In studying Ancient Africa, we have read so many tales about Anansi the spider and they are all winners. This one was particularly funny to my kids, probably because they like to hear about people being tricked and acting foolishly. Just as a warning, this book does feature the expression, “stupid melon.” It was probably my own kids’ favorite part!
Anansi and the Talking Melon Details
Title: Anansi and the Talking Melon
Author: Eric A. Kimmel
Illustrator: Janet Stevens
Publication Year: 1994
Age Group: Kindergarten, Early Elementary, Mid Elementary
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My kids love all of the books featuring Anansi. It doesn’t matter who the author is. Sometimes Anansi tricks others and sometimes his plans go all wrong. Either way, my kids think it is hilarious. They found this book particularly comical. We actually read this book as part of our history curriculum while we were studying Africa, but it got my kids giggling so much, I had to include it on our funniest picture book list.
In this tale, Anansi gets stuck inside a melon and tricks several of his animal friends into believing the melon could talk. My kids seem to particularly enjoy characters looking foolish. This is one story in which Anansi gets away with his mischief. His trickery goes better than expected. Not only does no one learn his trick, but they unknowingly help him escape from his predicament. I did not see the last line coming, but it was absolutely fitting and even had me laughing.
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