In this companion volume to Anansi and the Moss-covered Rock , Anansi decides to trick Turtle into catching a fish for him. But Turtle has his own plans: One of us can work while the other gets tired. Anansi doesn't want to get tired, so he weaves a net, sets it in the river, and catches and cooks the fish. When the fish is ready, Turtle tells Anansi: One of us should eat while the other gets full. Of course, Anansi wants to get full, so Turtle eats the whole fish. Anansi takes his case to the Justice Tree, but because of his reputation for laziness, he gets no satisfaction. He never understands Turtle's deception; however, he does share his newly acquired weaving skills with his friends, and today spiders everywhere weave webs. 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. (Reviewed Mar. 15, 1992)

A well-paced, fluid retelling of an Anansi tale. The inclusion of contemporary details in the illustrations--a technique that often detracts from folklore--will, in this case, add to young readers' enjoyment of the story.

In what the author describes on the jacket as a variation of a [West African] tale found in Joyce Cooper Arkhurst's The Adventures of Spider,'' the spider trickster is roundly tricked by his friend Turtle. Turtle agrees to teach Anansi to fish, describing the first step, netmaking, as hard work they can share:One of us can work while the other gets tired.'' Lazy Anansi is quick to choose work, while Turtle lounges peacefully in the chair he has brought, getting very tired.'' So it goes until a fish is finally caught and consumed by Turtle:One of us should eat while the other gets full.'' Finally catching on, the hungry Anansi goes to Warthog for justice but gets no sympathy—his reputation is known, and his story, though true, is outrageously implausible. At least he's learned to weave a web. 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. (Folklore/Picture book. 4-10)"

K-Gr 2-- In a companion volume to Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock (Holiday, 1990), Kimmel and Stevens team up again to extend the humor of a trickster tale from Africa. Anansi joins Turtle on a fishing excursion, intending to con him out of all the fish. Anansi's stubborn selfishness proves to be his undoing day after day until, at last, he realizes the folly of his ways because he has been tricked into doing all the work and is still hungry. Kimmel has adapted Joyce Cooper Arkhurst's sparer version found in The Adventures of Spider , (Little, 1964; o.p.) transforming the fisherman into a turtle and judiciously exercising his storyteller's prerogative to add humorous details and lively dialogue that follows a repetitive pattern. Although the ending has been changed substantially from the original source, it is nonetheless satisfying and suits this variation of the tale. Stevens's watercolor illustrations feature bright colors and bold black outlines and range from broad humor to subtle slyness. She, too, has taken liberties in her interpretation by affording Turtle human trappings and consistently portraying Anansi as an unadorned spider. Together, the text and art combine in a fresh new version that is a fine choice for oral presentation or for independent reading. --Starr LaTronica, North Berkeley Library, CA