A review by doriastories
Afro-American Folktales by Roger D. Abrahams

5.0

This is a wonderful and diverse collection of folktales drawn from throughout the African diaspora. Despite being the work of a professional ethnologist-folklorist (i.e., the Aarne-Thompson category numbers are included in the annotation), the stories are presented clearly and unadorned with unnecessary scholarly adumbration. The tales shine on their own, accompanied only by their points of origin (Mississippi, Jamaica, etc) and also by exquisite yet simple illustrations. This is story-collecting at its best, equally as entertaining as it is historically and culturally significant. For folklorists and Storytellers, educators and read-aloud devotees, it is pure gold.