Tuesday Talk: Anansi Again


It's Tuesday, so it's Amy sharing today.   Our topic today, a little sneaky spider named Anansi.

Sometimes it is just comforting to see a whole new group of kids love one of your favorite books, right?    I am crazy about the Anansi the Spider books that are a long-standing collaboration between Eric A. Kimmel and Janet Stevens.

Today,  I shared a couple of my favorites with 2nd grade.   


My sweeties grinned, caught on quickly to the rhythm of the story, filled in the predictable language patterns, and tried to solve the problem introduced in each story.   They giggled at the way Janet dresses her animals in silly clothing.   They identified with Anansi’s trickster spirit, and shook their heads in disbelief that Anansi does not seem to learn his lesson.  It is no different than when I read these stories years ago for the very first time to 2nd graders.    

I was lucky enough to host Janet Stevens for an author/illustrator visit many years ago.   She was remarkable and oh-so-funny.    Not to mention uber-talented.   I love seeing Janet and her sister, Susan, at our Texas Library Association conferences.   Susan lives in Texas, so the sisters show up at TLA quite often.   Last time, their parents came, too!   Such a sweet family.

And, I hosted Eric Kimmel’s visit to my school, too.    He was so entertaining.   He loves adding sound effects to his storytelling with his tambourine!   He was fascinated that I grew up near the birthplace of Buddy Holly.   He is a big Buddy Holly dude, in addition to being a  fan of The Crickets.   So, I can attest Eric has great taste in music.  

I know there are tons of great new books published each year.   But sometimes, an oldie fits the bill just perfectly.    I'll leave you with a few other Anansi stories retold by Mr. Kimmel and illustrated by Mrs. Stevens.

Bye for now, or, as Buddy Holly said, “Rave On”.   You know what I say, quack on, friends.
Amy







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4 comments

  1. I just love sharing my favorite books with my students, but I always have this fear that they won't love the book as much as I do.
    Forever A Teacher, Forever A Learner

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  2. I love the tales of Anansi the spider. How fortunate you were to get to have both the author and the illustrator visit! I was lucky enough to attend a conference in which Janet Stevens was one of the speakers. Thanks for sharing a nice collection of books tied to a single character.

    Zoom Zoom Classroom

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    Replies
    1. My sister did the book collection. Librarians rock! Thanks for stopping by.

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