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Rhinos for Lunch and Elephants for Supper!
A humorous and ironic folk tale from the Maasai of East Africa in which only the frog (a most unlikely heroine) is courageous enough to take on a bully.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
47 people want to read
About the author
Tololwa M. Mollel
24 books12 followersEducation: University of Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, BA, literature and theater, 1972; University of Alberta, Canada, MA, drama, 1979, PhD, drama, 2001-.
Memberships: Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators, and Performers; Society of Children's Book Writers; Writers Guild of Alberta; Alberta Legion of Encouraging Storytelling.
Career
University lecturer, director of children's theater and actor in Tanzania, 1979-86; writer, storyteller and lecturer in Canada, 1986-; Edmonton Public Library, writer-in-residence, 2000-.
Life's Work
In many modern cultures, the practice of handing down history through the oral and pictorial traditions of storytelling is giving way to the flashy special effects of Hollywood movies, the lessons learned in television sitcoms, or the unsubstantiated truths that can be downloaded from the Internet. Numerous old folk and native stories have been lost as popular culture has failed to integrate them into modern entertainment. However, several artists and authors have taken it upon themselves to preserve these stories and rejuvenate them for contemporary young audiences, including children's storybook author Tololwa Mollel. Since 1992 Mollel has been reinventing African tribal tales and creating original stories that he hopes will teach children about varying cultural backgrounds as well as focusing thematically on traditional morals and values. As Mollel said in an on-line Kids Care Club interview, "I think folklore plays a role in providing children as they grow a basic literary vocabulary and means with which to perceive the world and human behavior. It also provides them entertainment and a means of socializing them into the mores and values of the community."
Even though Mollel now makes his home in Canada, he was born in the Arusha region of Tanzania on June 25, 1952, to Loilangisho and Saraa (Eleiser) Mollel. Early in his life, Mollel was sent to live with his grandparents who tended a coffee farm in northern Tanzania. It was here that he was introduced to two very important influences, storytelling and religion. His grandparents made sure that Mollel and the other children living with them had access and constant exposure to biblical stories in order to foster a love of literature and Christian values. They also very heavily valued education and reading. In an article on Mollel on the University of Alberta website, it stated that Mollel would run home from school, "to share the thing he had read at school. Mollel's grandfather would listen intently, probing for details." Mollel says that it was these first conversations with his grandfather that sparked within him a "love of storytelling that has never left."
First Book Retold Maasai Venus Story
Mollel attended the University of Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania to pursue a bachelor's degree in literature in theater. He accomplished this goal in 1972 and proceeded to further his education by attending the University of Alberta in Canada. Mollel decided to focus on his talents in the fields of theater and performance, and received his masters degree in drama in 1979. Afterward he returned to Tanzania and was employed as a university lecturer in the field of drama. He was also a director and actor at a children's theater. As Mollel continued to work and produce plays, he lived meagerly and saved his earnings in the hopes of returning to Canada. It would take him seven years, but finally in 1986, Mollel returned to Canada, this time not as a student but as an emigrant. He continued to lecture in Edmonton, Canada to make ends meet, but fostered his love of storytelling that he had been able to express while working in the Tanzanian children's theater. In the late 1980s, he turned to writing as an outlet, and wrote a few short stories for children that were published by various magazines.
Then, in 1991, Mollel published his first major children's book, The Orphan Boy. The Orphan Boy embodies an old folktale about the planet
Memberships: Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators, and Performers; Society of Children's Book Writers; Writers Guild of Alberta; Alberta Legion of Encouraging Storytelling.
Career
University lecturer, director of children's theater and actor in Tanzania, 1979-86; writer, storyteller and lecturer in Canada, 1986-; Edmonton Public Library, writer-in-residence, 2000-.
