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Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock

by Eric A. Kimmel, Janet Stevens (Illustrator)

4.13 of 5 stars 4.13 · rating details · 359 ratings · 79 reviews

Anansi the Spider tricks all the animals, until he's taught a lesson.

Paperback, 30 pages

Published March 1st 1990 by Holiday House (first published July 28th 1988)

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Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock by Eric A. Kimmel

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2nd out of 50 books — 1 voter

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Nov 19, 2012 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars

Genre: Picture book: Traditional

Summary: A traditional West African and Caribbean tale, Anansi the spider thinks he is clever and tricks all of his animal friends into saying, “Isn’t this a strange moss-covered rock?” as they come upon a large rock. The utterance of this phrase causes them to pass out cold. Anansi then steals their food because he is very lazy. What he doesn’t know is that all this time Little Bush Deer has been watching. Little Bush Deer teaches Anansi a lesson using Anansi’s o...more Genre: Picture book: Traditional

Summary: A traditional West African and Caribbean tale, Anansi the spider thinks he is clever and tricks all of his animal friends into saying, “Isn’t this a strange moss-covered rock?” as they come upon a large rock. The utterance of this phrase causes them to pass out cold. Anansi then steals their food because he is very lazy. What he doesn’t know is that all this time Little Bush Deer has been watching. Little Bush Deer teaches Anansi a lesson using Anansi’s own playbook.

Literary Critique: (a.) Repetition
(b.) Kimmel uses repetition both verbally and visually throughout the story to engage readers to participate.
(c.) The entire story is a repetition of scenes with different animals. After Anansi discovers this magic rock, he lures his friends one at a time to it. The illustrations are a part of the repetition. The first friend Anansi goes to is Lion. Lion is seated in a solid wooden rocking chair with a pet iguana tied to his chair. He has a pile of yams in front of him (which Anansi wants) (p. 4,5). Anansi invites him to walk with him in the forest. Anansi leads Lion to the rock. When Lion utters the phrase, “Isn’t this a strange moss-covered rock?” he passes out cold. Anansi runs to his house and takes his yams (p. 6,7). The illustrations depict Lion bending down, practically face down over the rock and then subsequently passed out cold on the ground with his legs positioned along each side of the rock. The next scene is the encounter with Elephant. Elephant is resting in a lawn chair with a pile of bananas in front of him (p. 9,10). There are pet mice running on his ceiling fan. The next page, elephant is leaning over the rock, practically face down and he utters the magic phrase. And then “KPOM!” he is flat on his back, one leg on each side of the rock (p. 11,12). The humor in the illustrations as we go on to witness Rhinocerous, Hippopotamus, Giraffe, and Zebra passed out on the ground in the same positions secretly makes us chuckle but we feel a little guilty as this is a horrible trick (p. 15,16). The last repetition is when Little Deer Bush teaches Anansi a lesson and gets him to say the phrase and we watch Anansi go “KPOM!” and then all of the animals go take their food back (p. 24,25).

Curriculum Connection: The Anansi Tales can be a part of teachings on West Africa. They can also be used along with the Brer Rabbit Tales as a study of trickster tales. For older students, I would ask students to write their own trickster tales. At the high school level, some urban trickster tales could be written.
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Nov 04, 2012 Candice rated it 4 of 5 stars

Genre: Traditional Literature; Chidlren's book

Summary: In African Culture, Anansi is known as a spider who tricks the other animals normally to get something she wants. There is no difference in this book where Anansi tricks the other animals in order to steal away their food, that she was to lazy to collect for herself.

A. With this title being Traditional Literature it is no wonder that it could be used to teach the readers a lesson about stealing and tricking others. However, I also think the...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Pat Carlson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: odu

Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock, by Eric A. Kimmel (Holiday House, 1988) p.32
picture book: Traditional literature

Summary: Anansi the spider is a practical joker in African cultures the way Coyote is in Native American Cultures. Anansi tricks the animals in her community into saying a phrase at a magic rock that renders them unconscious for a while and allows Anansi to steal their food, which she is too lazy to gather for herself. They trick her and get their food back.

