Tokoloshi - African Stories Retold by Diana Pitcher, Meg Rutherford - First Edition Child Book, Kids Book - Africa, African Stories, Teacher

First edition of Tokoloshi: African Stories Retold by Diana Pitcher. A story based on folklore from throughout Africa.

Retold by Diana Pitcher. Illustrated by Meg Rutherford. June 1981, first U.S. edition. Dawne-Leigh Publications. (First published in Great Britain in 1980.)

From the jacket:

"In this book of African folklore you will meet Vugiswe the Zulu boy, and sit with him under the wait-a-minute trees on the African plain listening to the wonderful stories which his mother, First Woman, has to tell about Hare and Crocodile, about Lion Cub and Hyena, about Fire and Water - and about Tokoloshi himself, who is a very powerful imp even though he is only as long your pointing finger and as dark as a moonless night."

The story is gathered together from the folk tales of South, Central and East Africa, the Congo, and Nigeria. There's a pronunciation guide in the front of the book to help with words in native dialects.

"When Wind finally hid herself again in the roots of the trees and at the bottom of the secret lake, and Sun began to shine more warmly, the white cape on the mountain tops grew smaller and smaller and from its edges little trickles of water began to make their way down the slopes. At first they picked their way round rocks, chattering over the pebbles and gurgling round the roots of trees. As they reached the bottom of the slopes they swept together into one great rush of water and made their way towards the plain taking with them Water Rat and Vole, Fish and Frog, Tadpole and Water Snake, Snail and Duck - and Crocodile. By the time River reached First Woman's hut He was broad and deep, glinting in the sunshine, bringing water for drinking and water for washing, water for cooking and water to play in."

Native South African author and educator Diana Pitcher also wrote The Calabash Child, The Mischief Maker, and Catch Me a River.

Meg Rutherford's drawing of the characters, animals, and plants in pen and ink allows imagination to fill in the colors and subtleties conveyed in the story.

Condition*: Near Fine/Very Good. There are two barely-visible spots in the top left/right of the title pages. The dust jacket has two small closed tears on the front and one on the back, and a small crease on the spine.

* Based on guidelines of the Independent Online Booksellers' Association.

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