it for his own benefit...
As someone who has loved Ananse stories since childhood, and who has read many different retellings of many different tales, I picked up Ananse and the Lizard: A West African Tale with great anticipation, especially as I have had the pleasure of meeting author/illustrator Pat Cummings many times through my former job managing a children's bookstore. I am happy to say I was not at all disappointed, finding both the story and artwork both engrossing and amusing. It was fun to watch the trickster himself get tricked in this story, and I enjoyed the bright, colorful illustrations, created using watercolor, gouache and colored pencils. The only thing I would critique would be the fact that not enough information was given about this specific tale's source. We learn in the rear dust-jacket blurb that Cummings traveled to Ghana and Nigeria, and listened to many tales, before finding this one in a bookstore in Accra. My question would be: which book did it come from? Was it one of the ones by Peggy Appiah, or something more recent? I would have loved to know! Other than that, this is one I would recommend to all young folklore enthusiasts, as well as to fellow Ananse fans like me.
As someone who has loved Ananse stories since childhood, and who has read many different retellings of many different tales, I picked up Ananse and the Lizard: A West African Tale with great anticipation, especially as I have had the pleasure of meeting author/illustrator Pat Cummings many times through my former job managing a children's bookstore. I am happy to say I was not at all disappointed, finding both the story and artwork both engrossing and amusing. It was fun to watch the trickster himself get tricked in this story, and I enjoyed the bright, colorful illustrations, created using watercolor, gouache and colored pencils. The only thing I would critique would be the fact that not enough information was given about this specific tale's source. We learn in the rear dust-jacket blurb that Cummings traveled to Ghana and Nigeria, and listened to many tales, before finding this one in a bookstore in Accra. My question would be: which book did it come from? Was it one of the ones by Peggy Appiah, or something more recent? I would have loved to know! Other than that, this is one I would recommend to all young folklore enthusiasts, as well as to fellow Ananse fans like me.
August 24, 2017
S checked this out from the library because one of the suggestions on the library's summer reading program list was a folktale from another country. I've read a few different Anansi/Ananse stories and always find them clever and fun but will admit that I never got around to reading this one with him. Dad read it to him one night, but he didn't request it again.
August 7, 2018
I'll probably do an Anansi story this year with my 5th graders, but I don't know if this is the best one. I do like the connection to the African culture.
Curriculum Tie-Ins -trickster tale, folktale, West Africa, Anansi stories
Curriculum Tie-Ins -trickster tale, folktale, West Africa, Anansi stories
January 17, 2019
Other Anansi stories are more compelling. Ananse, usually the trickster, gets tricked by a lizard.
October 15, 2019
Delightful traditional tale from Ghana beautiful illustrated by the author. Terrific characters.
May 4, 2021
A cute well written tale.
February 21, 2025
Fun read and great illustrations!
October 30, 2026
I walked into Ananse and the Lizard: A West African Tale looking for a story, but Pat Cummings gave me a ruthless dissection of how economic leverage dictates moral choices.
October 11, 2010
In this book, Pat Cummings retells an African folktale that explains why the lizard stretches its neck back and forth. Ananse, a spider, is the tale's main character. In the beginning of the story he hears about a promise made by the king. He stated that anyone who can announce the princess's name will be given her hand in marriage. At this point, no one in the village knows the name of the princess, as it has never been spoken of outside the palace walls. Ananse learns of the name and cannot wait to make his announcement to the king. Upon learning that Ananse will "win," the lizard convinces Ananse that he should be announced in a special manner upon entering the palace. When Ananse agrees to allow the lizard to make the announcement, the lizard goes to the king and states the name of the princess himself. Poor Ananse loses the princess's hand in marriage. Due to this trickery, the lizard stretches its head in and out in nervousness that Ananse the spider may take revenge.
This story is simple and somewhat predictable in terms that the lizard will trick the spider. There are not any creative word choices or vocabulary. However, the simpleness of the story and the explanation of animal actions is intriguing and delightful. Most children will read this story and cheer for Ananse, the clever spider. I would be interested in reading more Ananse stories to develop a greater insight of this particular author and/or type of folktale.
This story is simple and somewhat predictable in terms that the lizard will trick the spider. There are not any creative word choices or vocabulary. However, the simpleness of the story and the explanation of animal actions is intriguing and delightful. Most children will read this story and cheer for Ananse, the clever spider. I would be interested in reading more Ananse stories to develop a greater insight of this particular author and/or type of folktale.
April 13, 2015
1. Personal Reaction: I really enjoyed this story it was very different than the rest of the folktales. It had a really different approach to it. For instance, the ant has to get the princesses' name right to marry her, but if he guesses wrong then he will get his chopped off. When he goes to tell the King the name of the princess, the king is surprised that an ant got her name right. This was a book I actually really liked and helps show the culture of West Africa.
2. Purposes/Use in the Classroom: the genre of the book is folk literature, it would be good to use to talk about multicultural diversity. This book would be good to use in a classroom setting and in read aloud for children in kindergarten to second grade. Literary elements that can be taught is characterization for instance the ant is a round character going from using the grasshopper to stay somewhere to acting like he doesn't know the grasshopper when he becomes the king. It could also help with conflict, for instance the ant has to get the princesses' name right or he will have his head chopped off.
