When Night Falls, Kric! Krac!: Haitian Folktales

by Liliane Nerette Louis, Fred J. Hay (Editor)

When night falls in Haiti, it's time for stories. The storyteller says kric, the audience responds krac, and all of the children become very excited. This collection brings you wonderful treasures from a country that is rich in spirit and culture. Through lively tales remembered from childhood, storyteller Liliane Nerette Louis shares with readers and listeners the warmth, fondness, and humor of her beautiful and mysterious homeland. The 28 tales are arranged by subjects and themes-Bouki and Malis (mythical characters in Haitian folklore); stepmothers; animals; kings and princes; ghosts, zonbi, and tonton makout; and love and courtship. Louis also shares a variety of tantalizing, traditional recipes. In addition, a historical background, color and black-and-white photographs, and line drawings are included, making this a valuable resource for educators and students.

Genres: Anthologies, Childrens, Fiction

188 pages, Hardcover

First published January 15, 1999

Reviews

[Lisa Feld · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bit of a grab bag, with a lot of interesting parts meant for vastly different audiences. We begin with a 30-page introduction that explains some of the culture and history of Haiti for an adult or YA audience, with sidebars that tell creepy stories the editor heard in childhood about local boogeymen, ghosts, and magic creatures, making me think that this is going to be the tone of the stories yet to come, a kind of written version of the Paul Keans-Douglas spoken word album, "Jumbies, Duppies, and Spirits."

But then we just get 120 pages of very short stories that feel geared to an elementary-school audience: lots of hijinks involving a foolish spirit who will do anything for food, a few evil stepmothers, etc., lots of repetitive tropes that would please a small child but wear on me as an adult reader, almost none of the creatures unique to Haitian folklore that the intro set me up to anticipate.

And then we get photographs of Haitian people and places, and then we get recipes which sound pretty mouthwatering, but again make me wonder who this book is for, and then a long glossary of Haitian kreole terms. There's a lot of good stuff here, but it's so disjointed that I don't know how to approach and enjoy it. Is this a book for insiders or outsiders? Adults or kids? Is this a book for parents to cook from and read to their kids from? Is this for kids to get into on their own and whatever goes over their heads is fine? Frustrating.

[Csenge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liliane Nérette Louis is a Haitian storyteller of great skill and a long family tradition. Reading the tales in this book, you can sense that they were honed in the oral tradition; the text is alive, showing call-and-response elements, rhymes, songs, and other features of live storytelling. The thirty stories are organized by themes (Stepmothers, Love, etc.), representing various facets and genres of the oral tradition. The book has introductions written both by the author and the editor, introducing Haitian history and culture; in the back we can find color photos, a glossary, and some wonderful Haitian recipes. A very complete and compact volume, much worth reading.

[Amanda Schwind · Rating 3 out of 5]

Few things are more telling or insightful about a culture than its stories and folktales.
Thankful that my principal shared this with me.

[Isabella Showers · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was pretty good. It taught me a lot, but I just didn't really enjoy reading it.

[Joan]

Interesting, with a nice brief overview of Haitian history and some recipes for Haitian food.
But I guess I am not a folktale fan.