Status
Available
Collection
Publication
August House (2005), 96 pages
Description
As a child in his native Kenya, Dr. Vincent Muli wa Kituku learned many stories from his mother. She told him stories as she cooked, as she washed, and as she harvested corn. Now, Dr. Kituku presents eighteen of those folktales in both English and Kikamba, the language of Kituku's East African culture. Comments following each story develop the story's themes and moral direction. The stories, together with the author's comments, provide an excellent foundation for discussion with children in any environment.
Local notes
School Library Journal, 07/31/1997
Gr 6 Up A bilingual collection of 18 folktales in English/Kikamba from Kituku's native land, the Kamba Community, Kenya. The reteller/translator is correct when he states in the preface that these short fables, an assortment of human and animal tales, have lost some beauty and flavor in their English retellings. Recognizing that some of the morals have been lost in translation, Kituku includes a brief explanation for each tale and related Kamba customs and traditions when applicable. A few stories retain the humor and obvious moral of the originals. "Monkey and the Shark" is a variant of the Jataka tale, "The Monkey and the Crocodile"; "The Hare and the Hyena" is a trickster tale that rivals an African hare/rabbit trickster tale and America's Brer Rabbit. The pen-and-ink washed illustrations complement the simplicity of the text. African motifs help to emphasize the East African origin of these tales and the storyteller.
Gr 6 Up A bilingual collection of 18 folktales in English/Kikamba from Kituku's native land, the Kamba Community, Kenya. The reteller/translator is correct when he states in the preface that these short fables, an assortment of human and animal tales, have lost some beauty and flavor in their English retellings. Recognizing that some of the morals have been lost in translation, Kituku includes a brief explanation for each tale and related Kamba customs and traditions when applicable. A few stories retain the humor and obvious moral of the originals. "Monkey and the Shark" is a variant of the Jataka tale, "The Monkey and the Crocodile"; "The Hare and the Hyena" is a trickster tale that rivals an African hare/rabbit trickster tale and America's Brer Rabbit. The pen-and-ink washed illustrations complement the simplicity of the text. African motifs help to emphasize the East African origin of these tales and the storyteller.