a) plot

b) The plot of thi...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Jonathan Ryal rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a great book that has amazing illustrations throughout it. Anansi, who is a spider, is a very lazy individual. He finds a moss covered rock that makes people unconscious for an hour when they say the secret phrase “Isn’t this a strange moss-covered rock”. Anansi ends up pulling a scam on all the animals in the jungle from the lion, to the elephant, to the rhino and many more. Each time taking the pile of food they had sitting at their home. Eventually, Anansi ends up meeting his match in...more

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Mar 04, 2012 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: picturebooks, read-aloud, humor, folktale

Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Janet Stevens, tells the story of lazy Anansi the spider who tricks his friends out of food, then is tricked himself.
After Anansi discovers that saying certain words abaout a rock cause one to pass out, he tricks many animals out of their food, until Little Bush Deer watches Anansi, and turns the tables on him.

Stevens' illustrations are bold and detailed. My favorite images include the cover, title page, panels of Anansi encounte...more

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Dec 09, 2011 Ashton Livsey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Genre: Traditional Literature, Folklore
Summary: This folk tale tells the story of a spider who tricks his friend’s because he is too lazy to gather food for himself. His friends find out and try to teach him a lesson.
Critique: a) The main part of this story that children will hopefully take from the book is the lesson.
The tale is entertaining, has great illustrations, and is funny at times. However, what children may really appreciate is the lesson learned. This story shows children that frien...more

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Jul 19, 2011 Eva Leger rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: julias-books

3.5 - This was another audio we listened to in the car on the way back to the library yesterday. Julia followed along in print as we listened.
I think this is the third Anansi book we've read, along with Anansi and the Magic Stick and Anansi and the Talking Melon. I know there's at least one more, maybe many, out there.
One of us happened upon Anansi and the Talking Melon on day awhile back at the library and after reading that found that we both like the authors style and the subjects, along with...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Wanett rated it 5 of 5 stars

Tales of Anansi the spider are common in traditional African Folktales. Often depicted as mischievous and devious, the Anasi in Anansi and the Moss-Covered rock is no different. In this version, retold my Eric Kimmel, Anansi discovers a trick rock, which knocks out anyone who says aloud "Isn't this a strange moss-covered rock." Anansi uses this knowledge to trick other animals in the forest so that he can steal their goods. What the greedy Anasi doesn't notice is Little Bush Dear on the sideline...more

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Jun 22, 2011 Colleen rated it 2 of 5 stars

a. Kimmel, Eric. 1988. ANANSI AND THE MOSS-COVERED ROCK Ill. by Janet Stevens. New York: Holiday House. ISBN092340689X

b. Anansi is an important character in Caribbean and African folklore. According to the back of the book,sometimes Anansi is represented as a man, and other times he takes the form of a spider. In this simple West African folktale, Anansi, known as the trickster spider, discovers a moss-covered rock that has the power to knock you out if you look at it and say, “What a strange mo...more a. Kimmel, Eric. 1988. ANANSI AND THE MOSS-COVERED ROCK Ill. by Janet Stevens. New York: Holiday House. ISBN092340689X

b. Anansi is an important character in Caribbean and African folklore. According to the back of the book,sometimes Anansi is represented as a man, and other times he takes the form of a spider. In this simple West African folktale, Anansi, known as the trickster spider, discovers a moss-covered rock that has the power to knock you out if you look at it and say, “What a strange moss-covered rock.” Since Anansi is lazy and a trickster, he uses this knowledge to "KPOM!" the lion and steal his sweet potatoes, and he plays the trick on the elephant to steal his bananas. He weaves his web of deception on many animals in the forest, until Little Bush Deer reverses the trick on Anansi. While Anansi is out cold, Little Bush Deer and all the rightful owners of the "good things" take everything back from Anansi.

c.The ending is satisfying even though the whole story is not realistic. Nor should it be, the purpose of this folktale, from the supernatural rock to the talking animals, is not to believe it, but to learn from it. The storyline itself is full of action and retold well, but the illustrations are inconsistent. Stevens attempts the simple direct illustration known to work in so many picture books. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work with her style. The pages with the moss-covered rock are apt to lose the attention of a small child. Plus, the rock itself is not strange looking in the least.

