Verna Aardema facts for kids

Verna Aardema (born June 6, 1911 – died May 11, 2000) was an American author. She wrote many popular children's books. Verna Aardema was famous for retelling traditional tales. She often shared stories from Africa and Mexico.

About Verna Aardema

Verna Norberg was born in New Era, Michigan. She went to Michigan State University. In 1934, she earned a degree in Journalism. After college, Verna worked as a grade school teacher. She taught from 1934 until 1973. She also worked as a newspaper writer. From 1951 to 1972, she wrote for the Muskegon Chronicle.

How Verna Started Writing

Verna loved writing from a young age. In her last year of college, she won three writing contests. These wins helped her decide to become a writer. She first thought about writing for kids when her daughter was little. Her daughter would not eat unless Verna told her a story.

Verna often made up stories about places she was reading about. She became very interested in Africa. Soon, many of her stories were set there. This led her to adapt traditional tales. She wanted to share different cultures with young readers.

Famous Books and Awards

In 1960, Verna published her first book. It was called Tales from the Story Hat. This book was very successful. She continued to adapt folk tales from around the world. Most of her stories came from Africa and Mexico.

One of her most famous books is Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears. It was published in 1975. The pictures were drawn by Leo and Diane Dillon. This book won the Caldecott Medal in 1976. It also won the Brooklyn Art Books for Children Award in 1977.

Another popular book was Who's in Rabbit's House?. This book came out in 1977. It was named a Best Book of the Year by the School Library Journal. It also won a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1978. Verna Aardema received the Children's Reading Round Table Award in 1981. Many of her books were chosen as "Notable Books" by the American Library Association. Her book Oh Kojo! How Could You! won the 1984 Parents' Choice Award for Literature.

Verna Aardema passed away on May 11, 2000. She is buried in Norton Cemetery in Norton Shores, Michigan.

Verna Aardema's Books

• Anansi Does the Impossible!: An Ashanti Tale. Illustrated by Lisa Desimini. This story tells how Anansi and his wife outsmart the Sky God. They win back their people's beloved folktales.
• Anansi Finds a Fool: An Ashanti Tale. Pictures by Bryna Waldman. Lazy Anansi tries to trick someone into doing his work. But he ends up being fooled himself!
• Behind the Back of the Mountain; Black Folktales from Southern Africa. Pictures by Leo and Diane Dillon. This book shares ten folk legends from southern Africa. These include Hottentot, Zulu, and Bantu tales.
• Bimwili & the Zimwi: A Tale from Zanzibar. Pictures by Susan Meddaugh. A girl from Zanzibar is taken by a Zimwi. She is told to be the voice inside his singing drum.
• Borreguita and the Coyote: A Tale from Ayutla, Mexico. Illustrated by Petra Mathers. A clever little lamb uses her smart ideas. She keeps a coyote from eating her.
• Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plan: A Nandi Tale. Pictures by Beatriz Vidal. This is a rhyming story. It tells how Ki-pat brought rain to a dry plain.
• Half-a-Ball-of-Kenki: An Ashanti Tale. With pictures by Diane Stanley Zuromskis. Half-a-Ball-of-Kenki saves Fly from Leopard. Leopard gets his spotted coat forever in the fight.
• How the Ostrich Got Its Long Neck; A Tale from the Akamba of Kenya. Illustrated by Marcia Brown. This tale from Kenya explains why the ostrich has such a long neck.
• Jackal's Flying Lesson: A Khoikhoi Tale. Illustrated by Dale Gottlieb. A mother dove saves her babies from a not-so-smart Jackal. She gets help from a blue crane.
• Ji-nongo-nongo Means Riddles. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. This book is a collection of riddles from Africa.
• Koi and the Kola Nuts: A Tale from Liberia. Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. In this African folktale, a chief's son must make his way in the world. He has only kola nuts and help from kind animals.
• The Lonely Lioness and the Ostrich Chicks: A Masai Tale. Illustrated by Yumi Heo. A mongoose helps an ostrich get her chicks back. A lonely lioness had stolen them.
• Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa Illustrated by Reynold Ruffins. This book is a collection of folktales from different parts of Africa.
• More Tales from the Story Hat. Illustrated by Elton Fax. This book presents eleven more folktales from Africa.
• The Na of Wa. Illustrated by Elton Fax.
• Oh, Kojo! How Could You!: An Ashanti Tale. Pictures by Marc Brown. This story tells how a young man named Kojo finally outsmarts the tricky Anansi.
• Otwe. Illustrated by Elton Fax.
• Pedro & the Padre: A Tale from Jalisco, Mexico. Pictures by Friso Henstra [nl]. A lazy boy learns a lesson about lying in this Mexican folktale.
• Princess Gorilla and a New Kind of Water: A Mpongwe Tale. Pictures by Victoria Chess. King Gorilla says no one can marry his daughter. The suitor must be strong enough to drink a barrel of strange water.
• Rabbit Makes a Monkey of Lion: A Swahili Tale Pictures by Jerry Pinkney. Smart Rabbit makes a fool of the mighty Lion. He gets help from his friends Bush-rat and Turtle.
• Sebgugugu the Glutton: A Bantu Tale from Rwanda. Illustrated by Nancy L. Clouse. A greedy poor man keeps testing Imana, Lord of Rwanda. He ends up losing everything.
• The Riddle of the Drum: A Tale from Tizapan, Mexico. Illustrated by Tony Chen. A king wants to keep his daughter from marrying. He says no man can marry her unless he guesses the leather used in a wizard's drum.
• The Sky-god Stories. Illustrated by Elton Fax.
• Tales from the Story Hat. Illustrated by Elton Fax. This book is a collection of nine folk tales from Africa.
• This for That: A Tonga Tale. Pictures by Victoria Chess.
• Tales from the Third Ear, from Equatorial Africa. Drawings by Ib Ohlsson. Nine African folk tales are in this book. They tell about a lonely lioness, a cunning spider, and a lying hyena.
• Traveling to Tondo: A Tale of the Knundo of Zaire. Illustrated by Will Hillenbradn.
• The Vingananee and the Tree Toad: A Liberian Tale. With illustrations by Ellen Weiss. A strange animal called the Vingananee beats up animals and eats their stew. Then, the tiny Tree Toad offers to fight him.
• What's So Funny, Ketu?: A Nuer Tale. Pictures by Marc Brown. Ketu saves a snake's life. He is rewarded by being able to hear animals think.
• Who's in Rabbit's House?: A Masai Tale. Pictures by Leo and Diane Dillon. Rabbit has a problem. Someone is inside her house and won't let her in.
• Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears: A West African Tale. Pictures by Leo and Diane Dillon. This traditional West African tale explains why the mosquito buzzes in people's ears.