Anansi and the Golden Pot
Taiye Selasi
For my Safa, the most marvelous of storytellers.
Illustrated by Tinuke Fagborun
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There was once a little boy whose name was Kweku, but everyone called him Anansi.
Anansi’s father, Kojo, picked the nickname.
“In Ghana,” said Kojo, “where I was born, everyone knows Anansi—a clever little spider with a sparkle in his eye.”
Anansi’s eyes were sparkly too,
with spider leg-like lashes.
Anansi loved his nickname,
and he loved those spidery lashes.
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He especially loved the traditional tales his parents told at bedtime—stories
of the adventures of one little
trickster spider.
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Then, one winter, Anansi
had an adventure of his own.
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From the cold of the city he
flew to the warmth of the beach
where his father was born.
Of course, Anansi’s sister and
brother—Amma and Ato—came, too.
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Anansi’s nana was waiting to greet
them. Anansi adored his nana.
Wise and kind, she had sparkly
eyes and spidery lashes as well.
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Vacations on the beach!
What joy!
There were so many things to do...
He hauled in nets with fishermen. He helped his nana cook.
Anansi c
ater.
limb
eet w
ed the coconut trees and drank the cool, sw US_001-032_Anansi.indd 8
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Vacations on the beach!
What joy!
There were so many things to do...
He hauled in nets with fishermen. He helped his nana cook.
Anansi’s favorite
thing was to eat
Nana’s red-red,
A
a stew of beans,
na
with fried plantain—
nsi
ater.
the greatest joy of all.
climb
eet w
ed the coconut trees and drank the cool, sw US_001-032_Anansi.indd 9
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Then, one day, a stranger appeared
—this is, after all, an adventure.
Sipping a coconut, shaded by palms,
Anansi felt legs crawling on his head!
Eight skinny legs, to be exact.
“Eeek!” he cried. “A spider!”
“Observant,” said a soft—and rather
mischievous—little voice.
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The spider leapt from Anansi’s
head and down into his hand.
“Allow me to introduce myself.”
But he needed no introduction.
“Anansi the spider!”
said Anansi the boy.
“So my bedtime stories were true!”
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“Traditional stories are always true,”
the spider answered, laughing.
“Nothing lasts so long as truth,
nor travels quite so far.”
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“See that pot?”
the spider continued.
Anansi looked around them.
All he saw were the empty shells
of coconuts on the ground.
“All I see are coconuts,”
Anansi said, perplexed.
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The spider merely chuckled. “Observant,” he said again.
Then he hopped from Anansi’s hand and scurried to a shell.
“This, my boy, is a golden pot.”
It was Anansi’s turn to laugh.
“But that’s a coconut shell,”
Anansi chuckled, showing
the spider. “Look!”
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“I didn’t say look,” the spider said, impatient.
“I said see.”
Anansi turned the shell in his hands.
And then, indeed, he saw: the inside
of the coconut shell was bright
and sparkling gold!
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The spider winked.
“As I said. A golden pot. See?”
He crawled up Anansi’s
leg, which tickled, and
onto Anansi’s shoulder,
from where he could
whisper in Anansi’s ear.
“And now for the fun part.
MAGIC!”
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“Close your eyes and repeat these words,”
the spider instructed Anansi.
“Do for me as you do for Spider!
Fil with what I most desire!”
And closing his eyes, cupping the pot,
Anansi repeated the charm.
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No sooner had Anansi spoken than the smell of ginger filled his nose. He opened his eyes and saw: the pot had filled with red-red stew! The entire shell was golden now.
A magic golden pot!
“A golden pot for a golden heart,” the spider said, and winked.
“Just remember. You must share what you love with those you love the most.”
“I will!” said Anansi, mouth full of red-red.
But, alas, he didn’t.
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In the days that followed,
Anansi kept the golden
pot by his side.
Splashing in the ocean...
taking a bath...
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building castles
from sand.
Whenever he
craved his favorite
food, he spoke the
spider’s charm.
“Do for me as you do for Spider!
Fil with what I most desire!”
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However, he kept the pot a secret
from Amma and Ato, afraid that
they would steal it.
He didn’t even tell Nana.
Anansi feasted alone.
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All he could eat! All for himself! Or rather: all by himself.
In truth, Anansi grew lonely, hiding from Nana and Amma and Ato. Hiding the golden pot beneath his pillow made his head hurt. Not to mention his tummy—red-red is made of beans after all!
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One night, Nana—who, after all,
was wise as well as kind—sat on
the edge of Anansi’s bed, rub
bing
his aching tummy.
“When I was young…,” Nana began.
“But you’re still young,” objected Anansi.
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“In spirit, yes,” laughed Nana.
“But when I was also young in body... my parents told me tales about a spider and his pot.
The stories were always different but the lesson was the same.”
A very sleepy Anansi asked, although
he suspected he already knew,
“What was the lesson?”
“Greed brings grief.
Generosity brings joy.”
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In the morning Anansi found Amma and
Ato, and showed them the golden pot.
“What is that?!” They gasped with wonder.
Anansi closed his eyes.
“Do for me as you do for Spider!
Fil with what I most desire!”
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This time, however, instead
of filling with his favorite food,
the golden pot filled with Amma’s
favorite—kelewele—then
Ato’s favorite—ice cream.
