Four Anansi tales popular in the Caribbean are retold in this collection by Sir Philip Sherlock, Jamaican scholar, historian and writer. Anansi pits his wits against lordly tigers and snakes, he helps Turtle sing his way out of a cooking pot, he avoids capture by learning to spin his own web, and he tricks Alligator into believing he can drink boiling water. All the tales use humour to make fun of human failings such as greed, selfishness and vanity. Full page colour illustrations help convey Anansi's mischievous character.