However, on the two page spreads where Anansi baits his victims, the illustrations fill the page with cultural details that will engage tiny readers. Readers will point out the lion’s pet iguana, and the elephant’s mice that make his fan circulate. If they are good little detectives, they will also spy Little Bush Deer hiding out behind the jungle foliage. Regrettably, the illustrations fall flat on maintaining the pacing and tension the storyline sets.

d. Reviews
Review from CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices) “A marvelously paced Anansi tale.”

Review from Africa Access Review: “Repetition and a well-paced narrative make this picture book a hit with the younger set....Educators teaching the concept of the African diaspora will find this book quite useful.”

e. Activities
Dr. Kimmel has quite a few Anansi tales published like Anansi and the Magic Stick, Anansi and the Talking Melon, and Anansi Goes Fishing. Students could break into small literature groups in the library, read their assigned book and create a small play about the story. Then students could meet back together to perform their skits. Each group can then guess the moral of the story.(less)

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Oct 13, 2010 N_maryellen Rosenblum rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: traditional-lit

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock is a West African story that is also known in the Caribbean. I have read many of the Anansi stories, but this is my favorite by far. We find Anansi, the spider in the forest coming upon a moss-covered rock. As soon as he says the words, "Isn't this a strange moss-covered rock?" he falls to the ground in a faint. After repeating this action a couple of times, he realizes what's happening and decides to use this magical rock to trick the other animals in the forest...more Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock is a West African story that is also known in the Caribbean. I have read many of the Anansi stories, but this is my favorite by far. We find Anansi, the spider in the forest coming upon a moss-covered rock. As soon as he says the words, "Isn't this a strange moss-covered rock?" he falls to the ground in a faint. After repeating this action a couple of times, he realizes what's happening and decides to use this magical rock to trick the other animals in the forest.
He starts out at lion's house and decides he wants lion's yams. So he invites lion to go for a walk and takes him to the moss-covered rock. After lion utters the magical statement and passes out on the ground, lazy Anansi rushes back to lion's house and takes the yams. Anansi continues doing this with several other animals, each time collecting food along the way and bringing it to his house.
Unknowingly, he is being watched by a little bush deer who decides to teach Anansi a lesson by turning the tables on him. When Anansi comes to the bush deer's home, he invites him to come along on a walk, hoping to lead him to the magical rock, and then return to bush deer's house where he will steal several coconuts.
However, Little Bush Deer is aware of Anansi's ploy, and gets Anansi himself to say the magical statement and pass out. While Anansi is passed out, Little Bush Deer goes to Anansi's house with the other animals, and they all reclaim the food Anansi stole from them. Upon waking, Anansi returns home in a daze and sees that all his contraband has been taken back by their rightful owners.

What I love most about the story are the illustrations. The animals are human-like in their movements and gestures, and remind me of several well-loved characters from books I read when I was a child. Having used this book in my classroom years ago, I remember the children also being delighted with the colorful, detailed illustrations.
This book is appropriate for kindergarteners up through second or even third graders. Anansi is a well-know character for most students, however they never fail to be amazed by the fact that Anansi never seems to learn his lesson at the end of each story. (less)

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Feb 06, 2011 Libby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children, picture-book

Oh, my. I'm not a huge trickster-tale fan, but this was a good one. The original premise (a magic rock that knocks out anyone who comes along and says, "Isn't this a strange moss-covered rock?") takes some getting used to, but both Anansi's tricks on others, and the trick that finally gets him (for now) are really funny. So is the sound effect (KPOM!) with which everyone is knocked out and Janet Stevens' illustrations of huge jungle animals on their backs. Finally, this is a good book for learni...more

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Nov 09, 2012 S.N.Arly Arly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens, fairy-and-folktales

If you like folktales and you like tricksters, you really should read this, even if you don't have a child to read it to.

Anansi is the Caribbean and West African equivalent to Coyote, a trickster god. He appears in stories as a man or a spider. Sometimes his action cause harm. Sometimes they're helpful. They are always interesting. In this story, Anansi wears his spider form and he discovers a magical moss covered rock.

