A collection of twelve African tales from Verna Aardema, celebrated for her many excellent folktale adaptations, Misoso introduces young readers to a diverse range of African traditions, from the Temne people of Sierra Leone to the Zulu of South Africa. The title itself is taken from the Mbundu people of Angola, and is a word used to indicate stories which are primarily intended as entertainment. The selections here certainly fit the bill, although the inclusion of a glossary and brief afterword for each tale, makes them educational as well. Here the reader will encounter:

Leelee Goro, a Temne tales from Sierra Leone, in which a series of animals must fight a young girl - aided by her Mammy's magical song - for fire. A porquoi tale, this selection explains the existence of a number of phenomena, including: the antelope's cough, the leopard's spots, the elephant's tusks, the spider's eight legs, the snail's shell, the existence of crying, and of hugging.

Anansi and the Phantom Food, a tale of West Africa's famed trickster, who sets out to find food for his starving people, coming upon a village of cassava, a village of plantains, and a village of rice, only to reject each food source in his search for something better.

The Boogey Man's Wife, a Mano tale from Liberia, in which a father agrees to give his beautiful daughter to the ugly Boogey Man in exchange for a night's lodging. Atypically, given the importance of female obedience in Mano culture, Goma proves to be a difficult wife, eventually convincing her husband to release her.

Half-A-Ball-Of-Kenki, an Ashanti tale from Ghana, in which Leopard and Fly set out to find wives for themselves, only to fall out when Fly is welcomed and Leopard is not. When Leopard ties his erstwhile friend to a tree, it is Half-A-Ball-Of-Kenki who frees him, and fights Leopard. Aardema here recycles a story she has used before, in a picture book of the same name, published in 1979.

The Hen and the Dove, an Ashanti fable in which two birds find very different homes, one in the wild, the other with people. This is a tale meant to teach the value of freedom - something more valuable even than prosperity and a full belly.

The Sloogey Dog and the Stolen Aroma, a Fang tale from Gabon, in which a wealthy miser brings a starving dog to court, for "stealing" the delightful odor of his (plentiful) food. This tale of greed and justice , in which the punishment is made to fit the "crime," is a variant of a tale seen in many traditions.

The Cock and the Jackal, a Khoikhoi fable from South Africa, in which a clever cock tricks the kackal into releasing him, by getting him to pray. I was interested to read, in the afterword, that this tale may have traveled to southern Africa with European missionaries, and is most likely an adaptation of a Reynard tale.

No, Boconono!, a Zulu tale from South Africa, in which a pint-sized young man finally obtains the spear he desires, through a series of exchanges. Apparently the dwarf-like Boconono, also sometimes known as Hlakanyana, is a well-known figure in Zulu folklore, and features in many tales from that tradition.

Toad's Trick, a brief Kanuri fable in which a toad boasts that there is something he can do, that rat cannot.

Goso the Teacher, a Swahili poem from Zanzibar, in which Goso learns that it would be best not to hold lessons under the calabash tree. This rhyming poem, adapted from a cumulative question and answer tale, "reads" very well, and would make an excellent story-hour selection.

Hapendeki and Binti the Babi, a Swahili tale, also from Zanzibar, in which a young man convinces the beautiful Binti to become his wife, only to find that she expects him to go to extraordinary lengths to find beautiful clothing for her.

And finally, Kindai and the Ape, a tale of the "Emo-Yo-Quaim" of the Ondo jungle, in which a man's kindness to an injured ape is rewarded when his child is kidnapped by the troop.

I enjoyed the tales in Misoso, and found Reynold Ruffins' colorful pencil and acrylic illustrations a pleasant accompaniment. That said, the extremely patriarchal nature of The Boogey Man's Wife, in which obedience is seen as the highest virtue in a woman, did make me feel somewhat uncomfortable. I'm a strong believer that folklore should not be "watered down," but I did wonder how the tale would read for young girls. I was also quite interested in the "Emo-Yo-Quaim" - the source given for Kindai and the Ape - described by Aardema as a Jewish tribe, descended from refugees who fled to northern Africa from Jerusalem in 70 CE, and who mixed with the Berber people there. I have done a (very) little internet investigation, and it appears that there is some controversy as to whether this claim is true. Here again, I wonder about giving this tale to children, when the factuality of the accompanying information is in serious question. ( )