Fable "If you are evil you will be repaid with evil"
jackal tricks mama dove to throw down her babies for jackal to eat
Crane tries to trick jackal to thinking he can fly
Spits out babies and the mama dove live happily ever after and jackal doesn't mess with them anymore

When Jackal tricks a mother dove into throwing her two babies out of the nest, Blue Crane intervenes, turning the tables on Jackal and rescuing the young birds. This tale from the folk tradition of the Khoikhoi people of southwestern Africa, is meant to convey the moral that "whoever sows evil will see it come forth in his own garden," but most readers will simply appreciate the humorous punishment of tricky Jackal.

While it is not her strongest offering, Verna Aardema delivers an entertaining story with Jackal's Flying Lesson, which originally appeared in her 1973 collection, Behind the Back of the Mountain: Black Folktales from Southern Africa, and which will be appreciated by young folklore lovers especially. Dale Gottlieb's simple illustrations, which alternate with pages of text, have a childlike appeal. ( )