The Big Booklist

May 2022: link to the May page

• Aardema, Verna. Who’s in Rabbit’s House? A Masai Tale. Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. Link to Internet Archive.

• Bryan, Ashley. The Night Has Ears: African Proverbs. Illustrated by the author. Link to Internet Archive.

• Laird, Elizabeth and Abba Aregawi Wolde Gabriel. The Miracle Child: A Story from Ethiopia. With illustrations from an 18th-century Ethiopian manuscript. Link to Internet Archive.

• Lilly, Melinda. Wanyana and Matchmaker Frog: A Bagandan Tale. Illustrated by Charles Reasoner. Link to Internet Archive.

• Paye, Won-Ldy. Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile. Illustrated by Julie Paschkis Link to Internet Archive.

• Heady, Eleanor. When the Stones Were Soft: East African Fireside Tales. Illustrated by Tom Feelings. Link to Internet Archive.

• Mbugua, Kioi wa. Inkishu: Myths and Legends of the Maasai. With illustrations by various artists. Link to Internet Archive.

• Pitcher, Diana. Tokoloshi: African Folk-Tales. Illustrated by Meg Rutherford. Link to Internet Archive.

June 2022: link to the June page

• Grifalconi, Ann. The Village of Round and Square Houses. Illustrated by the author. Link to Internet Archive.

• Lilly, Melinda. Spider and His Son Find Wisdom: An Akan Tale. Illustrated by Charles Reasoner. Link to Internet Archive.

• Mollel, Tololwa. The Orphan Boy. Illustrated by Paul Morin. Link to Internet Archive.

• Paye, Won-Ldy. The Talking Vegetables. Illustrated by Julia Paschkis. Link to Internet Archive.

• Steptoe, John. Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale. Illustrated by the author. Link to Internet Archive.

• Atkinson, Norman. The Broken Promise, and Other Traditional Fables from Zimbabwe. Illustrated by Tali Geva-Bradley. Link to Internet Archive.

• Laird, Elizabeth. When the World Began: Stories Collected in Ethiopia. Illustrated by various artists. Link to Internet Archive.

• Mhlophe, Gcina. Stories of Africa. Illustrated by various artists. Link to Internet Archive.

July 2022: link to the July page

• Bryan, Ashley. The Story of Lightning and Thunder. Illustrated by the author. Link to Internet Archive.

• Doob, Leonard. A Crocodile Has Me by the Leg: African Poems. Illustrated by Solomon Irein Wangboje. Link to Internet Archive.

• Guirma, Frédéric. Princess of the Full Moon. Illustrated by the author. Link to Internet Archive.

• Lilly, Melinda. Warrior Son of a Warrior Son: A Masai Tale. Illustrated by Charles Reasoner. Link to Internet Archive.

• Mollel, Tololwa. The Flying Tortoise: An Igbo Story. Illustrated by Barbara Spurll. Link to Internet Archive.

• Badoe, Adwoa. The Pot of Wisdom: Ananse Stories. Illustrated by Baba Wagué Diakité. Link to Internet Archive.

• Heady, Eleanor. Jambo, Sungura! Tales from East Africa. Illustrated by Robert Frankenberg. Link to Internet Archive.

• Lester, Julius. How Many Spots Does a Leopard Have? Illustrated by David Shannon. Link to Internet Archive.

August 2022: link to the August page

• Dayrell, Elphinstone. Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky. Illustrated by Blair Lent. Link to Internet Archive.

• Diakité, Baba Wagué. The Hatseller and the Monkeys: A West African Folktale. Illustrated by the author. Link to Internet Archive.

• McDermott, Gerald. The Magic Tree: A Tale from the Congo. Illustrated by the author. Link to Internet Archive.

• Muluka, Barrack. Why Dog Left the Forest. Illustrator's name unknown. Link to Internet Archive.

• Musgrove, Margaret. The Spider Weaver: A Legend of Kente Cloth. Illustrated by Julia Cairns. Link to Internet Archive.

• Bryan, Ashley. Beat the Story-Drum, Pum-Pum. Illustrated by the author. Link to Internet Archive.

• Davis, Jennifer. The Stolen Water and Other Stories: Traditional Tales from Namibia. Illustrated by Libby Costanius. Link to Internet Archive.