Amma and Ato ate with delight.
And Anansi watched,
delighted.
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Now he felt something on
his neck. Eight skinny legs.
Which tickled.
Then he felt something
in his heart.
Generosity.
Which glowed.
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“You must share what you love,” the spider began, but Anansi finished for him.
“With those you love the most,” Anansi said, and laughed with joy.
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Learn more about the story. .
Ghana is a country in West Africa. This is where, centuries If you had a magic golden pot, what would you fill it with?
ago, the character of Anansi the Spider was born. No one knows who invented Anansi, but we do know he first appeared in stories told by the Akan people in the Ashanti region of Ghana. In traditional stories, Anansi the Spider is a “trickster,”
which is a person who fools others
to get what they want (but never
to harm them, of course).
Anansi stories
traveled in the hearts
of storytellers from
West Africa to the
Americas, Europe… and
now to you! You are part of
Ashanti
a wonderful web. Where
Region
will you take Anansi next?
“Anansi” means
“spider” in the
Akan language.
So, how did a centuries-old tale get from Ghana to you?
In Ghana, stories were traditionally spoken aloud rather Adinkra
than written down. Because the same few stories were are symbols from Gh
told lots of times, everyone knew them by heart.
ana that represent concepts. Can you spot these ones throughout the book?
A written story can get lost or destroyed. A spoken story cannot. This is why tales of Anansi the Spider have lasted for so long.
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If you had a magic golden pot, what would you fill it with?
aakye (Waa-chay)
W
Fruit
Bofrot (Bow-froat)
A Ghanaian dish that is
served with a tomato stew.
Waakye is made with rice,
A delicious fried
Sugarloaf pineapples,
beans, and a special leaf.
pastry that can be
mango, and papaya are
served as a snack.
delicious tropical fruits
grown in Ghana.
Sugarcane
Kenkey (Ken-kay)
ele (Keh-leh-weh-leh)
Jolof (Joh-luff)
Kelew
Kenkey is a type of sour
Sugarcane is a type of
dumpling made from
grass, from which we get…
steamed white corn.
sugar! Chewing on a stick
It is served wrapped
of sugarcane releases
A West African dish
in corn husks.
sweet liquid. Yum!
Sliced fried plantain
made with rice, tomatoes,
seasoned with ginger
onions, and spices.
and spices.
Adinkra are symbols from Ghana that represent concepts. Can you spot these ones throughout the book?
Nea Onnim No Sua A, Ohu
Nkyinkyim
Ese Ne Tekrema
Ananse Ntontan
“he who does not know
“twisting”. A symbol
“the teeth and the
“spider’s web”.
can know from learning”.
of initiative,
tongue”. A symbol
A symbol of wisdom
A symbol of knowledge
dynamism and
of friendship and
and creativity.
wisdom and creativity.
versatility.
interdependence.
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Taiye Selasi
Tinuke Fagborun
Taiye Selasi is a novelist and screenwriter of Tinuke Fagborun is a London-based,
Nigerian and Ghanaian origin. Taiye’s true northern-born, British-Nigerian illustrator.
love is storytelling. As a child, Taiye loved As a child, Tinuke always had a sketchbook West African fables and as soon as she
and paintbrush in hand. Her style developed could grip a pen she started writing her own.
over time to incorporate her Nigerian
To pass this passion on to other children who heritage, borrowing from its rich history, love books brings Taiye boundless joy.
colorful textiles, and intricate patterns.
Special thanks to Akua A Boateng,
A catalog record for this book is available Kariss Ainsworth, Lisa Gillespie, and the rest of from the Library of Congress.
the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champions ISBN 978-0-7440-4990-9
for their invaluable input and support.
DK books are available at special discounts when First American Edition, 2022
purchased in bulk for sales promotions, premiums, Author Taiye Selasi
Published in the United States by DK Publishing 1450
fund-raising, or educational use. For details, contact: Illustrator Tinuke Fagborun
Broadway, Suite 801, New York, New York 10018
DK Publishing Special Markets, 1450 Broadway, Suite 801, Consultant Yasmin A. McClinton
New York, New York 10018 SpecialSales@dk.com Text copyright © Taiye Selasi 2022
Copyright in the layouts, design, and illustrations Commissioned by Pamela Afram
Printed and bound in China
of the Work shall be vested in the Publishers.
Editors Sally Beets, Pamela Afram DK, a Division of Penguin Random House LLC
Designer Brandie Tully-Scott
22 23 24 25 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
US Senior Editor Shannon Beatty 001–326449–Jan/2022
Managing Editor Laura Gilbert
Managing Art Editor Diane Peyton Jones All rights reserved.
Without limiting the rights under the copyright reserved This book was made with Forest Stewardship Council ™
Publishing Manager Francesca Young abo
ve, no part of this publication may be reproduced, certified paper – one small step in DK’s commitment Jacket Coordinator Issy Walsh
stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or to a sustainable future. F or more information go to Production Editor Robert Dunn
www.dk.com/our-green-pledge
transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic,
Production Controller John Casey mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), Deputy Art Director Mabel Chan
without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
www.dk.com
Publishing Director Sarah Larter Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited.
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Taiye Selasi, Anansi and the Golden Pot
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