Anansi Goes Fishing

Anansi Goes Fishing
Author: Eric Kimmel
Illustrator: Janet Stevens
Published March 1st 1992 by Holiday House
ISBN  082340918X

Plot Summary
Anansi the spider wants to learn how to fish as well as Turtle.  Turtle know that Anansi is notoriously lazy.  Turtle agrees to help Anansi build a net and go fishing if he agrees to help split the task.  Anansi is tricked into doing all the work while Turtle gets a free meal.

Critical Analysis
Anansi Goes Fishing is an African folktale.  This is the tale of how spiders learned how to weave spider webs.  Anansi is tricked into doing all the work while Turtle relaxes.  Then Anansi is tricked into sitting there while Turtle eats the fish.  The story is predictable and if this story was read aloud the reader could have young listeners guess what is going to happen. 

The illustrations done by Stevens are a nice way to accompany the story. The cartoon-like pictures add humor to the text.  The illustrator uses modern touches such as a radio to bring relevance to this old tale that young audiences will find amusing.

Review Excerpt
Booklist, Karen Hutt: Children able to comprehend the wordplay will be delighted when the lazy but lovable trickster figure is outwitted by the clever turtle, and Stevens' colorful, comical illustrations are perfect for this contemporary rendition of the tale.

School Library Journal, Starr LaTronica: Together, the text and art combine in a fresh new version that is a fine choice for oral presentation or for independent reading.

Connections

Gather other Anansi companion stories:
Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock ISBN: 0823407985 
Anansi and the Talking Melon ISBN: 0823411044
Anansi and the Magic Stick ISBN: 0823417638

Gather other African Folktales:
Zomo the Rabbit: A Trickster Tale from West Africa ISBN: 0152999671
Beautiful Blackbird ISBN: 0689847319
Why Mosquitos Buzz in People’s Ears: A West African Tale ISBN: 0140549056
A Story, A Story ISBN: 0689712014

Use this story to introduce a Social Studies unit on the culture of Africa.

Use this story to introduce an English Language Arts unit on Folktales.

Students can create an alternate response that the Justice Tree has for Anansi. 

For a sensory experience, students can touch nets and see how a fish could get caught in a net with hands-on items such as a stuffed fish or a puppet.



References:
Hutt, Karen (2010) “Anansi Goes Fishing Booklist Review” Booklist. American Library Association.  Accessed January 17, 2017. https://www.buffalolib.org/vufind/Record/663423/Reviews
Kimmel, Eric. 1992. Anansi Goes Fishing. Ill. Janet Stevens. New York. Holiday House. ISBN 082340918X 
LaTronica, Starr (2010) “Anansi Goes Fishing Great Storyteller”. School Library Journal.  North Berkley Library.  California.  Accessed January 17, 2017.

         http://www.slj.com/

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