Life's Work
In many modern cultures, the practice of handing down history through the oral and pictorial traditions of storytelling is giving way to the flashy special effects of Hollywood movies, the lessons learned in television sitcoms, or the unsubstantiated truths that can be downloaded from the Internet. Numerous old folk and native stories have been lost as popular culture has failed to integrate them into modern entertainment. However, several artists and authors have taken it upon themselves to preserve these stories and rejuvenate them for contemporary young audiences, including children's storybook author Tololwa Mollel. Since 1992 Mollel has been reinventing African tribal tales and creating original stories that he hopes will teach children about varying cultural backgrounds as well as focusing thematically on traditional morals and values. As Mollel said in an on-line Kids Care Club interview, "I think folklore plays a role in providing children as they grow a basic literary vocabulary and means with which to perceive the world and human behavior. It also provides them entertainment and a means of socializing them into the mores and values of the community."
Even though Mollel now makes his home in Canada, he was born in the Arusha region of Tanzania on June 25, 1952, to Loilangisho and Saraa (Eleiser) Mollel. Early in his life, Mollel was sent to live with his grandparents who tended a coffee farm in northern Tanzania. It was here that he was introduced to two very important influences, storytelling and religion. His grandparents made sure that Mollel and the other children living with them had access and constant exposure to biblical stories in order to foster a love of literature and Christian values. They also very heavily valued education and reading. In an article on Mollel on the University of Alberta website, it stated that Mollel would run home from school, "to share the thing he had read at school. Mollel's grandfather would listen intently, probing for details." Mollel says that it was these first conversations with his grandfather that sparked within him a "love of storytelling that has never left."
First Book Retold Maasai Venus Story
Mollel attended the University of Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania to pursue a bachelor's degree in literature in theater. He accomplished this goal in 1972 and proceeded to further his education by attending the University of Alberta in Canada. Mollel decided to focus on his talents in the fields of theater and performance, and received his masters degree in drama in 1979. Afterward he returned to Tanzania and was employed as a university lecturer in the field of drama. He was also a director and actor at a children's theater. As Mollel continued to work and produce plays, he lived meagerly and saved his earnings in the hopes of returning to Canada. It would take him seven years, but finally in 1986, Mollel returned to Canada, this time not as a student but as an emigrant. He continued to lecture in Edmonton, Canada to make ends meet, but fostered his love of storytelling that he had been able to express while working in the Tanzanian children's theater. In the late 1980s, he turned to writing as an outlet, and wrote a few short stories for children that were published by various magazines.
Then, in 1991, Mollel published his first major children's book, The Orphan Boy. The Orphan Boy embodies an old folktale about the planet
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 23, 2015
Funny story.
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April 20, 2021What a wonderful story. When hare comes to her burrow and finds it has been taken over by a monster. And other animals come to her aid but all in vain except for a who is irritated by the noise that was happening. The frog manages to scare the monster and when the monster comes out only to find that it is a tiny caterpillar. Such a hilarious story!
September 9, 2017
How fun! Rabbit comes to her burrow to find that it's been inhabited by a monster! Who is courageous enough to make the monster leave?? Fun illustrations and a great folktale!
October 13, 2015
Title: Rhinos for Lunch and Elephants for Supper!
Author: Tololwa M. Mollel
Illustrator: Barbara Spurll
Genre: Non-European Folktale
Theme(s): Teamwork, courage
Opening line/sentence: After a pleasant walk in the forest, a little hare cheerfully arrived back at the cave where her den was hidden.
Brief Book Summary: The book starts off with a rabbit hopping towards a cave and getting frightened off because of a voice coming from within announcing that it was a monster and eats rhinos for lunch and elephants for supper. The rabbit recruits help from a fox, who then also gets scared off an recruits help from a leopard. The animals all get scared off, until a frog approaches them, upset that they have woken her up from her nap. She goes to the cave, and disregarding what the monster shouts out at her, she yells back that she eats rhinos for breakfast, elephants for lunch, and monsters for supper. The monster gets scared off and runs out, revealing that he/she is a mere caterpillar.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: The Horn Book Guide Online
"This evocative retelling of a Maasai fable features a hare who finds that her home has been taken over by a mysterious interloper. . . . Spurll’s lush jungle foliage and primitive page borders impart a believably African tone. . . . The implicit message—what you can imagine is often scarier than what actually exists—is well taken here."