• Robinson, Adjai. Singing Tales of Africa. Illustrated by Christine Price. Link to Internet Archive.

September 2022: link to the September page

• Aardema, Verna. Rabbit Makes a Monkey of Lion: A Swahili Tale. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Link to Internet Archive.

• Achebe, Chinua and John Iroaganachi. How Leopard Got His Claws. Illustrator's name unknown. Link to Internet Archive.

• Bryan, Ashley. The Ox of the Wonderful Horns. Illustrated by the author. Link to Internet Archive.

• Olaleye, Isaac. In the Rainfield: Who Is the Greatest? Illustrated by Ann Grifalconi. Link to Internet Archive.

• Tadjo, Véronique. Lord of the Dance. Illustrated by the author. Link to Internet Archive.

• Mhlophe, Gcina. African Tales: A Barefoot Collection. Illustrated by Rachel Griffin. Link to Internet Archive.

• Strong, Polly. African Tales: Folklore of the Central African Republic. Illustrated by Rodney Wimer. Link to Internet Archive.

• Tucker, Archie. Disappointed Lion and Other Stories from the Bari of Central Africa. Illustrated by John Farleigh. Link to Internet Archive.

October 2022: link to the October page

• Feelings, Muriel. Jambo Means Hello: A Swahili Alphabet Book. Illustrated by Tom Feelings. Link to Internet Archive.

• Haley, Gail. A Story, A Story: An African Tale. Illustrated by the author. Link to Internet Archive.

• McDermott, Gerald. Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti. Illustrated by the author. Link to Internet Archive.

• Mollel, Tololwa. Rhinos for Lunch and Elephants for Supper! A Maasai Tale. Illustrated by Barbara Spurll. Link to Internet Archive.

• Paye, Won-Ldy and Margaret Lippert. Why Leopard Has Spots: Dan Stories from Liberia. Illustrated by Ashley Bryan. Link to Internet Archive.

• Aardema, Verna. Behind the Back of the Mountain: Black Folktales from Southern Africa. Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. Link to Internet Archive.

• Arkhurst, Joyce Cooper. The Adventures of Spider: West African Folk Tales. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Link to Internet Archive.

• Medlicott, Mary. The River That Went to the Sky: Twelve Tales by African Storytellers. Illustrated by Ademola Akintola. Link to Internet Archive.

November 2022: link to the November page

• Arkhurst, Joyce Cooper. More Adventures of Spider: West African Folk Tales. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Link to Internet Archive.

• Gleeson, Brian. Koi and the Kola Nuts. Illustrated by Reynold Ruffins. Link to Internet Archive.

• Hofmeyr, Dianne. The Magic Bojabi Tree. Illustrated by Piet Grobler. Link to Internet Archive.

• Olaleye, Isaac. Lake of the Big Snake: An African Rain Forest Adventure. Illustrated by Claudia Shepard. Link to Internet Archive.

• Tadjo, Véronique. Mamy Wata and the Monster. Illustrated by the author. Link to Internet Archive.

• Bryan, Ashley. The Adventures of Aku. Illustrated by the author. Link to Internet Archive.

• Laird, Elizabeth. The Ogress and the Snake, and Other Stories from Somalia. Illustrated by Shelley Fowles. Link to Internet Archive.

• Seid, Joseph Brahim. Told by Starlight in Chad. Link to Internet Archive.

December 2022: link to the December page

• Aardema, Verna. Ji-Nongo-Nongo Means Riddles. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Link to Internet Archive.

• Collins, Stanley Harold. Ananse the Spider: Why Spiders Stay on the Ceiling. Illustrated by various artists. Link to Internet Archive.

• Diakité, Baba Wagué. The Hunterman and the Crocodile: A West African Folktale. Illustrated by the author. Link to Internet Archive.

• Kimmel, Eric. Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock. Illustrated by Janet Stevens. Link to Internet Archive.

• Mollel, Tololwa. The King and the Tortoise. Illustrated by Kathy Blankley. Link to Internet Archive.

• Opoku, Kofi Asare. Speak to the Winds: Proverbs from Africa. Illustrated by Dindga McCannon. Link to Internet Archive.

• Tembo, Mwizenge. Legends of Africa. Illustrated with photographs. Link to Internet Archive.

