Koi and the Kola Nuts

by Brian Gleeson, Reynold Ruffins (Illustrator)

Cheated of his rightful inheritance, a chief's son uses a bunch of kola nuts to gain a happy new life

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1992

Reviews

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have grown up with this story ever since I was a child and I still love it to this very day! “Koi and the Kola Nuts” is an African folktale from the folks at Rabbit Ears and it is about how a young and proud chief’s son named Koi tries to journey to a land where it treats the son of a chief with respect while meeting several friends along the way. With Whoopi Goldberg’s amazing narration, Herbie Hancock’s brilliant African styled music and Reynold Ruffins’ colorful illustrations, “Koi and the Kola Nuts” is a truly wonderful folktale that everyone will love for many years to come!


This story was simply amazing! Whoopi Goldberg has done an excellent job at narrating this story as she brings a royal tone to the story, especially in voicing Chief Faliliki. I also loved the way that Whoopi Goldberg voiced Koi as being a young boy who is proud yet kind-hearted at the same time as it really made me relate more to Koi’s situation to find a village that treats him better. I also loved the way that Whoopi Goldberg brings humor to the story, especially during the scene where the villagers chant out this verse when Koi comes to town:

“He’s no son of a chief.
He’s merely a thief.
There’s nothing worse,
Than an ozu with a curse.
Let’s have a great big feast,
Or a little one at least.”

And when Whoopi Goldberg was literally laughing while saying this verse, it really made me love this scene even more! Herbie Hancock’s music was beautifully mesmerizing as it has African sounds embedded throughout the music and it really made me fully appreciate the beauty of African music while at the same time, providing the story a calming feel. Probably the highlight of Herbie Hancock’s music was during the scene with the alligator where the music turns dark and deep and it greatly complemented with the frightening appearance of the alligator and moving smoothly with the underwater scene the alligator was in. Reynold Ruffins’ illustrations are extremely colorful and beautiful, especially of all the different animals that Koi encounters. My favorite image from this story has to be where Koi meets the alligator and when the alligator licks its jaws to indicate his point of eating the Rainmaker’s dog, his tongue is pink and ridged which gives him a somewhat frightening expression.

Parents should know that there is a theme of cannibalism in this story as Koi is threatened many times throughout this story that he will be eaten by the villagers unless he can complete the tasks set out for him. This might be extremely upsetting for younger children and parents might want to wait a few years before they show this story to their children.

Overall, “Koi and the Kola Nuts” is a brilliant story that both children and adults who are huge fans of African folktales will easily love for many years. I would recommend this story to children ages six and up since the cannibalism theme might frighten smaller children.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[Kaci Beesecker]

Koi and the Kola Nuts is a Nigerian folk tale that takes place in an Igbo tribal village. When the son of the chief named Koi decides to leave the village for many weeks, he then returns to the village only to find out his father the chief had died and the villagers forget that the deceased chief even had a son. Koi learns an important lesson about being generous and kind to others. Koi does not inherit anything but the seeds of the kola tree from his father, the boy decides it is time to explore the world. He fills the bag with kola nuts and sets off on his adventure. Along the journey, he meets and helps a series of creatures to solve their problems by sharing his Kola nuts with them. When Koi finally arrives in the kingdom of King Fulikolli, the creatures repay him for his kindness helping him to win the hand of the king's daughter. This is a fascinating story that emphasizes the value of helping those in need.

This book could be used to teach about empathy. Give each group a scenario to improvise into a short role-play and they can choose the outcome/response in how they would want to be treated in that situation.
Situation 1
You see that a new child at school is ignored by the other pupils. You decide to get close to him and start talking to him.
Roles: • New child • Group of students who ignore it • Kind child. Use kind words to help the newcomer.
Situation 2
There is a child in your class who seems very shy and who often plays alone during the breaktime. One day you decide to go and play with him and ask others if they want to do the same.
Roles: • Shy child • Group of students who want to play with him • Other children.
Situation 3
Your two best friends make fun of a child from another class who hasn’t got many friends. You do not like what your friends are doing.
Roles: • Two friends • Child of another class • Child who does not like others to make fun of someone.
Situation 4
There is a new child at school who comes from another country and does not know Italian well. Some children do not want to talk to him and make fun of him for his foreign accent. You changed school the year before and you know what it feels like.
Roles: • Foreign child • Child who wants to help him • Other children.
Situation 5
At school there is a child who sometimes beats the other children and therefore he is without friends. You would like to help him and ask your teacher’s help to find out how.
Roles: • Aggressive child • Child who wants to be his friend • Teacher

[Hannah]

The story of Koi and what happens to the chief's belongings after he dies. Koi is the younger of all the chiefs sons. The wisest man in the village divides out all the possession but forgets about the Koi. instead of re-dividing it up, that's too much work, he gives koi a sick kola tree. Koi leaves the village with after picking all the nuts off his kola tree. Koi walks to a mountain where he meets a snake who needs kola nuts to make a medicine to save his mom. Koi gladly supplies the snake with the nuts. He gives Kola nuts to the ants next, an alligator. He arrives at a new village but they do not treat him like the son of a chief either. The village people try to cook him in a large pot. He must complete 3 very difficult tasks or the people will eat him. In the first task the snakes help him. The second the aunts help him. The third the alligator. The people finally believe him and marries the new chiefs daughter. This story could be used to teach a lesson that if you help others they will help you in return. We could discuss this in class and why we should help others.

[Ashley B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tale comes from Africa and I enjoyed reading it. The tale is about Koi, who is the son of a chief, and he gets frustrated when his tribe doesn't treat him as such. His solution, he leaves. He takes the nuts off a Kola tree and beings walking in the hopes of finding another tribe that knows how to treat the son of a chief. Along the way, he shares his nuts with the animals of the jungle as needed. The animals are thankful for his generosity and are able to repay the favor later in the story. This was a cute story about how sharing is caring and how doing good deeds can have rewarding consequences.