The King and the Tortoise - Hardcover

Mollel, Tololwa Marti

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0395644801 ISBN 13: 9780395644805

Publisher: Clarion Books, 1993

Synopsis

All the animals of the jungle set out to prove that they are cleverer than the king by undertaking a difficult task, the creation of a robe of smoke, and no one succeeds, except for the lowly tortoise, in a retelling of a Cameroon folktale.

About this title

About the Author:

Tololwa M. Mollel, an Arusha Maasai from Tanzania, grew up on his grandfather's coffee farm, an hour's drive from Mount Kilimanjaro. After receiving his B.A. in Literature and Theatre at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Mr. Mollel went to Canada in 1966 to complete his master's degree at the University of Alberta. In the late 1970s he returned to Tanzania where he was Senior Lecturer and Head of the Theatre Department at the University of Dar es Salaam. At that time he was also co-director of a children's theatre and arts group. Mr. Mollel has written many books for Clarion. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota..

From Publishers Weekly:

In the same laid-back style as his Rhinos for Lunch and Elephants for Supper! , storyteller Mollel unfolds this carefully cadenced retelling of a Cameroon folktale in a manner that practically begs to be read aloud. A king puts forth "a challenge to all the creatures who lived in his kingdom"--whoever can fashion a robe of smoke for him will win their ruler's recognition as "the cleverest creature in the world." One by one several animals dance in the smoke of the fire, twisting and groping for a solution, but all retire in humiliated defeat. A wily tortoise, after securing the king's promise to provide whatever he might need to complete the task, asks for time to consider the problem. Finally the creature beats the king at his own game; the monarch is so amused that he declares the tortoise to be his equal in cleverness. Warm earth tones and intricate vertical borders, taken from traditional Cameroon designs, enliven Blankley's somewhat staid illustrations. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0395644801
• ISBN 13: 9780395644805
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 30
• Illustrator: Blankley Kathy