At the beginning, when the earth was set down and the sky was lifted up, all stories belonged to the Sky God. That trickster hero Anansi, determined to buy the stories from this deity, was told that the price would be one python, one fairy, and forty-seven hornets. Fortunately for our arachnid hero, his wife Aso was very clever, and soon he had what he needed to barter. From that day forward the stories were known, not as Sky-God stories, but as spider stories...

Adapted from a tale in R.S. Rattray's 1930 Akan-Ashanti Folk-Tales, The Sky-God Stories is one of three Verna Aardema picture-books, along with The Na of Wa and Otwe, that were published in 1960, and that were illustrated by Elton C. Fax. In fact, Aardema published her very first book, Tales from the Story Hat, that same year, and it too was illustrated by Fax. The story here, which can also be found in Gail E. Haley's A Story, a Story, was engaging, and the accompanying black and white artwork appealing. I particularly liked the depictions of Anansi and Aso, whose slender legs, long noses and rotund bodies looked somehow charming. Despite Aardema's popularity, these early books by her don't seem to be read that much, perhaps because they are more difficult to find, perhaps because the visual style is a little more old-fashioned, and perhaps because they were revised and republished under different names. The Na of Wa was retold as Oh Kojo! How Could You!: An Ashanti Tale , Otwe as What's So Funny, Ketu?: A Nuer Tale, and this one as Anansi Does the Impossible!: An Ashanti Tale. Whatever the case may be, I recommend this one to young folklore enthusiasts, and to anyone interested in Anansi stories. ( )