Folktales are old, easy to remember, and fun to listen to and tell. They may come from unfamiliar people and different parts of the world, but there is something in each one that you will recognize and understand. Most folktales are stories that were told and retold long before the invention of books and printing, That is how they got their name. They were passed along by word of mouth—one folk told another folk. Parents told their children. Neighbor shared with neighbor. Village folk told stories to entertain guests and travelers, who carried them to other parts of the world.

These folktales were gathered from all over the continent of Africa where there are many different peoples and ways of life. From each story, you will learn something important about the values and the lives of the people who tell it. Even as you laugh at Kasilo, the spider, you are learning how one culture views death and mourning. And in the story called "The Ungrateful Man," you will discover how another society feels about kindness and gratitude.

In Africa, folktales are a very important part of everyday life. People learn from them in very much the same way that you learn from history books, or from poems and stories about past times and people, such as Pocahontas and Paul Revere. When young people in Ghana hear about the ungrateful man, they, like you, learn some of the rules of their society. 

From the introduction