The illustrations are decent (though it took some convincing for the kids to...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Lauren Derosa added it

I thought that this was a very cute book! I actually enjoyed the repetition of the events from the book because I really think that it allows for children to better grasp what is going on in the book. I like the sense of mystery and imagination when saying "Isn't this a strange moss-covered rock!" causes the person who said it to fall down. Another part of the book which I enjoyed was noticing that the deer was in the background of each picture, hiding in the bushes. I thought that it was a cute...more

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Jul 01, 2011 Dolly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: parents reading with their children

Shelves: 2011, africa, childrens

This has been a summer for reading books about Anansi. We loved listening to Jerry Terheyden narrate Anansi and the Talking Melon and Anansi Goes Fishing while we followed along with the book. Unfortunately, we couldn't borrow an audio version of this book from our local library, but we still enjoyed the story and loved to see the trickster get tricked.

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Dec 10, 2012 Genesis Romo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: primary-grades, traditional-literature, picture-book, folktale, fantasy

Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock written by Eric A. Kimmel is about a spider named Anansi. The book takes place in a forest, and one day in the forest Anansi stumped upon a moss-covered rock. He realized the rock had some kind of a magical power to it. He uses the rock to trick the animals in the forest with it. Some of the characters he tricks using the rock are the lion, the elephant, the rhinoceros, the hippopotamus, the giraffe, the zebra, and finally his trick does not work with one particu...more Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock written by Eric A. Kimmel is about a spider named Anansi. The book takes place in a forest, and one day in the forest Anansi stumped upon a moss-covered rock. He realized the rock had some kind of a magical power to it. He uses the rock to trick the animals in the forest with it. Some of the characters he tricks using the rock are the lion, the elephant, the rhinoceros, the hippopotamus, the giraffe, the zebra, and finally his trick does not work with one particular animal. The particular animal in the forest he could not trick was Little Bush Deer. Little Bush Deer had seen what Anansi was doing since the beginning to all of the animals of the forest. Little Bush Deer decided to teach Anansi a lesson. Little Bush Deer gathered up coconuts, and right after that Anansi went to Little Bush Deer and took him to the forest where they came upon the moss-covered rock. Since, Little Bush Deer knew Anansi’s trick he pretended he never saw the rock. Anansi became frustrated and ended up saying, “Isn’t this a strange moss-covered rock!” Right away Little Bush Deer went to all the animals Anansi stole from, and all the animals took what had belonged to them. An hour later Anansi woke up and went to his house where he found nothing. Anansi never learned his lesson, and still plays the same trick.
My reaction to this book was wonderful. I did research on the Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock, and found that it is a Traditional Literature. Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock is a Traditional Literature, and specifically that Anansi is a Caribbean Culture legendary character. Teachers should read this book in either early childhood or primary grades. The theme of this book revolves around children being honest with each other. The connection this book makes is children could lie, but eventually consequences will come. If I were a teacher I would have my children read this because the book has wonderful pictures that can explain the book without words. I enjoyed this book because it re-taught me a lesson about being honest. Anansi never learned his lesson, but this can open up a gateway to children in classrooms. A child may never get caught lying, stealing or cheating, but eventually they will. Everyone’s actions have consequences.
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Mar 21, 2012 Briana Deleon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Kimmel creates a witty story about a conniving spider who uses trickery in order to get what he wants. This deceitful nine legged creature lures unsuspecting animals into the forest who inadvertently fall for his trap. The repetition of the sentence "walking walking walking" makes it a great read aloud for children to follow along. Although the set up of the story may lead one to believe that a moral would be learned, the ending falls short of a lesson learned. Despite this, the pleasant and sim...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lilia, children-s-books

Anansi the Spider went walking, walking walking through the forest and discovered a magic rock. The rock had the power to knock someone out if they said the phrase, “Isn’t this a strange moss-covered rock.” He used his knowledge (and the rock) to trick all the animals of the forest, except for Little Bush Deer, who decides to teach Anansi a lesson. Very fun to read. Probably works best with ages 5-8, although my 2 year old loves it too. The author’s notes say that this is originally a West Afric...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Amber Delauri rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-literature

