Ananse the spider thinks he will marry the daughter of the village chief, but instead he is outsmarted by Lizard.

Collection of traditional folk tales introduces a host of interesting people and unusual animals — among them "The Cricket and the Toad," "The Tortoise and His Broken Shell," and "The Boy in the Drum."

Pictures by Peggy Wilson.

The beautiful Martina Josefina Catalina Cucaracha doesn't know coffee beans about love and marriage, so when suitors come calling, what is she to do? Luckily, she has her Cuban family to help! While some of the Cucarachas offer Martina gifts to make her more attractive, only Abuela, her grandmother, gives her some useful advice: spill coffee on his shoes to see how he handles anger. At first, Martina is skeptical of her Abuela's suggestion, but when suitor after suitor fails the Coffee Test, she wonders if a little green cockroach can ever find true love. After reading this award-winning retelling of the Cuban folktale, readers will never look at a cockroach the same way again. Carmen Agra Deedy delivers a delightfully inventive Cuban twist on the beloved Martina folktale, complete with a dash of café Cubano.

Rosa sat so Martin could march. Martin marched so Barack could run.Barack ran so Our children can soar. This is the seed of a unique and inspirational picture book text, that is part historical, part poetry, and entirely inspirational. It symbolically takes the reader through the cumulative story of the US Civil Rights Movement, showing how select pioneers' achievements led up to this landmark moment, when we have elected our first black President. Each historical figure is rendered by a different award-winning African-American children's book illustrator, representing the singular and vibrant contribution that each figure made. Lending historical substance, the back matter includes brief biographies of: George Washington Carver, Jesse Owens, Hattie McDaniel, Ella Fitzgerald, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges, Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama.

Who wants to marry a trickster? Ananse is looking for a wife and it is no easy matter. He is at his worst! He lies, he cheats and behaves badly. If you are the tiniest bit romantic, these stories are not for you. In fact, children start crying for nothing, jealousy spreads around the world, etc. etc. Now, if you have ever wondered what a lazy, greedy and selfish trickster wants most in a wife—it is not brains, not brawn or even beauty. Nope! According to Ananse, the ideal wife should have no mouth! No eating, no speaking! Ha! How does that work out for him?

In this trickster tale, Ananse the spider must meet Sky God's challenge to prove that he can spin stories and tales as splendid as his spider webs.

The trickster is on a mission! He is most certainly cunning and clever, but is Kweku Ananse the most clever of all? Well, he thinks so and in Today‘s Water, he sets out to prove it! Along the way, we find out why the sky is far from the ground and how it came about that all stories are Ananse stories. Enjoy this collection of folktales from the Asante people of Ghana, featuring Kweku Ananse, who is sometimes a man and sometimes a spider. keywords: African Folktales, Ananse the spider, Ananse story, trickster, Ghana, Anansi