THE TALE OF TALES

As Monkey travels down the story road, he rounds a bend—only to slap into Elephant. After dusting the monkey off, the elephant joins Monkey on his way to Volcano Valley, where they anticipate finding the “tale of tales.” To amuse one another they begin to tell stories—first about the clever servant girl and then “The Obstacle” (a version of the classic tale of the elephant and the blind mice). Other animals join them and tell their own story—an Anansi tale and even a story of Rip Van Winkle. Some are told in rhyming couplets and others in prose. At last the animals arrive in the valley, and as they wait quietly for the great storyteller, a deep voice comes from within the cave: “Once upon a time . . .” Black-and-white drawings and silhouettes nestle among the paragraphs on most pages. Full-page illustrations highlight each of the nine journey tales. A pleasure-filled journey indeed. (Folktale. 7-12)