In this collection of 41 stories from West Africa, each country is presented by several stories, a map, and country statistics on size, population, ethnic groups, and languages. An introduction explores the roots of the storytelling tradition in the history and culture of West Africa. To compile these tales, Offodile, a professor at Kent State University, drew from his own childhood experiences growing up in West Africa and interviewed village elders who remembered old stories. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)