This wide-ranging collection of African tales includes stories from Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Senegal, Sudan and Swaziland. Prefaced by a map and an introduction to the continent, each story is preceded by a description of its country and culture of origin. It is a magical world where animals speak and intervene in human affairs, where strange events take place - a baby is carried off by the sea but survives and return years later as a powerful healer, a hunter learns a terrible lesson when the impala he has fatally wounded disappears into a sacred tree. These are tales of love and treachery, bravery and the gaining of wisdom, or celebrations of sheer cunning as in the Ghanaian story of how Ananse outsmarts both a King and Death itself. The anthology is beautifully illustrated by Rachel Griffin with panels and borders of African figures, textiles and symbols in the style of sewn fabric collages.