Love and Roast Chicken, A Trickster Tale From the Andes Mountains
CarolRhoda Books, 2004
Hardcover: 978-1575056579
Also available in Spanish:
Amor Y Pollo Asado:
Un Cuente De Estafadores
De Enredos Y Enganos
Hardcover: 978-0822531906
Translation by Judy Goldman and Wendy A. Luft
High in the Andes Mountains, Cuy the Guinea Pig searches for sweetgrass - until he’s interrupted by Tio Antonio, the sharp-toothed Fox, hunting for his own dinner. Cuy can only escape by thinking fast and distracting Fox with tricks about the end of the world, the farmer’s daughter, and roast chicken. This folktale is still a living favorite in the mountain villages of Peru and Bolivia.
"An all-around, laugh-out-loud delight."
—Starred, Kirkus Reviews
“(A) delightfully sly Peruvian folktale…Knutson's robust prints, characterized by heavy black lines and subdued colors, are remarkably effective in conveying expressions and humor.”
—Starred, Horn Book
Click here to read all the reviews and award information.
How the Guinea Fowl Got Her Spots
Carolrhoda Books, 1990
Hardcover 0-87614-416-4
Paperback 0-87614-537-3
Nganga the Guinea Fowl and Cow are best friends who spend their days together in the sunny grasslands of Tanzania: Cow eating grass, Nganga scratching for seeds, and both of them keeping an eye out for Lion. When Lion threatens to make dinner out of Cow one day, Guinea Fowl boldly intervenes and saves Cow’s life. In return, Cow honors the friendship with her own life-saving gift to Nganga. This story stems from a traditional Swahili culture where cattle (and people) crossed paths frequently with both beautiful and fierce wild animals.
“An endearing retelling of a Swahili story,
in which Ms. Knutson has woven together
the elements of a wonderful friendship
and a traditional ‘explanation’ folktale
to create a fine and appealing new story.”
—The New York Times
Sungura and Leopard, A Swahili Trickster Tale
NEW RELEASE!
First Avenue Editions, 2006
Paperback 978-0822568018
Both Leopard and Sungura the hare need a place to live. But who would have thought they would end up living together? That’s just what happens however, when each begins building a house on the same grassy hill without realizing the other is planning to live there too. Sungura and his rapidly growing family all work together to trick their dangerous housemate into leaving - and he hasn’t come back since.
“The vigorous humor of the illustrations and
the broad comedy of a familiar
story scheme are both delightful.”
—Horn Book
Why the Crab Has No Head
Carolrhoda Books, 1987
Hardcover 0-87614-322-2, Paperback 0-87614-489-X
When Nzambi Mpungu made the earth and the sky, she filled them with all kinds of animals and birds. Each creature is marvelous in its own way, but Crab boasts that he will be the finest of all—as soon as Nzambi finishes his head. When she finds out about his bragging Nzambi has other ideas, as you can see from the way Crab looks today. The borders and illustrations of this book are a celebration of the extraordinary animals and designs found in West and Central Africa.
“Black-and-white woodcutlike illustrations
provide a striking accompaniment to a
creation tale…with each page handsomely
framed in patterns of animals, birds and
geometric designs. The effect is brilliant.”
—Horn Book
The following books were illustrated by Barbara Knutson.
by Linda L. McDunn
The Liturgical Press
Hardcover 0-8146-2952-0

The Color of Me

Flowers, earth, dogs, rabbits - and people - all come in different colors. So what color is the Creator? Every color in the rainbow!
by Linda Lowery
Carolrhoda Books
Hardcover 0-87614-914-X Paperback 1-57505-581-3

Day of the Dead

Each November in Mexico and the United states, people celebrate and remember those who have died. Candles and altars, parades and sugar skulls: the Day of the Dead is both lively and reverent.
by April Brady
Carolrhoda Books
Hardcover 0-87614-842-9
Paperback 0-87614-633-7
(Out of print)

Kwanzaa Karamu

Crafts and cooking for the African-American holiday of Kwanzaa.
by Holly Littlefield
Carolrhoda Books
Hardcover 1-57505-354-3
Paperback 1-57505-374-8

Colors of Ghana

What color is the West African country of Ghana ? It is silver like the clever Ananse spider’s web, tan like the ceremonial drums, and orange like the threads in a Kente cloth.
by Jim Haskins
Carolrhoda Books
Hardcover 0-87614-347-8
Paperback 0-87614-514-4

Count Your Way
Through Africa

Learn the Swahili numbers one through ten as you learn about many parts of Africa.
by Trish Marx
Carolrhoda Books
Hardcover 0-87614-772-4
(Out of print)

Hanna's Cold Winter

The true story of how the people of Budapest saved the beloved hippos in their zoo during World War II.
by James Arne Nestingen
Augsburg Fortress
0-8066-4030-8
Spanish version
0-8066-4043-X

Manger in the Mountains
(El Pesebre en Las Montañas)

Advent meditations for December 1-25, finding real-life shepherds, magi and angels in Peru and Bolivia. A matching Andean Advent calendar (shown below) has windows to open each day in a count-down to Christmas. Books and calendar available in English and Spanish.