1. Traditional Literature
2. Anansi the spider finds a magical moss-covered rock that causes individuals to pass out when they say a certain phrase. He uses this knowledge to play a trick on all her friends and steal their food. But in the end, his own trick
3. Critique
a. Lesson
b. This book teaches children the valuable lesson that everyone in this world may not have your best interests at heart. People that we view as friends have the ability to mistreat us if given the opportunity. The author s...more 1. Traditional Literature
2. Anansi the spider finds a magical moss-covered rock that causes individuals to pass out when they say a certain phrase. He uses this knowledge to play a trick on all her friends and steal their food. But in the end, his own trick
3. Critique
a. Lesson
b. This book teaches children the valuable lesson that everyone in this world may not have your best interests at heart. People that we view as friends have the ability to mistreat us if given the opportunity. The author shows Anansi repeating his mischievous behavior which builds tension and allows the child to participate throughout the story by guessing what Anansi is going to do next. The reader is finally relieved when Anansi is caught for his wrong actions, and all of the stolen food is taken away from him. This is yet another important lesson the children can take from the book. If you continue to mistreat others, you will eventually get caught. I enjoyed that the author was able to portray such mature lessons in a way that children would understand. In addition, the author used illustration and repetitive phrases to keep the child’s attention.
c. The animals in the story thought Anansi was their friend, but he was merely using them for her benefit. He deceived all of them by innocently saying “I am going for a walk in the cool forest. Would you like to come?” Then, as soon as the rock made each animal pass out Anansi ran back to steal all their food. The second to last picture in the book is my favorite. It shows all of the animals marching back proudly with their food in their hands. The Little Bush Deer is sitting on top of the giraffe cross legged with a smile on her face. The picture is a great way of saying “justice was served!”
4. This would be a wonderful read-aloud during a character building lesson. Also, each time the animal passed out the author used onomatopoeia with the word “KPOM!” When being read this story out loud children would definitely love to participate during this section. I can picture the children shouting along with the books many repetitive phrases, making their reading experience more interactive and fun. Students could talk about times they were outsmarted by others, and how it made them feel. Students could also write about how they would use the magical rock if they stumbled upon it in the forest.
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May 01, 2010 Connie rated it 4 of 5 stars

So, the crux of this book is in the absurd premise that SOMEWHERE in the forest there is a strange-looking moss covered rock that knocks you unconscious for an hour if, upon seeing it, you go "Isn't this a strange, moss-covered rock?"

Of course, if you can accept the existence of talking spiders and various African animals that live in houses and sit on chairs, you can accept this too. And you should, because the story of how Anansi got outwitted, hoisted on his own petard? Well! That's worth dro...more

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Apr 06, 2010 Ronyell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: african-books, animal-books, children-books, humor-satire, picture-books, ronyell-s-epinions-reviews, reviewed-books, fairy-tales-folktales, read-in-1997

“Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock” is an old African folktale retold by Eric A. Kimmel, along with illustrations by Janet Stevens. This book is about how Anansi the Spider tries to trick all the animals in the forest by showing them a mysterious rock. This book is surely a delight to anyone who is interested in African folktales.

Eric A. Kimmel’s retelling of this ancient folktale is hilarious and charming as Anansi uses a magical rock to get what he wants or at least that what he thinks. I thou...more

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Jan 30, 2012 Chelsea Cloonan rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book would fall under the category of animal fiction. Because this book took place in the jungle, the orientation of this book was landscape. The illustrations varied from being full-bleed to being framed. The title page is full bleed, however the endpages are blank. I thought the ending of the book was interesting in the fact that Anansi did not learn a lesson, which is contrary to what most children's books teach.

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Apr 25, 2013 Meg rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children

I love Anansi stories. I'm not that crazy about Kimmel's illustrations, which are a little cartoonish for me, but I think his storytelling does such a fabulous job of bringing out the absurdity. This one is particularly funny, and I love the way the shy Little Bush Deer solves the problem and gives Anansi a taste of his own medicine! I think the repetition appeals to kids, also. My daughter really liked it.

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Aug 11, 2011 Lisa Rathbun added it

Hilarious trickster tale with fun illustrations. The weakest, shyest character ends up beating the sneaky spider at his own game. (Look for the little deer watching from the background in several earlier pages before she is introduced.) My kids howl with laughter when I say, "Ka - pom!!!" A delightful read aloud and my favorite among all the Eric Kimmel Anansi stories.

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Feb 07, 2011 Rebecca rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book has very detailed pictures, especially considering the characters are all animals and spiders. A reader also needs to look very closely to see a small detail that ends up being a very important part of the story. I also enjoyed the way the book had some pages with multiple frames of pictures on a single page, showing the passage of time and the movement of the spider.

