Review of "Stories From Africa," retold by Shirley Goulden

Review of

Stories From Africa, retold by Shirley Goulden


Five out of five stars

 This collection of six longer fairy tales from Africa are a glimpse into the folk culture of the continent., specifically the regions south of the Sahara Desert. While they do have a distinctly African theme, much of the plotlines of adventures, animals with human traits, royals seeking a mate and the evil that people do are similar to those of Western Europe.  

 Published in 1960 when most of the area south of the Sahara was still under colonial rule, this book is a look into the literature of Africa specifically created for young people. Each of the stories would be a worthy one for courses in comparative literature in the middle school grades.