A retelling of the African folktale that explains how all stories came to Earth. Long ago, stories didn't belong to the people of Earth, but rather to Nyame, the Sky God, who kept all the stories locked up in a golden box for his own enjoyment. When Ananse the Spider Man asks Nyame to release the stories for all to enjoy, Nyame says he will do so only if Ananse can perform three seemingly impossible tasks. Woodcut illustrations accompany the text. Winner of the 1971 Caldecott Medal.