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Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales audiobook cover art

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Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales is an audiobook benefiting children orphaned and impacted by HIV/AIDS in South Africa, featuring Gillian Anderson, Benjamin Bratt, LeVar Burton, Ricardo Chavira, Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Whoopi Goldberg, Sean Hayes, Hugh Jackman, Samuel L. Jackson, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Debra Messing, Helen Mirren, Parminder Nagra, Sophie Okonedo, CCH Pounder, and Alan Rickman.

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  • Timeless Tales

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The children who populate these classic stories are heroes and heroines of timeless tales. Their unpredictable antics confound evil and treachery at every turn and leave listeners of generation after generation transfixed and uplifted. A forced marriage. A dangerous job. A horrible assignment. "Character-building experiences," we quip. And that's the truth. Painful as the truth may be, we cannot achieve our potential without facing force, danger, and horror head-on.

  • 5 out of 5 stars

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Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock audiobook cover art

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Anansi the Spider is the master trickster, and his shenanigans are humorously presented in these fantastic narratives based on West African folktales.The clever Anansi uses a magic rock he finds to pilfer food from his animal friends. What he doesn't realize is that the shy Little Bush Deer is observing his antics, and ultimately tricks the trickster.

Norfolk Tales audiobook cover art

  • Norfolk Tales

  • By: Bobby Norfolk
  • Narrated by: Bobby Norfolk
  • Length: 52 mins
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    5 out of 5 stars 3
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Emmy Award-winning storyteller Bobby Norfolk brings his electrifying energy to world folktales (from the African, Eastern European, Appalachian, and Irish traditions) to the delight of all ages. From Anansi, the African trickster, to Jack, the bumbling, lucky, persevering Everyman of traditional stories, Norfolk's characters instruct while they entertain.

  • 5 out of 5 stars

  • Bobby Norfolk Rocks!

  • By Jeanne on 04-02-08
Anansi and the Tug o' War audiobook cover art

  • Anansi and the Tug o' War

  • By: Bobby Norfolk, Sherry Norfolk
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In this trickster tale from Africa, Anansi proves to Elephant and Killer Whale that in a battle of wits, brains definitely outdo brawn. Illustrated by Baird Hoffmire.

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Mmadipetsane audiobook cover art

  • Mmadipetsane

  • A Story from Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales
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In old tales found both in Africa and across the world, children are sometimes warned very specifically against disobedience. This story from Lesotho, retold here by folklorist Minnie Postma, is no exception.

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Editorial Reviews

Bobby Norfolk, master African-American storyteller, gives an unqualified hilarious performance of six folk stories. His sound effects are priceless: flies buzzing, doors creaking, and trees being chopped down. Norfolk is animated and sounds completely comfortable speaking to groups of any size, although this is a studio recording. He has a deep Southern accent and speaks rapidly but clearly. There are a few seconds of native drumming between stories. This production will entertain children of all ages.

Publisher's Summary

Bobby Norfolk plays a prominent role in African-American storytelling. But when he recently visited Africa, he went as a humble student, hoping to glean new insights, to immerse himself in a living oral tradition. He went as a pilgrim to the cities, villages, and jungles of Africa. Yet he was caught completely by surprise when, during a visit to an obscure African village, he was invited to a community-wide afternoon break at which elders told traditional Anansi stories and everyone else listened intently. It was "Anansi Time".

With material gleamed on that trip and from the tradition of African tellers in North America, Bobby Norfolk electrifies audiences with energized retellings of Anansi the wise, Anansi the resourceful, and Anansi the mythic underdog figure who is never undone or outdone.

For Ages Five to Adult
©1999 Bobby Norfolk (P)1999 August House Publishers, Inc.

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Audible.com Reviews
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Too child focused

Despite Mr. Norfolk's annotations, the stories that he says are well respected in Africa, are transformed into child stories and narrates them exactly like that.