Book Description

LANGUAGE ARTS / CREATIVE WRITING / FOLKLORE Books for Growing Minds(tm) present Why Spiders Hide in Corners (Ananse Makes It So!) as a delightful interactive folktale-drama that will engage both the reader and all whom have gathered around for the telling of this tale. Inspired by an Ananse story that had a violent end, the author's original spin on this Ananse, drum and rabbit story was first published in a Simon and Schuster Anthology of African and African American Storytelling (Talk That Talk).Summary Rabbit decides to visit his friend, Anansi, the spider-man whom he hasn't seen in quite a while. Wanting to celebrate their friendship, Rabbit invites Anansi to join him in making a drum. From his cozy hammock, Anansi refuses with excuses of being too sick to get involved with drum-making. Alone, Rabbit works hard at making his "friendship" drum. While Rabbit is resting from the day's hard work at drum-making, he soon finds Anansi playing his drum, the very same drum he was supposedly "too sick" to help make. Anansi ends up in an embarrassing situation, one that we all may come face to face with from time to time. "The students at Jasper Elementary love J'miah. (The teachers at our school find him to be a full partner in curricular planning and implementation of lessons and units.) J'miah can tell stories, write and direct plays that are performed school-wide, teach small groups and make children laugh and smile. If he had a cape, he could fly . . . at least the children think so." ~ Dr. Kathleen Thompson, Retired Arts Educator/Director of Cultural Projects (Georgia Council for the Arts) "Mr. Nabawi is one of Savannah's most visible and favored storytellers. He has been the community's choice for various festivities, with no barriers on race, ethnicity, or age. Whether it is through the Live Oak Public Libraries, The Telfair Museum, local churches, schools, universities, the leadership and service that he continues to provide through his profession is legendary here amongst Savannahians." ~Dr. Otis S. Johnson, Former Mayor of Savannah, GA