Favorite African Folktales is a landmark work that gathers many of Africa's most cherished folktales-stories from an oral heritage that predates Ovid and Aesop-in one extraordinary volume. Nelson Mandela has selected these thirty-two tales, many of them translated from their original tongues, with the specific hope that Africa's oldest stories, as well as a few new ones, will be perpetuated by future generations and appreciated by children and adults throughout the world. In stories about life, love, and family that are "universal in their portrayal of humanity, beasts, and the mystical," we: • Discover the origins of celestial bodies and terrestrial fruits in "The Mother Who Turned to Dust" and "The Great Thirst" • Learn in "King Lion's Gifts" how animals acquired their tails and horns • Meet the infamous tricksters Hlakanyana and Sankhambi and their resourceful animal counterparts Hare and Spider • Realize in "The Enchanting Song of the Magical Bird" that children are oftentimes smarter and stronger than their elders