The Coming of Night: A Yoruba Tale from West Africa

James Riordan travelled the world collecting folktales and published over thirty volumes of tales from different countries. The Twelve Labours of Hercules won the UK Reading Association Award 1998. He was Emeritus Professor at the University of Surry and Visiting Professor at the University of Worcester, as well as holding honorary degrees from Birmingham, London, Moscow and Grenoble. He regularly reviewed children's books for The Times., and his autobiography, Comrade Jim: the spy who played for Spartak, was published in 2008 by Fourth Estate. He also wrote ten novels for young people. His first, Sweet Clarinet, won the NASEN award in 1999 and was nominated for the Whitbread Prize in 1998. Match of Death won the South Lanarkshire Book Award in 2004, and The Gift was nominated for the NASEN award in 2006. He published a novel on slavery, Rebel Cargo, with Frances Lincoln in 2007. James Riordan died in 2012. Jenny Stow gained a BA in English and History of Art from Manchester, before going on to study at Chelsea School of Art. Between 1982 and 1985 she spent four years teaching in Africa, followed by a year in the Caribbean in 1987. Jenny is married with one son.

Kindergarten-Grade 3-The story of how Night was brought to earth. Aje, the daughter of the river goddess Yemoya, leaves her shady home deep underwater to marry an earth chief named Oduduwa. Although she loves him, she soon tires of living in a world of endless sunlight. Concerned about her happiness, Oduduwa sends Hippopotamus and Crocodile to the girl's mother to ask for Night. She sends it back in a sack but warns them not to open it until they reach her daughter for "Only she can control the spirits of Night." Hearing strange noises emerge from the bag, the animals open it, unleashing all of the night creatures. Frightened, Crocodile and Hippopotamus jump into the river and raise "...their eyes and noses above the swell" while Aje soothes the spirits and a hush descends on the land. Riordan's retelling is written in a style rich with descriptive language and images. Stow's illustrations utilize a combination of sun-drenched yellows and oranges with cool shades of blues. The soft, fluid lines of the richly textured artwork flow effortlessly within balanced compositions and create eye-pleasing scenes. This tale, also available in several anthologies, is not an essential purchase, but would enhance collections wanting more representation of West African folklore.
Paul Kelsey, East Baton Rouge Parish Public Library, LA
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