Baba Waqué Diakité,
Mee-Ann and the Magic Serpent
Groundwood Books, 2007.

Rating: E*

This African folktale carries a powerful message - Be careful what you wish for. It is the story of Mee-Ann, a beautiful African girl who considers everyone beneath her. Many men want to marry her, but she finds fault with all of them. Her sister, Assa, has magical powers and sets out to find the perfect mate for Mee-Ann. A serpent heard the story of Mee-Ann and set out to find her. He changed himself into a man and was the one person with whom Assa could not find any faults. When she brought him home, there were all sorts of omens, such as walls cracking, but Mee-Ann was determined to marry this man.

Assa went with Mee-Ann and her new husband to his far off land. He always went fishing and one day the girls decided to follow him. It was then they discovered he was a serpent. They bargained with a raven to help them get back home. The raven wasn’t sure at first because he didn’t trust people. However, he was persuaded and protected the girls from the serpent and led them to their home. As the serpent swirled through the air trying to reach the raven and the girls, he was swallowed in the dust of the earth. This also changed the raven from black to white.

Mee-Ann and the Magic Serpent is an excellent resource to use when talking about fables and stories from other parts of the world. Readers will see that all countries have their own stories that relate to their culture and traditions.

Thematic Links: Fables; Folktales - Africa

Frances Stanford
Vol. 12, number 5
June 2007

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.