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A Story, A Story: An African Tale
Discover how an African trickster god made it possible for people to tell stories in this brightly illustrated, Caldecott Medal–winning picture book.
Long, long ago there were no stories on earth for children to hear. All stories belonged to Nyame, the Sky God. Ananse, the Spider man, wanted to buy some of these stories, so he spun a web up to the sky to bargain with the Sky God. The price the Sky God asked was Osebo, the leopard-of-the-terrible-teeth, Mmboro the hornet-who-stings-like-fire, and Mmoatia the fairy-whom-men-never-see. Can Ananse capture these sly creatures and give the children of earth stories to tell?
Long, long ago there were no stories on earth for children to hear. All stories belonged to Nyame, the Sky God. Ananse, the Spider man, wanted to buy some of these stories, so he spun a web up to the sky to bargain with the Sky God. The price the Sky God asked was Osebo, the leopard-of-the-terrible-teeth, Mmboro the hornet-who-stings-like-fire, and Mmoatia the fairy-whom-men-never-see. Can Ananse capture these sly creatures and give the children of earth stories to tell?
36 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 1970
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1534 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 335 reviews
January 17, 2019
Gail tells the tale of the old African sly man of Ananse, the spider. He wanted to bring the Nyame chest of stories to Earth to share with the people. Nyame, the grand sky god of the gods told him the price it would take and Ananse easily paid it. He brought stories to all corners of the world. It’s similar to Prometheus and pandora, well blending them together a bit.
It’s a good story well told and I enjoyed the artwork. I’m not saying Gail didn’t tell a good story, but it would be interesting to hear this story told by someone who grew up with these stories told to them and see how it differs.
Still, I love mythology and I don’t know many African myths and I’m glad to be introduced to this particular story. It was good. The children had their own opinions about the story. The niece thought it was a good story and she gave it 3 stars while the nephew thought it was ok and he gave it 4 stars. The nephew is sly like a fox and so he enjoyed the trickster and how he outsmarted the gods. He appreciates stories like this.
It’s a good story well told and I enjoyed the artwork. I’m not saying Gail didn’t tell a good story, but it would be interesting to hear this story told by someone who grew up with these stories told to them and see how it differs.
Still, I love mythology and I don’t know many African myths and I’m glad to be introduced to this particular story. It was good. The children had their own opinions about the story. The niece thought it was a good story and she gave it 3 stars while the nephew thought it was ok and he gave it 4 stars. The nephew is sly like a fox and so he enjoyed the trickster and how he outsmarted the gods. He appreciates stories like this.
July 19, 2016
I have actually first watched “A Story, A Story” on a Weston Woods video (which was a children’s series I have grown up with for a many years) and I have enjoyed it ever since. “A Story A Story” is a Caldecott Medal award winning book by Gail E. Haley and it details the adventures of Ananse, the Spider Man and his attempts at obtaining the stories from Nyame, the Sky God. “A Story, A Story” is a clever book that fans of African folktales will definitely love!
This is the story about Ananse the Spider Man and the sky god named Nyame, who owns all the stories and keeps them in his golden box next to his royal stool. One day, Ananse decided to visit the Sky God and asked him if he could buy his stories and Nyame told Ananse that in order to get his stories, he must capture Mmboro the hornet who-stings-like-fire, Osebo the leopard of-the-terrible-teeth, and Mmoatia the fairy whom-men-never-see. So, Ananse sets out and tries to capture the three beings that Nyame wanted from him.
I have always loved reading different folktales from around the world and African folktales are my favorites! Gail E. Haley has done an excellent job at both illustrating and writing this ancient African folktale about Ananse the Spider Man. Gail E. Haley’s illustrations are truly creative and beautiful as the illustrations are woodcut and it gives the story a more traditional and creative vibe to the characters. My favorite illustrations were of Mmoatia the fairy-whom-no-man-sees as she is small and she wears a green grass skirt and a colorful red and white blouse shirt that truly made her look majestic. Gail E. Haley’s writing is cleverly creative as she incorporates various African sound effects like “yiridi, yiridi, yiridi” when Ananse was running through the jungle to make the characters’ movements have more meaning. I also loved the different ways that Ananse tricks each creature in the forest, especially the scene where Ananse uses a gum baby doll to trick Mmoatia the fairy as it was a reminiscent of the traditional “Brer Rabbit” tales with Brer Rabbit being tricked by the tar baby.
Overall, “A Story, A Story” is a truly incredible tale for anyone who loves “Ananse” stories and also loves folktales that deal with tricksters. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the African phrases might confuse smaller children.
