Head, Body, Legs: A Story from Liberia

This Liberian story immediatly became one of the top 5 favourites of my sons (ages 3 and 5). Though short, it is a very funny, warm-hearted story about how the main body parts - head, body, legs and arms - met and decided to join together as one body. The story is of course a metaphor for the benefits of working together, and unity. The only drawback is that it is short - I would rather have bought a book with three stories like this. This is often the case with children's books - you get only one short story per book, which makes little sense, other than to maximize profit for the publisher and the authors.

"Long ago, head was all by himself." So begins Won-Ldy Paye's and Margaret Lippert's marvelous retelling of this traditional Liberian creation story. Head bounced along the ground eating only what his tongue could reach, but at night he dreamed of cherries, high in a tree. One day he meets Arms, hanging from the tree. "Let's get together. I have eyes to see, and you have hands for picking things to eat." Arms attached themselves to Head. "Hands picked cherries, and Head ate every single one." Soon body came bouncing along, and Head with Arms attached, joined Body at the belly button, and they swam across the river to a mango tree. But Arms could not stretch high enough to pick the delicious-looking mangoes. Standing near the tree were two legs. "Join us," said Head. "I have eyes. I can show you where to go, and you can help us reach those mangoes." Head, Arms, Legs, and Body began to arrange and rearrange themselves until they got it right. "Everyone slid into place. Legs stood on tiptoe. Body straightened out. Arms stretched up, and the hands picked a mango. Head took a bite..." Mr Paye's, and Ms Lippert's simple, playful text is joyous and engaging, perfect for read alouds and story times, and complemented by Julie Paschkis' bold and vibrant illustrations. Together, word and art bring the magical oral tradition of storytelling to life with wit and humor. Perfect for youngsters 3-7, Head, Body, Legs is a winner.