ANANSI GOES FISHING

ANANSI GOES FISHING

a. Bibliographic data: Kimmel, Eric A. ANANSI GOES FISHING. Ill. By Janet Stevens. New York, New York: Holiday House, Inc. 1992. ISBN 9780823409181.

b. Plot summary:

         A turtle and a spider are most commonly the unlikeliest of friends, but when each of them wants something done for their sole purpose and pleasure, they will use each other to get exactly what they want. Anansi is a spider trying to trick his “slow and stupid” friend, Turtle, into doing all of the work of catching fish for him. However, unperceived to Anansi, Turtle has the same exact thoughts in mind. Anansi and Turtle meet over the course of three days and devise plans to weave a fishing net, set the net into the river, catch a fish with the net, and cook the fish. Throughout the story, Turtle continuously tricks Anansi into doing all of the work! When Anansi finds out that his friend had in fact deceived him, he runs to the Justice Tree to find Warthog and explain the events that led up to that day. Will Warthog believe and bring justice to the spider that is frequently referred to as “lazy”?

c. Critical Analysis:

         ANANSI GOES FISHING is known as a variation of a common tale found in Joyce Cooper Arkhurst’s, The Adventures of Spider. In this version, Anansi the spider and Turtle are portrayed as the main characters. In the very beginning of the book, judgments were passed upon Turtle for being “slow and stupid”, according to Anansi. This sets a tone for the rest of the book, which makes Anansi seem like the antagonist. The readers soon found out that this is actually not the case.

         Anansi, known for being the “lazy” character, does not want to become tired. So, he ends up doing all of the work while Turtle sleeps throughout the day. The illustrations in this book are extremely detailed, focusing on the importance of each aspect on the page. Although the spider, Anansi, has the same expression on every page throughout the book, the author uses prominent body language to describe how the spider is actually feeling. There are also several different animals watching the scenes happen on each page throughout the book. This shows a sense of curiosity within the other animals and keeps the reader wondering what will happen next.

         The ending of this book is very intriguing. Just as Anansi realizes that he has been tricked into doing all of the work, he goes to the Justice Tree to find Warthog and explain the events leading up to him discovering the injustice. However, because Anansi is known to be very lazy, Warthog does not believe Anansi and sends him away with nothing but chastisement. This of course upsets Anansi, but instead of using his disgrace to reprimand Turtle for his wrongdoing, Anansi uses the skills that he learned while weaving a net to build his own spider web. This teaches the readers of the book that unfair situations can in fact lead to the identification of a bright and promising outcome.

        

d. Reviews:

“Children able to comprehend the wordplay will be delighted when the lazy but lovable trickster figure is outwitted by the clever turtle, and Stevens' colorful, comical illustrations are perfect for this contemporary rendition of the tale.” Karen Hutt, Booklist Review.

“Kimmel's funny, accessible telling is nicely complemented in Stevens's art, depicting the lively events in bold lines and assertive colors and adding amusing details like Turtle's accumulating beach-style paraphernalia--including a loudly flowered shirt and a boombox. Sure to delight the picture book crowd.” –Kirkus Reviews

Awards/Honors: Although ANANSI GOES FISHING does not have any specific awards to its name, Eric A. Kimmel is the author of over 35 award-winning books written for children. Janet Stevens (the illustrator) is the author/illustrator of many award-winning books.

e. Connections:

ANANSI GOES FISHING brings us a story from West Africa; one of moral character and life lessons. The students, depending on age, could do a research project on West Africa, discussing the elements of that book that represent that culture and customs.

“Why do spiders spin webs?” The students could search to solve this question, with the story of Anansi being one of the many tales.

This book could be added to a unit about spiders.

There are many “Anansi” books that could be compared and contrasted, especially the moral lessons that appear in each one.