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
February 4, 2017
I think I had this read to me at library story hour as a little kid.
Vague memory of feeling that Mmoatia was treated badly and wondering what happened to her and the other characters who are tricked and trapped and give to Nyame.
Also not sure about "fairy" as an equivalent for Mmoatia.
Vague memory of feeling that Mmoatia was treated badly and wondering what happened to her and the other characters who are tricked and trapped and give to Nyame.
Also not sure about "fairy" as an equivalent for Mmoatia.
February 10, 2026
I got invited to 4 different spots tonight.. I don't know what to dooooo!!! /: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
August 17, 2013
This Caldecott Award winner didn't have me very impressed with the pictures, but my 5 yr old enjoyed the story and I could, as a parent, appreciate the educational aspect of it. Now that we're officially starting school, it's nice to have some books put to the side just for social studies lessons and this has great information about African culture. My son had a lot of question about the gods and such referenced in this book and I had to explain that now we're starting to learn about kids in other parts of the world, he'll get to see that everyone has many different ways of living. Different customs, different houses, and, like this book, different beliefs. He was fascinated and even my 3 yr old twins sat still long enough to enjoy this one.
July 24, 2015
A fascinating and colorful tale about a man who is given three almost-impossible tasks in exchange for a treasure box of stories. It's a fun story, and our girls liked the way the foreign words and rhythm were woven into the story. The woodcut illustrations are nicely rendered.
This book was selected as one of the books for the July 2015 - Quarterly Caldecott discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
This book was selected as one of the books for the July 2015 - Quarterly Caldecott discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
April 3, 2015
Colorful woodblock illustrations fill the pages of this 1971 Caldecott Medalist, easily attesting to the reasons for the book's selection for that particular distinction. Ananse, also known as the Spider Man, is in the market for some stories, but the Sky God drives a hard bargain and sets before him three seemingly-impossible task. Ananse prove himself worthy of the stories as he cleverly uses cunning and trickery to capture a leopard, several hornets, and a fairy. My favorite illustration shows him bowing before the Sky God and placing before him all the creatures he was sent to find. Not only are the illustrations memorable, but the story's rhythmic nature and humorous notes make it ideal for reading aloud. I can't vouch for its cultural authenticity although I am familiar with many spider stories, but I find this simply enchanting in so many ways.
February 28, 2017
The subtitle of this Caldecott-winning picture book is: An African Tale Retold. When living in the Caribbean, Haley was intrigued by the folk tales featuring leopards and tigers, animals not indigenous to the region. She traced the origin of such stories to Africa, and further studied African folklore so she could capture the flavor of the languages, the people, and their customs. Haley explains in the introduction that many African stories, even if they are not about Kwaku Ananse (the “spider man”) are called “Spider Stories.” This book is about how that came to be.
The illustrations are detailed, vibrantly colored and effective in supporting the story. You can practically hear the angry buzz of the hornets, or the quiet hum of conversation among the villagers as they watch Kwaku Ananse spin his web to the sky so he can visit the Sky God.
The illustrations are detailed, vibrantly colored and effective in supporting the story. You can practically hear the angry buzz of the hornets, or the quiet hum of conversation among the villagers as they watch Kwaku Ananse spin his web to the sky so he can visit the Sky God.
July 30, 2022
This is an incredible and well-spun retelling of an African story that is about Ananzi, the mythical character who makes a surprising bargain to gain the stories of a sky god. Its illustrations are colorfully detailed and it will mystify readers of all ages. A (100%/Outstanding)
February 1, 2012
The story of how Ananse "spider" stories came to be. These are amazing wood block prints done in multiple colors with a great sense of movement. No wonder this book was published in the early 70's - the patterns have a groovy feel. This works well as a read-aloud due to the magic of three pattern and repetition to create rhythm.
December 2, 2025
Caldecott 1971 I liked the colorful African scenes painted here. The Spider man needs to fetch three things to be allowed to have the Sky God's stories. He is witty and has a sneaky way to achieve these goals. He then shares the stories with everyone.
A happy story with no harm to any of the animals and fairy he had to capture to show his skill.
Easy 4.25*
A happy story with no harm to any of the animals and fairy he had to capture to show his skill.
