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When Hippo Was Hairy and Other Tales from Africa
A collection of thirty-one stories about African animals with factual information about each animal
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 28, 2023
This was one of the collections of folktales from around the world that I read and re-read as a kid. One fun feature (especially for a young proto-biologist) is that there are beautiful color plates of the animals and a little page on the natural history of each.
The tales of how various animal features came to be are of course timeless - though, like many traditional folktales, they can get a bit darker than American children's media. For instance, while mental image of a hippo with a long, luxuriant fur is funny, the story of how he lost that fur is kinda traumatic! Some stories are strikingly similar to those told in other cultures. There's a variant on "the tortoise and the hare", for instance - communication with the Mediterranean through Egypt may have spread that one around to all places that have both types of animals! Others are very much based in local ecological interactions, like the rather sweet story of why giraffe and the oxpecker birds are friends.
In terms of how the stories are presented...it's a mixed bag. On the one hand, I think it's neat that the white writer describes them as "told by" himself and there is a cultural group label on each story - which, in combination, make it clear that he didn't invent them and isn't taking credit. However, some of the wording in the introduction is not ideal. "The interior of Africa was a place of mystery to all but a handful of adventurous (and often foolhardy) explorers, hunters, and missionaries..." Yeah, except to the people who actually LIVED THERE, as these stories make clear! Similarly, it kind (accidentally?) reinforces the "Africa is all one thing" idea by noting how similar a lot of the stories are, and then mentioning that this might be due to the Bantu expansion. If that's the argument, it might have been nice to have a map of where the stories come from. The book doesn't include any stories about Anansi the spider - some of the most famous African folktales from a New World perspective. That, along with animal species included, does suggest that the stories were all collected from East Africa down to South Africa (which is indeed mostly Bantu cultures), but not West Africa. Here the trickster is either hare or jackal!
The tales of how various animal features came to be are of course timeless - though, like many traditional folktales, they can get a bit darker than American children's media. For instance, while mental image of a hippo with a long, luxuriant fur is funny, the story of how he lost that fur is kinda traumatic! Some stories are strikingly similar to those told in other cultures. There's a variant on "the tortoise and the hare", for instance - communication with the Mediterranean through Egypt may have spread that one around to all places that have both types of animals! Others are very much based in local ecological interactions, like the rather sweet story of why giraffe and the oxpecker birds are friends.
In terms of how the stories are presented...it's a mixed bag. On the one hand, I think it's neat that the white writer describes them as "told by" himself and there is a cultural group label on each story - which, in combination, make it clear that he didn't invent them and isn't taking credit. However, some of the wording in the introduction is not ideal. "The interior of Africa was a place of mystery to all but a handful of adventurous (and often foolhardy) explorers, hunters, and missionaries..." Yeah, except to the people who actually LIVED THERE, as these stories make clear! Similarly, it kind (accidentally?) reinforces the "Africa is all one thing" idea by noting how similar a lot of the stories are, and then mentioning that this might be due to the Bantu expansion. If that's the argument, it might have been nice to have a map of where the stories come from. The book doesn't include any stories about Anansi the spider - some of the most famous African folktales from a New World perspective. That, along with animal species included, does suggest that the stories were all collected from East Africa down to South Africa (which is indeed mostly Bantu cultures), but not West Africa. Here the trickster is either hare or jackal!
August 2, 2024
One of my favourites!
Folklore told in earnest from Eastern and Southern Africa, accompanied by a fact page for each animal. Appreciated that each story had a note from which tribe/ethnic group it originated from. This book introduced me to several new animals of the bush when I first read it a long time ago. Already interested in documentaries of the region's nature, this gave the animals more character as you learn about their habits. If anyone has watched Tinga Tinga, the stories and charm are much alike!
– AF
Folklore told in earnest from Eastern and Southern Africa, accompanied by a fact page for each animal. Appreciated that each story had a note from which tribe/ethnic group it originated from. This book introduced me to several new animals of the bush when I first read it a long time ago. Already interested in documentaries of the region's nature, this gave the animals more character as you learn about their habits. If anyone has watched Tinga Tinga, the stories and charm are much alike!
– AF
July 15, 2024
Very interesting and fast paced
May 9, 2023
Love the stories in this book! A great read for kids and adults alike.
July 10, 2009
This is a great book to read, it has lots of traditional stories explaining how, for example, the Zebra got its stripes and I think in either this book or another one it explains how the elephant got a long trunk.
If you're interested in African fairytales and traditional stories, then this is for you. :)
If you're interested in African fairytales and traditional stories, then this is for you. :)
March 23, 2010
Very cute and meaningful stories from Africa. Not unlike the Aboriginal Dreaming stories I'm so used to. Awesome for kids!
March 31, 2011
This collection is a family favorite, on my mother's side - my grandfather was a "bush pilot" for a rural hospital in South Africa, and I was read these stories alongside Brer Rabbit as a little boy.
September 9, 2011
Great book to read aloud to children. Loved the artwork too!
August 27, 2013
Meh. I have read better and I have read worse. The stories themselves are interesting but the style of storytelling not so much.
July 11, 2016
A collection of stories and informational articles centered on African animals. Gorgeous full-page paintings for illustrations.
August 9, 2007
Good book
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews