How the Hare Saved the Animals of the Savanna from a Drought
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As was custom in the savanna, every year the animals met at the end of the season, when the sun was on the zenith, under the big baobab tree, to thank their ancestors for the season and to ask the hare to predict the following year. On this day, the animals arrived from everywhere in the savanna to attend the meeting. The rule of the community was: everyone should respond to the king’s call by coming to the meeting. There was no room for excuses. When the time came, no matter how busy the animals were, they had to stop whatever they were doing and attend the meeting. Finally, all the animals arrived at the meeting and gathered around the lion. The lion welcomed the animals to the meeting by saying, “In the past, the hare predicted good years for the savanna, and yes indeed, we had good years.” “Yeah!” responded the crowd with applause. The lion then spoke directly to the hare: “I want to thank you for what you do for us. Also, I want you to know that I am grateful and the community is grateful for your predictions.” The crowd responded with applause, and the lion invited the hare to tell the crowd the prediction of the coming year. The crowd was very excited and waited patiently. The hare stood up, looked at the crowd from left to right, and then slowly from right to left. He coughed a little to clear his voice, and then he started to speak: “Brothers and sisters of...
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About the Book
The book is about the animals of the savanna; it is also about the interaction between the animals and the people which reside in the savanna. The animals, like the people, have to work together as a community to resolve a natural crisis, a drought. Many villages in Africa, and around the world, live in areas plagued with yearly water shortages. It is time that we educate our young about different socities and cultures, which are living with fear, thirst, and hunger. In the story the hare takes us on his journey, filled with emotional challenges, but his wisdom and courage allows him to succeed. This tale tells us that life will always be filled with dilemmas, but nothing is impossible.
About the Author
Rachel Hien Russell was born in Burkina Faso West Africa. She attended the Univeristy of Ouagadougou (West Africa), Univeristy of Minesota, and Central Michigan University. She resides in Columbus Ohio and presently works in cancer research at The Ohio State University Medical Center. The author grew up in a different world: she has childhood life experiences filled with tales and stories told by her grandmother, aunts, and uncles. She would like to share her stories with the rest of the world.