3. Diverse Perspectives: This book would be good to use in a classroom that has to show how different countries do things. All though this isn't a real story it helps show the things that are done in West Africa. For instance, the author uses the word "gongo gongo" to mean the drums. This would be beneficial to teach children about different cultures.
2. Purposes/Use in the Classroom: the genre of the book is folk literature, it would be good to use to talk about multicultural diversity. This book would be good to use in a classroom setting and in read aloud for children in kindergarten to second grade. Literary elements that can be taught is characterization for instance the ant is a round character going from using the grasshopper to stay somewhere to acting like he doesn't know the grasshopper when he becomes the king. It could also help with conflict, for instance the ant has to get the princesses' name right or he will have his head chopped off.
3. Diverse Perspectives: This book would be good to use in a classroom that has to show how different countries do things. All though this isn't a real story it helps show the things that are done in West Africa. For instance, the author uses the word "gongo gongo" to mean the drums. This would be beneficial to teach children about different cultures.
April 14, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed the folk literature book based on west Africa. The watercolor and colored pencil illustrations were vivid in color and beautiful patterns were found on clothing and buildings whenever they were shown. The story has important morals that would be brought up in the classroom after the book was read aloud to the class. Morals include, to not always trust those who act like your friend because they may use you to get ahead in life, it is important to keep your word (like the Chief did in the book), and to not become overly confident in yourself if you have yet to achieve what you plan to achieve. Besides a read aloud in the class, the teacher could use literary elements like plot to have the students retell the story in sequence and characterization to have the students explain what type of character each main character was (for example Ananse is a round character and the grasshopper is a flat character). The book can also be used in a lesson on different cultures to teach the children what animals are important in the West African culture and the clothing people wear as well as the significance of drums (teacher could play music native to the culture featuring drums).
October 8, 2013
When the Chief announces that the first to guess his daughter's name will get to marry her, Ananse becomes determined to learn her name. Ananse goes out looking for food and overhears the Chief's daughter talking to her servants. Ananse is able to overhear that her name is Ahoafe. Ananse spends the next day bragging to the other animals about how he discovered the name of the Chief's daughter. Lizard tricks Ananse into revealing the name of the Chief's daughter and wins the right to marry the Chief's daughter.
Another fun Anansi tale where the spider's plan of trickery backfires.
Another fun Anansi tale where the spider's plan of trickery backfires.
February 1, 2014
This African porquoi tale explains why lizards are always sticking their necks out, looking left and right, this way and that.
Ananse the Spider plans to marry the daughter of the village chief and rule half the kingdom. All he needs to do is guess the name of the daughter, which has never been spoken outside the palace. Since Ananse is so small, it is easy for him to sneak into the trees and overhear the girl's name. His pride gets the better of him, though, and the outcome is not what he had planned.
Ananse the Spider plans to marry the daughter of the village chief and rule half the kingdom. All he needs to do is guess the name of the daughter, which has never been spoken outside the palace. Since Ananse is so small, it is easy for him to sneak into the trees and overhear the girl's name. His pride gets the better of him, though, and the outcome is not what he had planned.
January 23, 2012
In this book I ejoyed the story because the Ananse thought he was going to be king and have land because he was going to marry the cheifs daughter. But before that happened he got tricked and it goes on to explain how and why lizards stretch their head back and forth. Its a legend I enjoyed reading to my son, the illustrations were very vivid and eye catching.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2012
A porquoi tale about why the Lizard looks around nervously. Spider Ananse learns the Chief's daughter's name so he may marry her but is tricked so that Lizard can take his place. Ananse is the trickee here, although he is rather pompous and self-important in an appropriate way. Gorgeous illustrations of an African town. Reads like it is being told aloud.
October 27, 2012
Another good Ananse story from West Africa. I always think it's nice to be exposed to tales from other parts of the world and the illustrations are so bright and colorful, we really felt like we were in Africa.
January 20, 2015
I liked this story because it had beautiful pictures and a good message: pride only leads to trouble. I liked Pat Cummings retelling of an old African legend. The story was simple enough for anyone about first or second grade to understand and the pictures were very colorful.
March 11, 2008
I love Ananse stories. This one reminded me a little of Rumpelstiltskin.
May 28, 2008
Another tale of the trickster Anansi who hopes to marry the chief's daughter and inherit half the kingdom--but is fooled by a lizard.
September 9, 2009
4.0 -- 0.5
Tale from Ghana (West Africa)
Colorful illustrations!
Tale from Ghana (West Africa)
Colorful illustrations!
April 21, 2012
A story from West African Folktales.
October 16, 2012
trickster tale with large, colorful illustrations
themes: African tale, lizards, spiders, trickster tale, wedding
themes: African tale, lizards, spiders, trickster tale, wedding
March 31, 2014
My kids were a little young for this book. I loved it though, especially the illustrations.
August 20, 2015
This was a cute folktale from West African. I enjoyed it. The illustrations and vibrant colors used are incredible.
May 12, 2016
Ananse wants to marry the chief's daughter by guessing her name and sends an emissary lizard. Read about the interesting outcome.
August 10, 2015
Traditional African Anansi (Ananse) tale explaining why lizards stretch their necks.
March 25, 2017
Another trick backfires on Anansi in this tale with animals interacting with humans. Sort of explains why lizards jerk their heads around. Brief explanation of storytelling tradition in general, but not about origins of this particular tale.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews