Anansi and the Magic Stick

Bibliography
Kimmel, Eric. 2001. Anansi and the Magic Stick. By Janet Stevens. New York: Holiday House. ISBN 0823414434

Plot Summary
Anansi the spider is very lazy but clever. While everyone else like the lion, zebra, rhino and warthog work hard to either clean their houses or yards Anansi chooses not to. One day he walks by Hyenas house and wonders how Hyena keeps his house tidy yet no one ever sees him working. Anansi the spider spies on Hyena and finds out that Hyenas secret is a magic stick that does whatever Hyena says. Anansi steals the stick and tries to use it to tidy up around his house but ends up creating a mess and a flood. Anansi does not know how to stop it until Hyena floats by looking for his magic stick, finds it and leaves. Everyone else enjoys the lake thinking that poor Anansi was swept away by the flood, but they don’t know that Anansi is far away on the other side of the lake, sleeping all day and planning new tricks.

Critical Analysis
Many of the same safari characters such as the zebra, elephant, hyena rhinoceros, and lion found here can also be seen in the other Anansi folktales retold by Eric Kimmel. The story line of the Anansi folktales is always the same where the trickster, Anansi, the spider gets in trouble or gets someone else in trouble. Kimmel’s Anansi and the Magic Stick is loosely based on a Liberian story called the Magic Hoe. There are similarities to the story of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice where magic gets out of control and there’s a flood.

Janet Stephen’s colorful pictures were created using digital elements, watercolor, watercolor crayon, and acrylic. The Illustrations also have a modern-day appearance such as when we see modern day items such as the hose the stick uses to water, the watering cans and the circular sprinkler found in the vegetable garden. Also, when Anansi loses control of the magic stick, a flood is created, and then a mighty river is made and here we see caricature images of the author Eric A. Kimmel and the illustrator Janet Stevens floating by in a lifejacket and a dinosaur shape floatable. All of these effects add a humorous touch to the story.


Review Excerpt(s)
Booklist- “The slapstick of the trickster out-tricked is a lot of fun."

School Library Journal- “The art has a softer focus than in Talking Melon but the same bright colors fill the pages, and the whole adds up to an enjoyable offering that is clever, funny, surprising, and traditional all at once."

Connections
*Compare and contrast with the Sorcere’s Apprentice or Disney’s Fantasia.
*Compare and contrast the tricks of Anansi with other Anasi folktales such as Anansi and the Talking Melon.