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A Story--A Story
by Gail E. Haley
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Perfection Learning Prebound (1981-09)
ISBN: 0812428102
EAN: 9780812428100
Dewy Decimal #: 398.2096
Unknown Binding
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
SKU: MWB208386
Condition: Very Good
Comments: 0812428102 This hardcover book evidences gentle use; it is free of markings beyond school stamp on flyleaf. Its cover shows only minor shelf wear. Your book will be carefully protected for transit in sturdy, weather-resistant packaging. We are prompt, efficient, communicative.
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
Many African stories, whether or not they are about Kwaku Ananse the "spider man," are called, "Spider Stories." This book is about how that came to be.The African storyteller begins: "We do not really mean, we do not really mean that what we are about to say is true. A Story, a story; let it come, let it go." And it tells that long, long ago there were no stories on earth for children to hear. All stories belonged to Nyame, the Sky God. Ananse, the Spider man, wanted to buy some of these stories, so he spun a web up to the sky and went up to bargain with the Sky God. The price the Sky God asked was Osebo, the leopard of-the-terrible-teeth, Mmboro the hornet who-stings-like-fire, and Mmoatia the fairy whom-men-never-see. How Ananse paid the price is told in a graceful and clever text, with forceful, lovely woodcut illustrations.
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Customer Reviews
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In the Beginning
Rating  (5)
Date: 2007-08-02
A long time ago before there were books to read, there were stories to hear. And before there were stories to hear, there was nothing to tell at all. Then it was that something unusual happened to break that long, dead silence.
[Picture book suitable for the primary through intermediate grades.]
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A magical spider story
Rating  (4)
Date: 2007-06-01
A Story, A story, is an african tale retold by Gail Haley. She also happens to be the illustrator, and the winner of a Cladecott medal.
This is the story of Anase,the spider man. He's the spider man because he spins a web up to heaven to ask the Sky God for his stories so he can share with the world. Hence, why stories are called spider stories. When Anase fulfills the God's order he is given the box of stories, and they get scattered all over Earth to share.
The story of Anase itself is a great tale of an old man capturing unlikely gifts for the God, to receive the box of stories. But the idea that the Earth has stories because the box openend and stories scattered everywhere is simple, yet imaginative. This is a great story for kids who like tales. If you like the book "Why mosquitos buzz in people's ears" then you would like this story. It's got great illustrations, and is a wonderful folk tale.
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Ananse tales are must haves
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-11-30
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
I think that I enjoy this story more than my children.
Great for children at least age 4 and up.
Too lengthy for a toddler.
But this a great story for family time especially if you can memorize it and tell it to the children...
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Spider man, spider man. Does whatever a spider can.
Rating (4)
Date: 2004-10-02
7 out of 7 customers found this reveiw helpful
My husband grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and well remembers the Anase stories that were told to him and his companions in their youth. For myself, Anase was not a character I heard much about as a child. This is a pity when you consider that books like, "A Story A Story" were striving to teach children about the great African (I apologize for not knowing the exact region) folktales. Based on one of many spider stories, "A Story A Story" is a variation on the Prometheus tale. In this case, however, the desired gift of the gods isn't fire but that of stories themselves.
As the tale tells us, long ago all the stories in the world belonged to the Sky God. On behalf of mankind, Anase (presented here not as a spider but as a kind of old spider man) spins a web into the sky and requests the Sky God's stories. The big man upstairs is amused by the request and presents Anase with a series of three near impossible tasks. If the spider man is able to accomplish them, he will be granted the stories. Using his wits and some clever techniques, Anase accomplishes each trial and in the end the world receives a golden box of the Sky God's stories.
Just looking at this tale I realized that it was a perfect companion picture book to Marcia Brown's "Once a Mouse". In both cases woodcut illustrations decorate a well-known fable from a land other than America. In this particular book, children at all familiar with the Brer Rabbit tarbaby story will instantly recognize elements of it in "A Story A Story". Adults could then let their kids know that slaves from Africa would often bring their stories with them, changing them in their new land with some subtle variations. The book itself is illustrated beautifully with what looks to be a series of brightly colored woodcuts. Be sure to locate other fine Anase stories (they exist in abundance, doncha know) if this one suits your fancy. It reflects beautifully the cleverness and richness of a story not too new to our American ears.
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Wonderful myth to share with the younger set
Rating (5)
Date: 2002-03-16
3 out of 7 customers found this reveiw helpful
The book is the perfect match of text and illustration. The pictures are representative of the simplicity of primitive drawings of which children can relate. The prose is written in a fashion that most young readers should not have any difficulty understanding.How Ananse was able to overcome the various characters is the basis of the theme of using ingenuity to defeat great obstacles. Because this is a myth, the reader is able to see the connection between the characteristics of a spider and one who "weaves stories." The book provides a glimpse of a primitive culture without being demeaning to said culture.
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