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
This evocative retelling of a Maasai fable features a hare who finds that her home has been taken over by a mysterious interloper. ``I eat rhinos for lunch and elephants for supper!'' booms a terrible voice from inside the cave. The little animal bolts for the safe haven of a few jungle friends who promise to help; the ferocious outcry, however, thwarts every attempt. A sassy pipe-smoking frog, awakened by all the commotion, storms into the cave and reappears with the culprit: a roly-poly caterpillar with strong vocal cords. Though Spurll's lush jungle foliage and primitive page borders impart a believably African tone, her oddly anthropomorphic animals frequently seem like TV cartoon escapees. Realistically drawn for the most part, the creatures sport incongruous props and disconcerting facial expressions. The implicit message, however--what you can imagine is often scarier than what actually exists--is well taken. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)
Response to Two Professional Reviews: The Horn Book Online and Publisher's Weekly reviews both address how the author successfully created the message that what you imagine is often scarier than what is actually there in existence. Horn Book's review seemed to promote the illustrations rather than Publisher's weekly; they both agree in that the author's jungle sets a realistic African tone, but Publisher's weekly believes that the cartoon-looking animals take away from the realistic tone. I believe that because it is a children's book, the cartoon-based animals are a fair representation, and set a nice, humorous tone for the book.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: The book is repetitive and predictable, in that each animal that approaches the cave ends up getting scared, runs away, and then recruits an animal that is larger. The only time that the pattern is broken is when the animals recruit a frog, which is smaller- and this is how readers are able to make the prediction that the pattern of running away is going to break, as the pattern of recruiting a larger animal is broken. The 'monster' always says the same line to the animals to scare them away, and so it is easy to assume that this is going to happen inevitably as each animal approaches the cave.
Consideration of Instructional Application: Because this book is so repetitive and predictable, it would be a great book to use with a large group of kids to teach about how what you imagine may sometimes be much scarier than reality. The teacher could read the book out loud and ask the children what they think will happen next before turning each page- especially once the frog is in the picture. He/she could also stop midway through the monster's warning and prompt the children to finish the sentence. The reading could finish off with asking the children about a time they were afraid of something that turned out not to be as bad as they thought and have them share.
Author: Tololwa M. Mollel
Illustrator: Barbara Spurll
Genre: Non-European Folktale
Theme(s): Teamwork, courage
Opening line/sentence: After a pleasant walk in the forest, a little hare cheerfully arrived back at the cave where her den was hidden.
Brief Book Summary: The book starts off with a rabbit hopping towards a cave and getting frightened off because of a voice coming from within announcing that it was a monster and eats rhinos for lunch and elephants for supper. The rabbit recruits help from a fox, who then also gets scared off an recruits help from a leopard. The animals all get scared off, until a frog approaches them, upset that they have woken her up from her nap. She goes to the cave, and disregarding what the monster shouts out at her, she yells back that she eats rhinos for breakfast, elephants for lunch, and monsters for supper. The monster gets scared off and runs out, revealing that he/she is a mere caterpillar.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: The Horn Book Guide Online
"This evocative retelling of a Maasai fable features a hare who finds that her home has been taken over by a mysterious interloper. . . . Spurll’s lush jungle foliage and primitive page borders impart a believably African tone. . . . The implicit message—what you can imagine is often scarier than what actually exists—is well taken here."