Easy 4.25*
June 20, 2018
A Story A Story is a Caldecott Medal winning African folklore story intended for children four to eight years of age. It is a story of how Kwaku Ananse the "spider man" came to buy stories from Nyame, the Sky God. Ananse outwits Osebo the leopard of-the-terrible-teeth, Mmboro the hornet who-stings-like-fire, and Moatia the fairy whom-men-never-see by playing tricks on each one. After each trick is played Ananse builds a web and gives his prizes to the Sky God. The book is informative, I learned why phrases are repeated in African folklore. For example, "so small, so small, so small" means very small. I also learned how the name Ananse changed to Anancy in the Caribbean isles because the stories remained the same even though the language changed. The character Ananse is determined, ambitious, and clever. The Sky God, as gods go, is mocking and powerful but at the end of the story proves trustworthy. The dramatic woodcut illustrations are able to tell the story without any words. The illustrations take up most of the pages while the text takes up very little. That's not to say the text is insignificant. The text is the best part of this story. Children will be enthralled by the repetition of words like, "Twe, twe" and "yiridi, yiridi". One part I really liked is when Mmoatia the fairy is trying to thank the gum doll. The gum doll does not respond so the fairy says, "I'll slap your crying place unless you answer me!" Creative writing like this will have A Story A Story a favorite among all children. This book is also available in audio book format.
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April 10, 2017
From the introduction of this book, one can clearly see how this is going to be such a useful classroom tool! Ananse ventures up to the Sky God, and after completing a couple seemingly impossible tasks, he receives stories so that the people can have them. What a good discussion starter! The vibrant pictures allow students to hear this traditional African folktale while learning and understanding how different cultures speak and tell stories differently. Through Ananse capturing three different creatures, conversations can spark about how the trickster developed his techniques and outsmarted creatures bigger than himself.
In the introduction the author points out that in African culture they repeat words to give them more emphasis and meaning. This would be beneficial in assisting students with their own writing. Not that you want them to begin repeating every important word on the page, but you could discuss with them what tools they use in order to emphasize and point out to their readers what words and phrases are important to them as the author and to the story as a whole.
I would recommend this book for Kindergarten through 4th grade. While it is a seemingly basic tale, I think older children could glean more out of reading it than younger kids, who may just like looking through the pictures and hearing the tale. In 4th grade it could lead to discussions of voice and story telling, and even a readers theatre with different characters involved. Overall this book was enticing and colorful!
In the introduction the author points out that in African culture they repeat words to give them more emphasis and meaning. This would be beneficial in assisting students with their own writing. Not that you want them to begin repeating every important word on the page, but you could discuss with them what tools they use in order to emphasize and point out to their readers what words and phrases are important to them as the author and to the story as a whole.
I would recommend this book for Kindergarten through 4th grade. While it is a seemingly basic tale, I think older children could glean more out of reading it than younger kids, who may just like looking through the pictures and hearing the tale. In 4th grade it could lead to discussions of voice and story telling, and even a readers theatre with different characters involved. Overall this book was enticing and colorful!
April 7, 2014
A Story A Story is an African tale about the origin of stories in the world. Long ago, all stories belonged to Nyame, the Sky God, who kept them in a box beside his throne. Ananse, the Spider man, decides to buy the stories from Nyame, who requests three tasks be carried out in exchange for the stories. Ananse cleverly completes all three tasks and earns the stories, now deemed Spider stories, and when he opens the box, all the stories are released into the world.
This is an example of traditional literature, as it has been told and carried down through generations in African folklore, includes many elements specific to the culture of the people, and it is a “why” tale since it explains how stories came to be. It also includes a very common figure in folktales, Ananse (or Anansi), as the clever main character. This story is helpful in teaching folktales for 2nd-4th grade, and has excellent illustrations to tell the tale. There’s an excellent Book Flix video from Weston Woods that students will also enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a7U0...
This is an example of traditional literature, as it has been told and carried down through generations in African folklore, includes many elements specific to the culture of the people, and it is a “why” tale since it explains how stories came to be. It also includes a very common figure in folktales, Ananse (or Anansi), as the clever main character. This story is helpful in teaching folktales for 2nd-4th grade, and has excellent illustrations to tell the tale. There’s an excellent Book Flix video from Weston Woods that students will also enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a7U0...
December 9, 2014
A story, a story by Haley Gail E.
Genre: picture book Reading level: P-3 grade Format: good
The book A Story A Story by Gail E. Haley is a very nice book. I thought it was very decorative and had interesting picture illustrations in the way the texture and color of every illustration had. For example having several textures of how the African tribe would dress and paint their faces. I thought it was quite interesting how the book mentioned how Africans believe in Gods and how people do whatever is in their hands to please their god so they can get what they want. Also it was nice how the book mentioned in the first page how the story is one of many African stories. And in how Africans “repeat words to make them stronger” I honestly thought that was a strong fact for the audience to know because as a young reader many students don’t have a lot of historical knowledge of the African Tribe and knowing this fact will make the reader understand why some words repeat in the book. This book can be used in the classroom to give students a little background of the African culture.