• Washington, Donna. A Pride of African Tales. Illustrated by James Ransome. Link to Internet Archive.

January 2023: link to the January page

• Aardema, Verna. Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain. Illustrated by Beatriz Vidal. Link to Internet Archive.

• Berry, James. Don’t Leave an Elephant to Go and Chase a Bird. Illustrated by Ann Grifalconi. Link to Internet Archive.

• Diakité, Baba Wagué. Mee-An and the Magic Serpent: A Folktale from Mali. Illustrated by the author. Link to Internet Archive.

• Nyabongo, Akiki. Winds and Lights. Illustrated by B. Hewitt. Link to Internet Archive.

• Washington, Donna. How Anansi Obtained the Sky God’s Stories. Illustrated by Janice Skivington. Link to Internet Archive.

• Green, Lila. Tales from Africa. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Link to Internet Archive.

• Kituku, Vincent Muli Wa. East African Folktales from the Voice of Mukamba. Illustrated by Kelly Matthews. Link to Internet Archive.

• Naidoo, Beverley. The Great Tug of War and Other Stories. Illustrated by Piet Grobler. Link to Internet Archive.

February 2023: link to the February page

• African Women’s Network. Stories from Africa. Illustrated by the authors. Link to Internet Archive.

• Cabral, Len. Anansi’s Narrow Waist: An African Folk Tale. Illustrated by David Diaz. Link to Internet Archive.

• McDermott, Gerald. Zomo the Rabbit: A Trickster Tale from West Africa. Illustrated by the author. Link to Internet Archive.

• Paye, Won-Ldy. Head, Body, Legs. Illustrated by Julia Paschkis. Link to Internet Archive.

• Swann, Brian. The House With No Door: African Riddle-Poems. Illustrated by Ashley Bryan. Link to Internet Archive.

• Barbosa, Rogério Andrade. African Animal Tales. Illustrated by Ciça Fittipaldi. Link to Internet Archive.

• Bryan, Ashley. Lion and the Ostrich Chicks. Illustrated by the author. Link to Internet Archive.

• Habte-Mariam, Mesfin. The Rich Man and the Singer: Folktales from Ethiopia. Illustrated by Christine Price. Link to Internet Archive.

March-April 2023: link to the March-April page

• Aardema, Verna. Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears: A West African Tale. Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. Link to Internet Archive.

• Bryan, Ashley. Beautiful Blackbird. Illustrated by the author. Link to Internet Archive.

• Diop, Birago. Mother Crocodile: An Uncle Amadou Tale from Senegal. Illustrated by John Steptoe. Link to Internet Archive.

• Lilly, Melinda. Kwian and the Lazy Sun: a San Myth. Illustrated by Charles Reasoner. Link to Internet Archive.

• Mollel, Tololwa. The Princess Who Lost Her Hair: An Akamba Legend. Illustrated by Charles Reasoner. Link to Internet Archive.

• Dorliae, Peter. Animals Mourn for Da Leopard. Illustrated by Solomon Irein Wangboje. Link to Internet Archive.

• Leslau, Charlotte and Wolf Leslau. African Folk Tales. Illustrated by Grisha Dotzenko. Link to Internet Archive.

• Stuart, Forbes. The Magic Horns: Folk Tales from Africa. Illustrated by Charles Keeping. Link to Internet Archive.

May 2023

• Lilly, Melinda. Zimani’s Drum: A Malawian Tale. Illustrated by Charles Reasoner. Link to Internet Archive.

• Mollel, Tololwa. Ananse’s Feast: An Ashanti Tale. Illustrated by Andrew Glass. Link to Internet Archive.

• Olaleye, Isaac. Bitter Bananas. Illustrated by Ed Young. Link to Internet Archive.

• Tchana, Katrin. Sense Pass King: A Story from Cameroon. Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. Link to Internet Archive.

• Wilson, Beth. The Great Minu. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Link to Internet Archive.

• Aardema, Verna. Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa. Illustrated by Reynold Ruffins. Link to Internet Archive.

• Holladay, Virginia. Bantu Tales. Illustrated by Rocco Negri. Link to Internet Archive.

• Serwadda, W. Moses. Songs and Stories from Uganda. Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. Link to Internet Archive.