Cow-Tail Switch and Other West African Stories - Softcover

Courlander, Harold; Herzog, George

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0805002987 ISBN 13: 9780805002980

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co, 1986

Synopsis

The stories of West Africa are about men and animals, about kings, warriors, and hunters. They tell about clever people and stupid people, about good ones and bad ones, about how things and animals got to be how they are. Some stories in this book will make you think. Some will make you laugh. All of them are retold with folk spirit full of generosity and vitality.

About this title

About the Author:

As a young man, Harold Courlander (1908-1996) took a trip to Haiti with the intention of doing research for a novel. He discovered his lifelong passion, anthropology, which led him to further travels and research into Native Americans, Asians, Indians, and numerous African tribes. He preserved the history of these people in his many books of folklore and history. George Herzog (1901–1983) was a musicologist and anthropologist specializing in Native American music. Like Courlander, he was intent on preserving the heritage of people, particularly through their music. Madye Lee Chastain (1908-1989) wrote 17 children’s books and illustrated many more.

Review:

"The seventeen stories, mostly gathered in the Ashanti country, are fresh to collections and are told with humor and originality." --The Horn Book

"An unusually fine collection of folk tales told simply, directly, and with beauty." --Library Journal

About this edition

• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co
• Publication date: 1986
• ISBN 10: 0805002987
• ISBN 13: 9780805002980
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 143
• Illustrator: Chastain Madye Lee