Genre: picture book Reading level: P-3 grade Format: good
The book A Story A Story by Gail E. Haley is a very nice book. I thought it was very decorative and had interesting picture illustrations in the way the texture and color of every illustration had. For example having several textures of how the African tribe would dress and paint their faces. I thought it was quite interesting how the book mentioned how Africans believe in Gods and how people do whatever is in their hands to please their god so they can get what they want. Also it was nice how the book mentioned in the first page how the story is one of many African stories. And in how Africans “repeat words to make them stronger” I honestly thought that was a strong fact for the audience to know because as a young reader many students don’t have a lot of historical knowledge of the African Tribe and knowing this fact will make the reader understand why some words repeat in the book. This book can be used in the classroom to give students a little background of the African culture.
September 16, 2014
"A Story, a Story" the African folklore picture book wonderfully written by author Gail E. Haley. The book introduces the tale of Ananse, the Spider man, and African culture's "Spider stories". The story tells of how many traditional stories have been shared and spread across the globe. This tale begins at a lonesome and saddening time were there are no stories to be told, but that doesn't stop the main character of the book. Through the use of a clever plan he defies all obstacles and doubts in order to retrieve stories to share with the world. This book utilizes the vibrant colors and story telling methods from African culture, and is a great way to share traditional African folklore with the children of the world.
October 5, 2017
This picture book is the story of how Ananse the Spiderman managed to get the stories of the world away from the Sky God, making it possible for us to tell our own stories. The repetition of certain phrases - used for emphasis in African story telling - make it a great one for reading aloud. I think kids will especially like the various tricks Ananse performs to outsmart the three creatures who stand between him and the stories.
December 7, 2014
This book called A Story- A Story was well written by Gail E. Haley. The main character Ananse; a African story teller, wanted to tell stories to the people on earth. Ananse wanted to buy the Sky God’s Stories so he spun a web up to the sky. He then bought the stories from the God’s and brought them back down to earth. The illustrations in this book are very fascinating. The colors set the mood for the reader. It tells a story with even just looking at the pictures.
October 12, 2016
The first of all African tales told thanks to the wit and character of Anansi. I really enjoyed how Haley seems to have tried hard to not only capture the place and origin of the story but seems to have tried to pay tribute to the rhythm and language of the story too. I love the sharp, bold print of the illustrations and think the book lends itself very well to being read aloud.
February 25, 2017
The tale of Kwaku Anase the "spiderman" and how he used his wit to meet the demands of Myame, the sky god, to get possession of the stories that were kept in a box, to tell to his village, and scatter them to the corners of the world to be told, shared and enjoyed by all humans.
August 5, 2016
1971 Caldecott winner
I enjoyed this Anansi story. It made me wonder if the Tar Baby story from Brer Rabbit came from this same folktale.
I enjoyed this Anansi story. It made me wonder if the Tar Baby story from Brer Rabbit came from this same folktale.
November 12, 2014
Story: 2 stars
Images: 2 stars
Actual: 2 stars
Images: 2 stars
Actual: 2 stars
April 27, 2018
Cleverness wins.
October 15, 2018
A story A Story
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2020
Author and Illustrator Gail E. Haley (1970). The story begins with an introduction to the history of African folklore and the evolution of Ananse. The author also mentions that there are many African words in this book, “...but if you listen closely, you can tell what they mean by their sounds.” Once there were no stories on earth as they belonged to Nyame, the Sky God. Ananse, the Spider Man, spun a web to the sky so he could buy the Sky God’s stories. Upon meeting, the Sky God tells Ananse to catch three creatures and in return he’ll receive the stories he has locked away. Ananse returns to the land and uses his trickster habits to capture the leopard, the hornets, and a fairy. He takes all three to the Sky God. The Sky God declares that all the stories will become Ananse’s. Ananse returns to land and when he opens the box, all the stories are scattered to different parts of the world. This is a great story to use with children of all backgrounds. The interwoven African words are easy to read and comprehend. The illustrations are bright, colorful and use the entire page. It contains these beautifully drawn close ups and the colors exude African culture. Those of royalty are illustrated in their colorful garbs and gold accessories. The townspeople are in their traditional bright garbs and against a plush background of green trees. The illustrations provide a visual experience; I believe it does a wonderful job at portraying the story line and conveying the culture in positive light. 1971 Caldecott Medal Winner. Target Audience: 4-8.
June 1, 2020
This is a children’s picture book about the African folk talk of how the stories came to the planet earth. I found it a bit confusing at times.
