African Folktales for Kids

When the yams run low and the whole village must share, why is the barn giving out less each morning even though the lock stays shut? Clever Mbe the tortoise thinks he has found a secret way to take more than his fair share, but a sharp eyed neighbor named Chinyere notices things others miss. Will anyone discover the truth? This Bookbot level practices the ’eigh’ sound with lesson words like ‘weight’, ’eight’, ’neighbor’, and ’eighty’.

On a sunny granite hill grows the sweetest marula tree, until a troop of greedy baboons claims it all for themselves. When tiny Tsuro the Hare offers to help, everyone laughs. How could a creature the size of your knee outwit twelve bullies? What secret is hidden in his little grass bag, and why does he carry a drum? This warm African trickster tale is a Bookbot Level SI reader, practicing the /ʒ/ sound in words like ‘pleasure’, ‘decision’, ’treasure’, ‘composure’ and ‘measured’.

Eight big crocodiles guard the wide brown river, and mean Old Crocodile has not lost a fight in eighty years. When the dry season withers his home and the sweet berries lie just out of reach across the water, how can one small hare ever hope to cross a river ruled by hungry, boastful beasts? Could a clever trick weigh more than sharp teeth? This Bookbot book practices the ’eigh’ sound with words like ’eight’, ’eighty’, ’eighteen’, and ‘weighs’.

Elephant is the biggest, proudest beast on the plain, and he stamps roughly through every small animal’s garden without a care. But when the river floods and the maize harvest is stranded on the far bank, how can creatures too small to fight ever change his mind? Clever Hare has a plan, though it will take more than muscle to pull off. Could a boast become something braver? This Bookbot level practices the ‘ough’ sound with words like ‘rough’, ’though’, ’tough’, ‘although’, and ‘ought’.

What happens when the greediest hyena on the veld meets a very patient hare? Hyena, a hungry ‘heavyweight’, gobbles every scrap of sweet marula fruit she can find, including Hare’s share. But quiet little Hare has a clever plan brewing, one that involves a hollow log, a buzzing bees’ nest, and a lesson about who really eats best. Will Hyena ever figure out what went wrong? This Bookbot level practices the ’eigh’ sound with ‘heavyweight’, ’eighty’, ’neighbors’, and ‘weighs’.

Sungura the Hare has the quickest wits on the savanna, and he is not shy about saying so. But when a hungry leopard with spots on his shadow decides the little hare is exactly the right size for breakfast, can cleverness really beat claws and speed? What daring plan could a small creature dream up when a great hunter is closing in? Race along to find out. This Bookbot level practices words of three or more syllables, like ‘absolutely’, ‘adventurous’, ‘delicious’, and ‘accidentally’.

Everyone on the veld knows Lion’s terrible rule: each week, one animal must offer itself as his meal. Now the turn falls to clever little Hare, who is barely a snack for a beast that outweighs him a hundred times over. Can a creature so small outwit the mightiest hunter on the land? What secret is waiting for Lion down by the old well? This Bookbot level practices the ’eigh’ sound with words like ’eight’, ‘weighs’, ’neighbor’, and ‘outweighs’.

The Hare and the Moon are the very best of friends, yet every night the Moon shines far away across the dark sky. What happens when the Hare decides he simply must sit right beside her? Will leaping to the top of a hill or building a tall tower ever carry him close enough? And when clouds swallow the Moon whole, has he lost his dearest friend forever? A gentle tale about friendship, patience, and quiet wonder. This Bookbot book practices soft ‘c’ words like ‘once’, ‘face’, ‘race’, ‘chance’, and ‘silence’.

When the Moon fades to nothing and stays away, the nights over the hills turn black and the crops grow pale. Who will climb the high peaks to carry the people’s thanks to the sky, and what will the Moon say to a small hare who braves the crossing? This Bookbot level practices the ‘wr’ spelling for the /r/ sound with words like ‘wren’, ‘wrinkled’, ‘wriggled’, ‘wrung’, and ‘wrenched’.

‘Gnarled’ roots, ‘gnats’ hum, a ‘benign’ voice, a djinn who ‘gnaws’… The rains have failed and the animals have vanished, so when an ancient spirit offers hunter Demba a single gift, what will he choose? Not gold, not grain, but something his sharp young daughter Awa can carry all her life. Will his unusual wish be enough to feed twelve hungry families? This Bookbot level practices the ‘gn’ spelling making the /n/ sound, with words like ‘gnarled’, ‘gnats’, ‘benign’ and ‘gnaws’.