Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock
Eric A. Kimmel
Kimmel, Eric A. Illustrated by Janet Stevens. 1988. Anansi and the
Moss-Covered Rock. New York: Holiday House, Inc.
Anansi is the typical trickster when it comes to Kimmel's retelling of
a West African tale. Full of mischief and always looking for the easy
way out, the spider Anansi will stop at nothing. Walking through the
forest one day Anansi finds a magic rocks that knocks anyone out cold if
they say the words, "Isn't this a strange moss-covered rock!" Anansi
decides to trick all his "friends" into saying those words and then run
off with their food stores. After tricking several anthropomorphic
animals, Anansi himself is tricked by Little Bush Dear and he loses all
his stolen goods back to their owners.
The characters in this story do not fit the typical mold of good vs
evil, but they do have the basic human traits of greed, envy, and being
gullible. The characters are willing to please and unwittingly easy to
sway. If Anansi has been around for awhile one would think they would
know how he was by now.
A jungle setting is a perfect place for this story, as myth and magic
seem to surround the Africa culture. Although Kimmel never comes out and
says the setting, further reading shows where he got the story from.
Most children will see a jungle or forest setting as exotic and it will
have a place in their imagination of where the story takes place.
Always ending happily is usually a them of traditional literature, but
this story ends with mischief. Anansi is thwarted in his trickster plans
this time, however "he's still playing tricks to this very days". This
could be confusing to readers who are looking for a strong sense of
justice in the ending. Anansi does not learn his lesson, he just tries
to think up other ways to play tricks.
The style of the writing in this picture book lends itself to being
read out loud. The repetition of KPOM! when an animal says the magic
words is great for young readers following along. They come to know that
when the magic words are said, an animal will fall down. The magic motif
is strong through out the book and it is reflected in the telling. One
could argue that talking animals are magic also.
The illustrations in this picture tell a story that are strengthend by
the words. The pictures complement the story and do not lead ahead, what
is written is what you see. The characters are realistic and one can
almost read the expressions on their faces as they come and go from
their homes. On the first read through the story is focused on the
spider and his, how shall we say, victims. It is not until my second
read through that I realized the Little Bush Dear was hiding on every
page. What fun it was to then locate him on every page. This is great
for young readers who take in everything visually in a written picture
book. A story combined with a game gives the reader 2 activites in one.
Eric A. Kimmel has written many other Anansi stories that readers would
enjoy, some of those include: Anansi and the Talking Melon, Anansi and
the Talking Stick, Anansi Goes Fishing, and Anansi and the Pot of Beans.
Reviews of his books glow on aspects from the illustrations to his
writing.
"The text is rhythmic, nicely building suspense to the inevitable
conclusion," and "Anansi is portrayed as a large eight-legged arachnid;
his expression is in his motion. The other animals are almost realistic,
although with facial expressions that are characteristic of the artist's
work." Maria B. Salvadore, District of Columbia Public Library
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Overall, I found this a very fulfilling trickster tale. It had all the
elements of a good story mixed in with a little suspense, giggles, and a
suitable ending for Anansi. I did not walk away disappointed however,
the moral of the story is slightly lost in the fact the Anansi is still
up to his old tricks. Parents might want to make sure that their
children understand that there are repercussions to their actions. Just
because you get away with something once, does not mean you should keep
doing it.
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