One-Hundred-and-One African-American Read-Aloud Stories

by Susan Kantor (Editor)

Take your children to faraway lands...visit long-ago times...encounter giants and heroes, ghost and witches...adventure with children both naughty and nice... For the first time ever, the best African-American stories to read aloud to your children have been compiled in this unique volume. It's full of African legend and lore, traditional songs and poetry as well as current biographies of African-American heroes and haunting stories from the days of slavery. Each story, which can be read in about 10 minutes, will captivate and educate children of all ages and background. (Parents too!) As befits a culture with a special talent for storytelling, the classic myths and fables captivate a child's vivid imagination while teaching important life lessons. The fairy tales are filled with bracing heroes and intriguing adventures, while the biographies abound with stories of people whose real-life experiences are an inspiration to us all. The chapters on history and slavery contain important and essential moments in African-American culture. Classic and modern-day excerpts appear from favorites such as Sounder, A Walk in Their Shoes and The Slave Dancer. The poetry and song chapters contains pieces such as The Sweet and Sour Animal Book by Langston Hughesm and many others rich in tradition and pride and familiar in their rhyme, rhythm and dignity. There may be no more rewarding family activity than reading stories aloud to your children—at bedtime or any other time. With this carefully prepared selection of literature, parents can introduce their children to the fun and magic, excitement and surprises of great storytelling and the great African-American traditions through history. - Why the Chameleon Shakes His Head
- A Quarrel Between the Earth and the Sky
- The Greedy Woman Becomes a Woodpecker
- The Magic Bones
- Why Brer Wasp Never Laughs
- Hunger, Rice and Cassava
- Pemba and the Python and the Friendly Rat
- Black Heroes of the American Revolution
- The Slave Dancer
- Swing Low Sweet Chariot
- African-American Inventors
- For the Life of Laetitia And many more stories, legends, fairy tales, songs, poems and biographies.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Folklore, African American, Cultural

416 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[B. P. Rinehart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a sort-of Black Aesop's Fables. It also carries experts from some fairly more famous, adult work like Sounder and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. This book is remarkable for its span in reading level. This can work for young children, but also adolescents and even pre-teens can benefit from it. Though it is based around African-American folklore it contains a sizable amount African folklore as well (a lot of Anasi, unsurprisingly). Part of a series called One-Hundred-and-One...Read Aloud.

[Arlena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author: Susan Kantor
Published By: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
Age Recommended: Children 9+ to Adult
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Book Blog For: GMTA
Rating: 4


Review:


"One-Hundred-and-One African-American Read-Aloud Stories" by Susan Kantor was quite a interesting read. The firs thing I will say is that I did not feel like all of these short stories were for young children. Some I would not care to read to a child. So, what I am saying is that a adult needs to have read it and decide for yourself if you think this particular one is for your child. I found most of them most interesting. This author did a wonderful job with the colorful descriptions...Wow! OK, with that being said you will be presented with "folktales, biographies, history books: songs, poetry and chants." There are some very informative information such as 'Biography, Slavery, and History" that will keep your interested in the read. I think in the end this could be a very good collection for a family at some set time. You will find many myths and fables that will entertain in its teachings. I wish there would have been some illustrations but on a whole I thought this novel was a good read that could go into a family library. However, as I said earlier beware that some of this is not for the younger children...parent please read and see for yourself if it would be for your child....mainly speaking of those younger that 9-10. Now, with that being said yes I would recommend this read to you.

[Imani ♥ ☮ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I'll be thinking about something random and realize that the something that I was thinking is about, is actually from this book. I got this book when I was about seven or something. I was a nerd, so I spent quite a long amount of time reading this, especially stories I liked a lot. Right now, I can remember one about the creation of fire and a man who was a liar.

The whole point behind the book is the messages it portrays to African American children (or maybe, not, even) that just happen to be part of their dynamic history. I remember as a child being so proud of that and of even having a book like this. See, I told you I was a nerd.

[Melana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a book of multiple stories that all grab attention to something. Each story was about something different. Every story is beautiful. Each story is something different. It goes from stories about slavery to stories about an African-American hero story. I would recommend this book to people who like to read multiple stories on different topics at a time.

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the exposure to not only some "Brer" tales, but also some traditional spirituals, and other stories. I thought some of the excerpts from larger works were interesting choices (the larger works certainly are good ones, I just found the particular excerpts to be rather curious selections). But overall a very good intro to some African American folklore and history that's too often not expounded upon enough.

[behsforensics]

Cutting is for Don’t Blame it on Adam
By Anonymous Folktale

[Taylor Parker]

While I was in Tennessee this weekend for training for freedom school one of our read aloud guest read this book. This book was full of different folktales. What I loved about this book was that it was very age appropriate. It is a book that can serve as a read aloud and also a book that children can enjoy and read alone. I also love that this book can serve as a teachable book. If students are dealing with certain issues that are several stories in this book that they can relate to. I truly recommend this book and I am so excited to have this book in my library.