Anansi and the Magic Stick

Bibliography

Kimmel,Eric A. Anansi and the Magic Stick.New York: Holiday House,2002

 Plot Summary:

This is a tale about the familiar character Anansi.Anansi the spider wants his house and yard to look as good as his neighbors  but he does not want to do the work.  He watches Hyena, who has a lovely house and yard  and wonders why he never seems to work, and discovers that Hyena has a magic stick that does his work for him. Anansi steals the stick and has it paint his house and plant and water his garden. Anansi falls asleep, and the stick keeps watering...and keeps watering...and keeps watering, until the whole area is flooded. Hyena comes drifting by and asks if anyone has seen his magic stick and says a few  magic words and the water stops however the animals are now stuck with the lake.

 

Children should make a personal connection while reading this story if they have ever played a trick on someone. One could reference April Fools Day to draw prior knowledge. Sometimes things don’t go as you plan just like it didn’t for Anansi. Most important This tale  teaches the lesson/value  of honesty and how everything has a consequence. Honesty and the value of  hard work  are  important character traits explored in this tale written by .Dr. Kimmel who is a master storyteller and has written a number of picture books for children such  as Anansi and the talking melon, Anansi and the Moss-covered rock, and Anansi Goes Fishing.The story was illustrated by Janet Stevens who captures the sequence of the story with bright detailed pictures.

 

Connections

Warthog, Lion, Zebra, and Hyena all appear in this story. Ask children to

choose one of these African animals to research. They can find out where the

animal lives, what it eats, and how it behaves. Have children give a report on

their animal to the class.

 

 At the end of the book, the author points out that the story is similar to The

Magic Hoe and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Have children read one or the other

of these stories. Provide them with a two-column chart labeled Differences and

Similarities. Ask them to write down the ways the stories are different and the

ways they are similar.

Review Excerpts

-Children will delight in Anansi’s escapades as he annoys his neighbors and learns how to control the stick. Kimmel and Stevens make a good team, with the text fonts echoing the action of the story and the illustrations bringing Anansi and all his antics to life. This is their fourth Anansi collaboration (Anansi and the Talking Melon, 1996, etc.); has the tricky spider learned his lesson this time? Let’s hope not—his stories are too amusing. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Review