The rains have stopped falling, so all the animals are hungry, and they don’t know how to wake the magical tree which would feed them all. Surely the brave lion or huge elephant or clever chimpanzees will save them. Why would they need the help of a small slow tortoise?

This is a new version of a very old African tale, with incredibly hot, bright, zinging pictures by Melanie Williamson.
The tortoise tale is one of the first stories I told when I became a storyteller, and I often tell it with the help of a big African drum. But when you read the book, you can make up your own rhythm for the wonderful word Awongalema…

The Tortoise’s Gift is first story in a series of six animal tales, all with incredible pictures by Melanie Williamson. The second story is called Never Trust a Tiger, and it’s out now too. The next two, about a bear and about a wolf, will be out next year.