ANANSI GOES FISHING

In what the author describes on the jacket as ``a variation of a [West African] tale found in Joyce Cooper Arkhurst's The Adventures of Spider,'' the spider trickster is roundly tricked by his friend Turtle. Turtle agrees to teach Anansi to fish, describing the first step, netmaking, as hard work they can share: ``One of us can work while the other gets tired.'' Lazy Anansi is quick to choose work, while Turtle lounges peacefully in the chair he has brought, ``getting very tired.'' So it goes until a fish is finally caught and consumed by Turtle: ``One of us should eat while the other gets full.'' Finally catching on, the hungry Anansi goes to Warthog for justice but gets no sympathy—his reputation is known, and his story, though true, is outrageously implausible. At least he's learned to weave a web. Kimmel's funny, accessible telling is nicely complemented in Stevens's art, depicting the lively events in bold lines and assertive colors and adding amusing details like Turtle's accumulating beach-style paraphernalia—including a loudly flowered shirt and a boombox. Sure to delight the picture book crowd. (Folklore/Picture book. 4-10)