Recently, iStorybooks released the second of three West African / Gambian Folk Tales in a short series authored by Cornelius Gomez and myself.
This folk tale from The Gambia, called Kumba Am and Kumba Amul, is one of the country's most popular tales. The story is about two stepsisters who each take a magical journey to wash a calabash bowl in a faraway sea. As each girl takes her turn to travel, their kindness (or their selfishness) determines the outcome of their trek.
The project was a bit challenging, as the original folk tale of Kumba Am is quite long and also contains Grimm-esque violence that has made it much more suitable for an adult audiences in the past. But Cornelius and I made a few adaptations that really transformed the tale into a fun and appropriate story for kids ages 4-8. It's our hope that one of the most popular West African folk tales will now reach more young audiences and American children will know a bit more about Gambian oral history and culture.
If you haven't already downloaded the iStorybooks App for your iPhone, you can download it in iTunes (now with bug fixes)! If you don't have an iPhone, you can see the online version of the story Kumba Am and Kumba Amul here. You can also view our first Wolof folk tale, The Fish Snatcher, through iStorybooks - as well as nearly a dozen other stories adapted and/or originally authored by Miranda Paul.
This folk tale from The Gambia, called Kumba Am and Kumba Amul, is one of the country's most popular tales. The story is about two stepsisters who each take a magical journey to wash a calabash bowl in a faraway sea. As each girl takes her turn to travel, their kindness (or their selfishness) determines the outcome of their trek.
The project was a bit challenging, as the original folk tale of Kumba Am is quite long and also contains Grimm-esque violence that has made it much more suitable for an adult audiences in the past. But Cornelius and I made a few adaptations that really transformed the tale into a fun and appropriate story for kids ages 4-8. It's our hope that one of the most popular West African folk tales will now reach more young audiences and American children will know a bit more about Gambian oral history and culture.
If you haven't already downloaded the iStorybooks App for your iPhone, you can download it in iTunes (now with bug fixes)! If you don't have an iPhone, you can see the online version of the story Kumba Am and Kumba Amul here. You can also view our first Wolof folk tale, The Fish Snatcher, through iStorybooks - as well as nearly a dozen other stories adapted and/or originally authored by Miranda Paul.