3 h 11 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 78 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 78 pagesAbout this book
What happens when a small creature has more wit than a powerful rival?
In West African Folk-Tales, animals speak, spirits intervene, and cleverness can turn the tables. Anansi the spider and Tortoise the trickster share this world with rulers and ordinary villagers. Compiled by W. H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, these stories draw on the oral traditions of West African peoples, where tales pass from one generation of storytellers to the next.
The collection brings together animal tales, trickster stories, and lessons told through choices and consequences. Greed, jealousy, laziness, and kindness all have their place. A small creature may outwit a larger one, while mischief raises questions about fairness. Rhythm, repetition, and sudden turns invite you to slow down and read aloud, letting the humor and the warning reach you together.
What you’ll discover
- Tricksters at work Meet Anansi and Tortoise, whose clever antics bring wit and mischief into the tales.
- Animals with human failings Find greed, cunning, and familiar weaknesses reflected in creatures that talk and scheme.
- Choices carry consequences Explore lessons about honesty, humility, and respect through what characters do and what follows.
- Stories shaped for the ear Enjoy rhythm, repetition, and sudden turns that reward reading slowly and aloud.
- A shared storytelling heritage Encounter tales passed through generations at firesides and village gatherings across West Africa.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who love folk tales, teachers and parents looking for short stories to read aloud, and anyone curious about oral storytelling. It may suit you less if you want a scholarly study with detailed notes on each tale.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Stories that began as spoken words
- Animals stand in for human beings
- Tales teach through consequences
- How to read these tales today
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 3 h 11 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 4 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in, 78 pages: 6,95 USD when you start free, 12,95 USD on its own.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in, 78 pages: 13,95 USD when you start free, 19,95 USD on its own.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works · 60-day guarantee
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. We email you 7 days before your first payment. Then your first year is 50% off: 0,14 USD a day, then 0,27 USD a day, never raised. Or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
60-day money-back guarantee. If the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear West African Folk-Tales in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Read it side by side
West African Folk-Tales
by W. H. Barker; Cecilia Sinclair (compiler)· 1917
West African tales follow talking animals, tricksters, and villagers.
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Starts right away, on any device
Read free60-day money-back guaranteeRenews every yearCancel anytimeHow it works
Language: Italiano
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 4
Stories that began as spoken words
Folk tales of West Africa belong to an oral tradition. That means they lived in the voices of tellers and not on the page. A grandmother, a village elder or a travelling storyteller would tell them in the evening, and the listeners would often answer, laugh or join in a song. Each telling could differ a little, depending on the teller and the audience.
This matters when you read the book. A printed tale holds one version of a story that once moved freely from place to place. The compilers, W. H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, collected such tales and gave them a fixed English form. Because of that, the writing is often simple and direct, close to how a story sounds when it is told.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
More like this
Free
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Questions about West African Folk-Tales
Can I read it free?
Yes. The beginning, from the first page to the end of chapter 1, and the first 5 minutes of the audiobook are free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 90 days, with the eBook to keep. After that, your first year is 50% off. You also get 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy just the printed book?
Yes. The paperback costs 12,95 USD on its own. Start free and you pay the cost of printing: 6,95 USD for this paperback, and any other book at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
What if it is not for me?
Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. If you have paid and the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
What is West African Folk-Tales about?
It is a collection of traditional stories from West Africa, first passed on by spoken telling. The tales feature animals with human traits, clever tricksters, and people facing the results of greed, pride or kindness.
Who wrote West African Folk-Tales?
W. H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair compiled it. They collected and retold the stories in English, but the tales themselves come from the oral tradition of West African peoples and have no single author.
Are these stories true or myths?
They are folk tales, not history. Some explain why things are as they are, and others teach a lesson through a made-up event. They were told for entertainment, instruction and shared memory.
Popular in fairy tales
See all
Free
Free
Free
Free