October 6, 2023
A Story, A Story is the 1971 Caldecott Award winner. "Many African stories, whether or not they are about Kwaku Ananse the "spider-man" are called Spider Stories. This book is about how that came to be." The illustrations were just ok but I did enjoy the story.
May 3, 2018
_A Story, A Story_ by Gail E. Haley won the Caldecott Medal. I thought it was going to be a typical historical fiction story, but I was very pleasantly surprised! This book was an awesome take on the "legend" stories that are common in African culture. The legend is very detailed and kind of complicated, so I think this book would be great for older elementary school kids. There are lots of symbolism and difficult African words, so I think that age group would enjoy and be challenged by this book. The illustrations were done in acrylic paint and stamps, I think. A lot of the backgrounds of the sky, forest, or ground seemed to be done by stamps. It was a fixed pattern that other things were painted on top of, which seemed like a stamp to me. The other colors looked like acrylic paint because they were bright and sharp. I think this story's style is folk or native art. The patterns were definitely taken from traditional African art. For example, many of the characters wore African-looking prints on their clothes that looked pretty traditional of what I've seen from that culture. This story was a folk story, and the use of those patterns made that clear in the artwork. A physical element that I loved were actually the stamps! It gave a great backdrop to all of the spreads and reinforced the traditional African feel of the story. Stamping set patterns for the sky, ground, and forest constantly reinforced the style of this story. I think this would be great with kids because it is a great example of what style of art is traditionally common in this culture. With kids, I would do two things with this story. For art, I would have the kids go through and pick out a pattern they liked. I would then have them copy it and name it! For writing, I would have the kids add a fourth thing that Ananse needed to get from the forest for the Sky God. This story would be great for introducing kids to a new style of writing and art! The colors are bright, the patterns are interesting, and the story itself would be an awesome challenge for older readers.
October 20, 2018
Haley’s Caldecott award-winner A Story- A Story retells an African folk tale about the origin of all stories through beautiful woodcut illustrations and rhythmic language reflective of the oral storytelling tradition. The tale opens with a village elder – who becomes synonymous with Ananse – sharing the story of how the spider god convinced the sky god to share his collection of tales with humans. Haley folk art style explores African traditions of art through her woodcut illustrations, which use the bright colors and geometric shapes of traditional African art. The bright mustard-yellow end pages of the book allude to bold colors and story Haley presents within its pages. A Story – A Story also explores the tradition of oral story telling through the frame narrative of her picture book. The village elder’s story of Ananse frames the events of the book – which follow Ananse’s exploits to get stories from the sky god. Her use of textual vocal sounds also mirrors for children the auditory sensation of telling stories aloud – Ananse hung the leopard “by his foot by his foot by his foot by his foot,” the sky god laughs “twe, twe, twe,” and the gods applaud and cheer Ananse’s success with cries of “Eeeee, Eeeee, Eeeee.” Haley’s book allows both young readers and adults to experience the importance of reading stories aloud. This important developmental aspect of a child’s growth is reflected in Ananse’s determination to make stories accessible for all humans and to spread storytelling throughout the world. Haley concludes the importance of stories and telling them aloud to children with the final lines of her book – “This is my story which I have related. If it be sweet, or if it be not sweet, take some elsewhere, and let some come back to me.” In reading stories aloud, readers create a cyclical tradition that projects the continual receiving and sharing of stories, both new and old.
October 23, 2018
"A Story, a Story" is different from any of the children's books that I have ever read. This African tale won the Caldecott Award for its cultural excellence and unique illustrations. Although it is not my favorite story that I have ever read, I do appreciate the educational aspect of it and it was intriguing to follow along with. It is intended for children ages 4-8, but I would probably recommend it for children a little older. I think that children who are 7 years of age and older would benefit more from reading this book than younger children because there is a lot of confusing terminology and cultural aspects if a child is unfamiliar with the culture. The artwork contributed to my understanding of the story because I am pretty unfamiliar with African culture so I was able to visualize what was happening throughout the story. The style of illustration is woodcut, which is created when an artist carves an image into a wooden block, covers it with ink and then presses it onto paper. I have never seen this style of illustration before so it was a good learning experience for me to research it and look at examples online! The images are full of vibrant colors, bold patterns, and portray many images of African gods and animals. They are displayed as dual page spreads throughout the entire book. I would definitely use this book for educational purposes! The characters in the story are dressed in traditional African dress, which is a really cool visual for anyone who is unfamiliar with the culture. Overall, a very interesting read! I would recommend this book to anyone looking to step outside of their comfort zone when it comes to traditional children's stories.
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