A Story, A Story (book)

Before I was a book with pages you could turn, I was just a whisper. I was a feeling, a collection of all the tales in the world, tucked away safely inside a golden box. Can you imagine a world without stories to tell at bedtime or around a fire?. It was very quiet. That’s because all the stories belonged to one being: Nyame, the Sky God. He kept us, every last legend and lullaby, locked in his golden chest in the sky. From inside, I could feel the world moving below, full of people who had no tales to share. It was a time of silence. I dreamed of being free, of traveling on the wind and being told in every village and town. But Nyame guarded us jealously. To release us, it would take more than strength or power. It would take a hero who was small, patient, and unbelievably clever. We waited and waited, a treasure trove of wonder, hoping that one day, someone would be brave enough to climb to the sky and ask for us.

Then, one day, I felt a gentle vibration. A single, shimmering thread of silk had reached us in the heavens. Climbing that thread was the hero we had been waiting for: Anansi the Spider-Man. He was known throughout the land for being tricky and smart. He bravely stood before Nyame and asked to buy the stories. Nyame laughed a booming laugh that shook the clouds. He agreed, but only if Anansi could pay the price by completing three impossible tasks. From inside my golden box, I listened as Nyame gave his demands. First, Anansi must capture Onini, the python who could swallow a goat whole. Next, he must catch Osebo, the leopard with teeth like daggers. And finally, he must bring back the Mmoatia, the mischievous fairies who are invisible to most. Anansi didn't back down. He simply spun his silk thread and returned to the forest below. He tricked Onini into being tied to a long branch to see who was longer. He trapped the fierce Osebo in a deep pit. He even caught the tricky Mmoatia using a sticky gum-doll. Anansi used his wits, not his muscles, and he brought all three back to Nyame, proving that a clever mind is the greatest power of all.

For many, many years, the tale of Anansi was told and retold, passed from person to person across Africa. But I had not yet become the book you can hold in your hands. That part of my story began in the late 1960s with a kind and talented woman named Gail E. Haley. She heard the story of Anansi winning the stories from the Sky God and knew it was a tale that children all over the world needed to hear. She didn't just write the words; she gave me a body. She chose a very special way to create my pictures. Can you imagine carving a picture backward into a block of wood?. That’s what she did. It’s called woodblock printing. For each color, she carved a different block. I felt the sharp tools carving the shape of Anansi, the spots of the leopard, and the leaves of the jungle. Then came the ink. Bright greens, sunny yellows, and deep blacks were rolled onto the woodblocks, and finally, they were pressed onto paper. Page by page, I came to life. In the year 1970, I was finally complete. I am the book, A Story, A Story.

Once I was a real book, my journey truly began. I left the printing press and traveled to libraries, schools, and homes. My pages, filled with vibrant colors and the clever tale of Anansi, were opened by children far from the African forests where the story was first told. They learned how a small spider used his brain to bring the gift of stories to everyone. The pictures Gail E. Haley had so carefully carved were seen by many people, and they thought they were special, too. On January 21st, 1971, I received a wonderful honor. I was given a shiny, round, gold sticker to wear on my cover: the Caldecott Medal, an award for the most beautiful pictures in a children's book that year. I am more than just paper and ink. I am proof that a great story belongs to the whole world. I am a reminder that one small, clever hero can fill our lives with endless wonder, and that a single tale can connect us all.