Title: Anansi the Spider
Author: Gerald McDermott
Illustrator: Gerald McDermott
Publisher and Year: Landmark Production, Incorporated, 1972
Number of pages: 36
Tags/Themes: Culture, Diversity, Animals, Fiction, Picture Book, K-5, Olivia Ruff
Genre: Fiction
Descriptive Annotation: This picture book is based on the story of one of the travels of Anansi, a trickster from Ghana folklore. The children of Anansi help save Anansi from being killed, and then he must decide which child to give the moon to, so he puts it in the sky until he decides which child deserves it. In essence, it is the story of how the moon came to be. The illustrations are bright and patterned. There is an author’s note with information about Ghana folklore.
Classroom Application: The book would help students learn about different cultures and learn about the folklore of tribes in Africa. This could be used in a social studies classroom or an English classroom. This novel could be a great introduction to African culture for younger children, but it could also be used as an example when looking into literature about other cultures.
Linguistic and Cultural Diversity Analysis: This picture book would be great for younger students in K-1 to introduce other cultures in the classroom. For older students (2-3 grade) the book would be a good addition to a unit on African culture or folklore. The story provides opportunities for younger students to question what child would Anansi give the moon to, different moral questions of that sort. Quotes: “Then Game Skinner helped father Anansi. He split open Fish” (16) and “First son was called See Trouble. He had the gift of seeing trouble a long way off” (3).