Week 7 Reading Diary: African Stories Lang (cont.)

The first story in this round of tales is about a boy who who grows up and decides he wants to become a physician. He somehow gets stuck in a hole because some of his friends leave him there to die! I like the part of this story that relates to the King of Snakes, although he is killed in the end. He helps make the boy a success. This story also reminds me of some of the Turkish fairy tales I've read previously.

The next story is about a monkey and a shark. The shark receives fruit from the monkey and the become quick friends. I do always enjoy stories about animals! But this one takes a twist when the shark tries to take the monkey to his home so that the shark sultan can have his heart. The monkey bravely convinces the shark that he left his heart back at the tree they became friends at and tells him a story to try and distract him. The story proves the monkeys point and he gets away at the end.

The last story is about a man who defeats many giants and sets off to find a place to call home. However, he ends up getting caught in a battle with someone of equal strength and power. Eventually, Mulimo, the Great Spirit, sends them up to the skies to become gods because they are too good to remain human.

the monkey and shark tale from Andrew Lang illustrations

African Stories by Andrew Lang