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
This evocative retelling of a Maasai fable features a hare who finds that her home has been taken over by a mysterious interloper. ``I eat rhinos for lunch and elephants for supper!'' booms a terrible voice from inside the cave. The little animal bolts for the safe haven of a few jungle friends who promise to help; the ferocious outcry, however, thwarts every attempt. A sassy pipe-smoking frog, awakened by all the commotion, storms into the cave and reappears with the culprit: a roly-poly caterpillar with strong vocal cords. Though Spurll's lush jungle foliage and primitive page borders impart a believably African tone, her oddly anthropomorphic animals frequently seem like TV cartoon escapees. Realistically drawn for the most part, the creatures sport incongruous props and disconcerting facial expressions. The implicit message, however--what you can imagine is often scarier than what actually exists--is well taken. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)
Response to Two Professional Reviews: The Horn Book Online and Publisher's Weekly reviews both address how the author successfully created the message that what you imagine is often scarier than what is actually there in existence. Horn Book's review seemed to promote the illustrations rather than Publisher's weekly; they both agree in that the author's jungle sets a realistic African tone, but Publisher's weekly believes that the cartoon-looking animals take away from the realistic tone. I believe that because it is a children's book, the cartoon-based animals are a fair representation, and set a nice, humorous tone for the book.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: The book is repetitive and predictable, in that each animal that approaches the cave ends up getting scared, runs away, and then recruits an animal that is larger. The only time that the pattern is broken is when the animals recruit a frog, which is smaller- and this is how readers are able to make the prediction that the pattern of running away is going to break, as the pattern of recruiting a larger animal is broken. The 'monster' always says the same line to the animals to scare them away, and so it is easy to assume that this is going to happen inevitably as each animal approaches the cave.
Consideration of Instructional Application: Because this book is so repetitive and predictable, it would be a great book to use with a large group of kids to teach about how what you imagine may sometimes be much scarier than reality. The teacher could read the book out loud and ask the children what they think will happen next before turning each page- especially once the frog is in the picture. He/she could also stop midway through the monster's warning and prompt the children to finish the sentence. The reading could finish off with asking the children about a time they were afraid of something that turned out not to be as bad as they thought and have them share.
October 23, 2012
What a wonderful book! This is childrens folklore book from Africa with a rating of P. This book is written wonderfully. The illustrations are very detailed and vivid by Barbara Spurll. Overall, i really enjoyed this book and the message it sends to anyone who reads it. The message I took from the book was you never know what you can do until you do it, no matter how big or small. In the story we find a small hare returning to her home to have a monster hiding in it. She tries to enlist the helpof several bigger animals to only have a little frog chase the big bad worm from her home. It was fun to read and i would certainly use it in the classroom.
February 20, 2015
When Hare gets to her cave to take a nap a ferocious voice warns her to go away, yelling "I eat rhinos for lunch and elephants for supper!" A frightened Hare runs off to her friend Fox and explains the problem. Fox goes to scare off the intruder, but is frightened away himself! So are Leopard, Rhino, and Elephant. Finally, the brave Frog saves the day! This book will teach children that the obvious hero isn't always the best choice! The illustrations are vivid and wonderful, and cover both pages. The expressions on the animals' faces, and their human-like characteristics will delight young readers.
January 18, 2012
One day, a hare is coming home after taking a walk. She wants to have some nuts for lunch and then take a nap. However, there is something in her den that threatens to eat rhinos for lunch and elephants for supper! So she goes and gets Fox, but Fox is afraid too. So they both go get Leopard who also ends up being afraid. Leapord goes and gets Rhino who gets Elephant and as they all run away from Hare's den wake up a little frog. The frog gets to the bottom of the problem with ease and figures out that calling someone's bluff is really sometimes all it takes.
January 28, 2011
I like this folktale where things are not always what they seem. A monster has taken up residence in hare's den, one who eats rhinos for lunch and elephants for supper. All the animals, even the great big ones, are afraid of the booming monster's voice, until Frog takes a stand. I wish the text had a more repetitive flow so listeners could easily chime in - this is a good one to retell, especially with puppets.
May 10, 2011
This was another wonderful surprise that we found at the library. My son loves it when animals come to life and talk, so he found everything about this book funny and entertaining. He also loved the ending where everyone found out that they had really been scared of a tiny little caterpillar. The colors used in the illustrations were bold and I loved the geometric patterns throughout. This book is a classic Maasai tale. This is a wonderful book to share with children during story time.
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May 27, 2008398.2 Mol
August 7, 2008
Great illustrations!
Things are not always what they seem....
Things are not always what they seem....
October 27, 2012
4.5 stars. Really funny story with great illustrations! Fun for a unit about Africa.
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September 9, 2017Some of the animals in this are amusingly anthropomorphized -- the leopard with spectacles reading a book, and the frog with her pipe and walking stick -- and the facial expressions are great.
The story itself is also enjoyable.
The story itself is also enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews