On the Belle Plantation in the lush Isle of Spice, Herald, the fowl-cock, puffed out his chest, thrust his neck to the sky and crowed, Coco-ro coco', Coco'ro coco'. Rise up Nyame, rise up. Wipe the sleep from your eyes. Rise up, Nyame, rise up. Time to rise in the skies.
"It's still dark. Give it a break," Anansi pleaded. "The bats are still about and I need to get my rest."
Yet Herald continued, Coco'ro', Coco'ro coco'.
Can you guess what's coming next? Well, if you know anything about the trickster, Anansi the spider, then you already know that Anansi is not going to stand for anyone inconveniencing him, fowl-cock or not. And don't worry if you don't recognize the reference to Nyame; it's all explained within the story, as well as in the helpful "Did You Know?" section at the back of the book. Nyame, incidentally, is the African sky god who takes the form of the moon and the sun and who, as legend has it, is Anansi's father.
The thing is, ever since a hurricane blew over the mango tree where Herald used to roost, Anansi has been sharing his nutmeg tree with the aggravating rooster, who not only wakes him up every morning with his deafening crowing, but also manages to break Anansi's web every so often when he shakes the branches of the nutmeg tree. Anansi strongly advises Herald that it would really be best for him to find another tree to roost in, but of course, the haughty Herald doesn't listen. Wrong move Herald! Anansi devises a trick to throw Herald's biological clock off balance so that instead of crowing at sunrise, Herald crows at all hours of the night, inviting the ire of "Yes Boss," the plantation owner. Will Herald finally listen to Anansi and find another tree to roost in? Or will Yes Boss find out Herald is the trouble-making rooster throwing the plantation out of kilter and serve him up for Sunday lunch?
Anansi and Herald, The Fowl-Cock is your perfect read-aloud story. The animal characters are full of personality, the well-written plot keeps the reader or listener engaged, wanting to know the outcome of Anansi's machinations and the descriptions and dialogue do a decent job of establishing the Caribbean setting. Supplementary material at the back of the book includes a "Did You Know?' section explaining cultural references, a list of new and familiar vocabulary words, discussion questions and writing activities for children that build off of the text.
The glossy pages give glistening clarity to the vibrant, saturated tones of the illustrations; the glossy finish works particularly well with some of the luminously painted night-time scenes; even pre-readers will be attracted to the shiny pages of this book. Jehanne Silva-Freimane's illustrations have a noticeable whimsy to them, a quality akin to what you see in classic nursery rhyme illustrations. The anthropomorphic illustrations in particular are lively and often hilarious, conveying for example the bodily attitudes of a few gossiping farm hens or the smug satisfaction on the face of the cunning spider. The clever use of motion lines, perspective and other techniques lend an engaging cartoonesque element to the visual narrative, which works to really bring the story to life. Mostly illustrated with montages and vignettes, double- and full-page spreads are cleverly and appropriately saved for the establishing shot and final pages of the book.
On a personal note, I like this book because it strongly reminds me of this textbook filled with Caribbean folktale stories I had as a child in primary school. I used to love that book, textbook and all! There were stories about Anansi; I remember the centrality of a calabash gourd and another explanatory folktale about the Kingfisher-- I wish I could own that book again! Of course, I have no idea what the title of the book might be. I just remember the feeling I had reading the book as a child, the feeling of being swept up into the mythical landscape of the West Indian forest with its folk life and timeless animal tricksters. I imagine it's the same type of feeling a child might get reading Anansi and Herald, The Fowl-Cock.
Thus, I recommend it! Read Together: ages 5 and up. Read Alone: ages 7 and up. FYI: Anansi and Herald, The Fowl-Cock is a picture storybook which means it's heavier/longer on text and lighter on illustrations compared to a picturebook. It is still, however, an "easy reader."
End Review
Thank you, Summer.
Anansi and Herald, The Fowl-Cock is now available at your favourite on-line store and in Barbados at gifts shops island-wide
1 comments:
This is one of my favourites :)
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