Quirky and captivating. This traditional West African tale about the importance and magic of storytelling is a treasure.

A whimsical story of Anasai, the cleverest of all the spiders, and her quest to bring stories to the humans. The prose is simple and lyrical, perfect for the age it is aimed at, and weaves the tale as if it were a story being spun by the spider herself. The artwork was gorgeous and definitely added to the overall story. I will definitely be reading this to my class, not only to share a story from a different culture's mythology (which is wildly important) but because it's a beautiful story about storytelling.

Nyame the sky god keeps his treasured possession, a chest of stories, all to himself, but the people of earth are bored. Anansi, the cleverest spider decides to ask Nyame for the story chest, but he is so unwilling to share it that he sets her three seemingly impossible tasks. However, he has underestimated Anansi...
This is an economically told tale of the origin of stories which beautifully captures the language of the oral tradition, with appealing illustrations that complement the text. The style and register of the text and the overall presentation and spacing of the pictures make the book accessible independently to its target readership, as well as being a great story for reading aloud in any classroom. I will definitely add it to my wish list for our school library.

In The Story Thief. clever Anansi is determined to make the sky god share his chest of stories with the world below him. He sets her a series of impossible tasks, but Anansi is more than a match for them thanks to her quick thinking and trickery.

This chapter book is perfect for emerging readers gaining in confidence. It has a clear format and a good range of vocabulary. Young readers will love Anansi's clever tricks and there's lots to think about and discuss as you go through.

Sara Ugolotti's illustrations are really lovely and bring the words to life.