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Jul 07, 2012 Meghan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Anansi is a spider who comes across some unique information. Anansi then chooses to use this information to trick the other animals and steal their food. Baby Bush Deer watches and knows what Anansi is doing and lays a trap to teach Anansi a lesson.

Got this book recommendation from the list "100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know" by the New York Public Library.

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Nov 15, 2012 Kelli Bratten rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: prediction, character-traits

The kids enjoyed this read aloud since there is a lot of expression and humorous moments. They really had great reactions to the sneaky things Anansi was doing to the other animals. When asked what character traits they could think of for Anansi they had plenty to say and reasons behind their thinking supported by the reading.
2nd, 3rd grade

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Nov 06, 2009 Sharlene Spencer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Anansi is up to his old tricks again. He found a way to trick the animals in the forest. After he tricked them, he made off with all their food. Someone saw what he was doing and decided to teach Anansi a lesson. Find out who was watching and what they did to Anansi. I used this book to teach my 3rd grade a lesson on text participation.

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Feb 12, 2013 Mackenzie Rodeghier rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: picture-books

This story would be an excellent tool to use during Black History month. Readers can learn about different animals in Africa, different fruits, even different African fables! It would be a good book to practice with beginning readers: the text is fairly simple, but some words might cause beginners to struggle. The book is beautifully illustrated and all around a good read!

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Sep 07, 2011 Gretchen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: honesty-integrity, k-3

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 11, 2011 Kristin Hamrock rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: animals, humor, read-aloud

This is a book that kids will be sure to love. It is about a spider who uses a rock to trick all of the other animals in the forest, before it comes back to bite him in the butt. The funny noises make it great for read aloud. The animals as characters make it more interesting and attractive for kids.

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About Eric A. Kimmel

Eric A. Kimmel was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1946. He attended PS 193, Andries Hudde Junior High School, and Midwood High School. Brooklyn College was across the street from his high school, so he didn’t want to go there. He headed west, to Easton, Pennsylvania where he graduated from Lafayette College in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in English literature.
Eric worked as an elementary school teache...more Eric A. Kimmel was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1946. He attended PS 193, Andries Hudde Junior High School, and Midwood High School. Brooklyn College was across the street from his high school, so he didn’t want to go there. He headed west, to Easton, Pennsylvania where he graduated from Lafayette College in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in English literature.
Eric worked as an elementary school teacher at P.S. 68 in Manhattan while working on his masters degree at New York University. From there he went to the US. Virgin Islands where he worked as a teacher and librarian. He spent a lot of time lying on St. Thomas’ beautiful beaches.
Returning to reality, he finished his Ph.D. degree in Education at the University of Illinois in 1973. He taught courses in language arts, children’s literature, and storytelling at Indiana University at South Bend in South Bend, Indiana from 1973 to 1978, and from 1978 to 1993 at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. Eric retired from college teaching in 1993 to become a full-time writer. He still holds the rank of Professor Emeritus of Education at Portland State.
Eric has wanted to be an author since he first discovered back in kindergarten that people called authors make books. His first book came out in 1974. Since then he has published over fifty titles, many of which have won numerous state awards, appeared on school and library recommended lists, and won prestigious awards such as the Caldecott Honor Medal (Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins) and the Sydney Taylor Picture Book Award (The Chanukkah Guest and Gershon’s Monster).
Eric travels throughout the United States and the world visiting schools, talking about his books, and telling stories. His first love is sharing stories from different countries and cultures. During the last several years he and his wife Doris have visited China, Norway, Italy, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Singapore, Canada, and Panama. He is always looking out for ideas for new books.
Eric and Doris live in Portland, Oregon. Eric has a dog named Tasha, a cat named Inky, and a tank full of tropical fish. He has several hobbies. He loves bluegrass music. He keeps his banjo next to his desk so he can practice whenever he takes a break from writing. (less)

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title link	preview: Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock
avg rating	preview: Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock Goodreads rating: 4.13 (359 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/833229.Anansi_and_the_Moss_Covered_Rock?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348774161l/833229.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/833229.Anansi_and_the_Moss_Covered_Rock?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock by Eric A. Kimmel[/url]

Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock

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