Ji-Nongo-Nongo Means Riddles

by Verna Aardema, Jerry Pinkney (Illustrator)

More than forty riddles from eleven African tribes concern subjects ranging from Africa's animals to such human characteristics as strength and courage

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1978

About the author

A prolific American children's author and teacher, Verna Norberg Aardema Vugteveen - more commonly known as Verna Aardema - was born in 1911 in New Era, Michigan. She was educated at Michigan State University, and taught grade school from 1934-1973. She also worked as a journalist for the Muskegon Chronicle from 1951-1972. In 1960 she published her first book, the collection of stories, Tales from the Story Hat. She went on to write over thirty more books, most of them folkloric retellings. Her picture-book, Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears, won co-illustrators Leo and Diane Dillon a Caldecott Medal. Aardema was married twice, and died in 2000 in Fort Myers, Florida. (source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of riddles from the various folk traditions of Africa, retold by the author of such popular picture books as Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears , and Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain , this slim volume presents forty-four questions, together with their answers. Grouped three to a page, with facing-page illustrations by artist Jerry Pinkney, who collaborated with Aardema on Rabbit Makes a Monkey of Lion , this is an attractively laid-out book.

I am not, generally speaking, a great fan of riddle and joke books, and probably would not have picked up Ji-Nongo-Nongo Means Riddles if I had not been in the midst of a Verna Aardema retrospective. Be that as it may, I did find it moderately enjoyable, and even (atypically) was able to answer some of the questions. Children who enjoy these sorts of puzzles are the primary target audience here though, and for them, this collection will provide an entertaining experience.

[Jaide · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t really find any of these riddles enjoyable; the answer either made me think, “Well, yeah, I guess so” or made no sense outside of its cultural context and perhaps didn’t translate well. For example:

If the chief commands everyone to weep and fill a calabash with tears, what does the person with one eye do? He weeps twice as hard.

Who can whistle with another man’s mouth? The other man.

Why does a boy poke a stick into a snake hole? Because he wouldn’t dare put his hand into it.

I did like this Hausa riddle, though: Why is a man like a pepper? Until you have tested him, you can’t tell how strong he is.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Riddles generally aren't funny and often have such a cultural grounding that they don't really translate well to other cultures. That makes this book of riddles from Yoruba, Accra, Massai, Kafir, Wolof, and others more of a curiosity than anything else, but it does have art by Jerry Pinkney.