Donna L. Washington opens her vibrant collection of folktales with a marvelous commentary on the nature of storytelling. She discusses the difference between telling a story and writing it down and invites readers to make the book’s stories their own. The six lively tales she tells come from Ghana, Congo, the Republic of Congo, Nigeria, and Cameroon. Washington provides a brief introduction to each story to explain its function or role in the scheme of story genres (e.g., “ Pourquoi tales are told to explain why the world is the way it is.”) as well as to set the scene. A map at the start of each tale shows where its country of origin lies on the continent of Africa. Story notes and a bibliography at the end of the book provide source information and additional context for each. James Ransome’s rich, dynamic watercolor illustrations and detail decorations add lovely visual impact to a terrific volume. (Ages 6–11)