Reading Diary B: South African Folktales

Reading Diary B: South African Folktales

The Dance For Water: I liked this story a lot. It reminded me of the tortoise and the hare. My favorite types of characters are tricksters, because they're always so clever. Even though the rabbit in this story was caught, by his wit he was able to free himself and escape death. I also liked the idea of an animal council. It's kind of like the jungle book, where the animals all work together and have a type of governance in place. I think that could make for a good kernel to use to build my story off of.

Rabbit Footprints
Source: Pixabay

I chose this picture because it best illustrated a pivotal point in The Dance for Water story. The rabbit's footprints are what gives him away to the rest of the animals.

 Lion Who Thought Himself Wiser Than His Mother: Lions are one of my favorite animals so I was excited to read a story about them. I think this story gave a great insight into how the people of Southern Africa view lions. I like that part of the moral of the story is to listen to your mother. I also enjoyed the poem at the end of the story. I think incorporating poems and quotes into a story can give it more depth and allow more room for individual readers' interpretations.