The Talking Vegetables

Title: The Talking Vegetables
Authors: Won-Ldy Paye and Margaret H. Lippert
Traditional Literature

     This is a traditional story passed down from a town in northeastern Liberia where the people work a community farm together.  This little story they tell is about a similar village of animals.  In this village, the spider refuses to help his neighbors clear the land, plant the seeds, and pull weeds.  He stubbornly stays in his house and eats rice.  However, of course when the vegetables are ready to be picked the spider decides he wants some for his dinner.  When he goes to pick the fresh vegetables they start yelling at him and will not allow him to pick them because he did not help them grow.  The spider is spooked and is chased all the way home by the talking vegetables and is left to eat plain rice by himself.
     I though this was a cute story, and the pictures were very vibrant and fun.  Though it would be necessary to explain to young children that animals and vegetables don't talk, I think this is a great story to show this culture of the Liberian village.  If students are old enough, it can be very helpful to look at different cultures, societies, and governments, in which people work together for the common good of others.  The moral of the story is also that in these situations, every individual is important, and every individual's work is necessary for the entire community to flourish.