This book challenges us to take a cursory glance at our contemporary world, where modern man's scientific and technological ingenuity has led him to soar thorough the galaxy and made the heavens part of his domain; and contrast that with his level of morality today. Open any newspaper or listen to the radio and television news and you can't help but lament on the appalling moral depravity and obscene behavior of our contemporary man. With this intractable moral depravity on the ascendancy, the author nostalgically reminiscences the upright morality of yesteryears, and admonishes us to heed Plato's philosophical advice: 'now since men are by nature acquisitive, jealous, combative, and erotic, how shall we persuade them to behave themselves? By the policeman's omnipresent club? {now, AK 47}. It is a brutal method, costly and irritating. There is a better way, and this is by lending to the moral requirements of the community. Throughout this book the author emphasizes the significance of proper moral education in shaping the character of children, youngsters and even adults, and reminds us: 'morals are the rules by which society exhorts its members and associations to behavior consistent with its 'order, security and growth' {Will & Ariel Durant}. The author noted that in traditional African societies, the wise elders, like the ancient Greek philosophers, strongly emphasized the teachability of moral values and deliberately inculcated them into their youngsters. The stories in this book are folktales filled with moral lessons that have been handed down from many generations to the present in many African countries from Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroons, Liberia, the Gambia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania to Zimbabwe. The traditional African elders successfully utilized these folktales to socialize their youngsters to the moral requirements of their society to insure stability, harmonious relations, order, security and growth.

The Happy Man is another African folktale. It is a story of a wealthy African king who seemingly has everything _ power, food and a loving family. Yet he insists on finding the secret to happiness. So begins an interaction between the king, his subjects and one wise old man. In the end, there are lessons learned. Much like Aesop's Fable, these stories address the same moral lessons, except they take place in the jungles of Africa. The book is an easy read augmented with fantastic full-page color images.

Sun and Moon must leave their earthly home after Sun invites the Sea to visit.

In this beautifully illustrated, collectable library of easy-to-read traditional folktale with their moral lessons, test questions, and activities for the young ones, classic African stories are brought magically to reality. The stories in the African Folktale Series (AFS) are filled with moral lessons that have been handed down from many generations to the present in many African countries from Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroons, Liberia, the Gambia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania to Zimbabwe. The traditional African elders who inhabited an ancient continent brimming with wisdom successfully utilized these folktales to socialize their youngsters to the moral requirements of their society to insure order, security and growth.

Compiled by the "Father of Black History," these fables unfold amid a magical realm of tricksters and fairies. Recounted in simple language, they will enchant readers and listeners of all ages. Over 60 illustrations.

Explore and enjoy the life of a Godly family, who eventually discovered that it always pays to be patient in everything. This story book is one of the delightful African Oral Tradition. They are designed for thought provoking responses long after an adult has shared the story. Moral lessons and questions are made available at the end of the story, to increase reader retention. Be sure to encourage your child or children to point out the main objects or persons in this interesting African Folk Tale.

African folklore, narratives, idiomatic expressions, and cultures are weaved into short sentences that are rich with wisdom. The primary goal of this book is to disseminate knowledge and share the rich culture of Africa, one does not have to be African to appreciate the creative language at play in this book. Readers are encouraged to use the wisdom embedded in these proverbs to transform their lives and the lives of their loved ones and friends.

The deep forest and broad savannah, the campsites, kraals, and villages—from this immense area south of the Sahara Desert the distinguished American folklorist Roger D. Abrahams has selected ninety-five tales that suggest both the diversity and the interconnectedness of the people who live there. The storytellers weave imaginative myths of creation and tales of epic deeds, chilling ghost stories, and ribald tales of mischief and magic in the animal and human realms. Abrahams renders these stories in a narrative voice that reverberates with the rhythms of tribal song and dance and the emotional language of universal concerns. With black-and-white drawings throughout Part of the Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library