Tortoise and Pigeon are unlikely friends, but Tortoise's selfish tricks soon test their friendship. When Tortoise tricks kind Pigeon out of a feast, Pigeon decides to teach him a lesson with a harmless trick of his own. But when the joke goes too far before the village king, both friends must learn the value of honesty, fairness, apology, and forgiveness.

When a proud king invites all the forest birds to help clear land for a new farm, he accidentally forgets the small but magical Doctor Bird. Hurt by being left out, Doctor Bird sings a sorrowful song that causes the cleared field to grow wild again. The other birds soon discover the truth and bring him before the king. Instead of anger, the king learns an important lesson about fairness, kindness, and listening to even the smallest voices.With forgiveness and understanding, Doctor ...

Anansi the Spider hears that the king will reward anyone who can discover the secret names of his three daughters. Hoping to win fame and honor, Anansi hides in a mango tree and tricks the princesses into saying their names aloud. But when he asks his trusting friend Lizard to announce the names before the king, the plan quickly goes wrong.As the truth comes out, Anansi learns that cleverness without honesty can hurt others and bring shame instead of reward. With the help of the wi...

The animals lived together without a king, but peace soon gave way to arguments and confusion. To bring order to the forest, the animals gathered in a great council to choose a ruler. Lion believed his strength made him worthy, while Wolf claimed he was wise and fierce, but the smaller animals feared being ruled by predators.At last, Wise Old Owl suggested a race. Two miles away, beneath a great baobab tree, stood a royal stool. Whoever reached it first and sat upon it would become...

In a lush forest, a flock of plain brown birds fills the world with beautiful songs every morning. When Orono, a jealous traveling sorcerer, offers to trade their voices for dazzling rainbow feathers, the birds are tempted by beauty and make a choice they soon regret. Though their feathers become magnificent, the forest falls silent, and the birds discover that their true gift was never their appearance, but the music that made them special. As Orono learns the pain his jealousy has caused...

Mawusi, an old man decides to become a fisherman even though his eyesight has begun to fail. With the daily help of two kind young men, he is able to go to sea, cast his net, and return safely with fish. But instead of showing gratitude, Mawusi becomes proud, rude, and disrespectful to the very people who help him.When the young men finally grow tired of his insults, they decide to teach him a painful lesson. One day, while they are still far out in the deep sea, they tell Mawusi t...

King Gudu falls gravely ill, and no healer can cure him. When the feared Babalawo Jako declares that only a magic potion made from the ears of a live elephant can save the king, the palace loses hope. Capturing such a powerful creature seems impossible.Then tiny Torty, the clever tortoise, steps forward. Though everyone laughs at him because of his small size, Torty has a daring plan. With a basket of delicious bean cakes and a clever lie, he convinces a proud but gullible elephant...

When a terrible drought dries up the land, Uncle Lion gathers the animals and proposes that they build a dam to save everyone from thirst. Leopard, Hyena, Baboon, Tortoise, Hare, and the other animals work hard under the blazing sun, but clever Jackal refuses to help. Instead, he laughs at their labor and insists that even those who do not work will still drink from the dam.When rain finally fills the dam, the animals rejoice. But Jackal sneaks there before everyone else, drinks gr...

Mimi grows thinner every day even though her mother prepares good food for her. Unknown to her worried parents, a greedy witch named Moro visits the house whenever Mimi is alone. Moro has a frightening face and a wicked heart, but she also has a beautiful singing voice that places Mimi under a spell. While Mimi sings along helplessly, Moro steals and eats all her food, then threatens her into silence.As Mimi becomes weaker, her parents begin to suspect that something strange is hap...

Esther is a poor orphan girl who has only plain rice to eat, while her wealthy neighbor Agnes cooks delicious vegetable stew every day. When Agnes refuses to share even a little stew, Esther comforts herself by eating her rice while enjoying the wonderful aroma drifting across the street.But Agnes becomes angry and accuses Esther of stealing the smell of her stew. She takes the matter to the king, demanding punishment. The wise king listens carefully and delivers a clever judgment:...

Soolay who would rather sleep and play than work. When his tired mother finally insists that he earn his keep, Soolay begins taking small jobs around the city. Each day, he receives a different payment—a penny, milk, wheat, a puppy, and a piece of steak—but because he follows his mother's advice too literally, he loses or ruins every reward.Just when it seems Soolay will never learn, he is paid with a donkey and decides to carry it on his shoulders, as his mother had last advised. ...

Mansa discovers a powerful leopard trapped inside a steel cage. The leopard begs to be freed and promises not to harm him. Though afraid, Mansa takes pity on the animal and opens the cage.But no sooner is the leopard free than he turns on Mansa, claiming that it is his nature to hunt and that hunger matters more than promises. Desperate to save his life, Mansa asks the leopard to allow five judges to decide whether it is fair for the leopard to eat the person who rescued him.