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AGES 5-6 • 10 pages • about 3 min to read together
Kweku wants the loudest drum so everyone will listen, but after his echoing drum disturbs the village, he learns that harmony is better than noise.
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PAGE 1 OF 10
In Kweku Anansi’s village, children loved to drum. In the morning they tapped soft rhythms. In the afternoon they played fast rhythms. At sunset, their drums made everyone clap and dance.
PAGE 2 OF 10
Kweku loved the drums too, but one day he wanted something more. “If I had the loudest drum,” he thought, “everyone would stop and listen to me.”
PAGE 3 OF 10
He searched near the fields and found a hollow log beside an old tree. When he tapped it, the sound bounced back. Boom… boom… BOOM! Kweku’s eyes shone.
PAGE 4 OF 10
Kweku carried the log to Uncle Kojo, the village drum maker. Together they stretched a drum skin, tied strong cords, and made a round drum with a deep echoing voice.
PAGE 5 OF 10
The first time Kweku played it, the sound rolled across the village. Boom-ba-boom! It bounced from the huts, over the fields, and all the way to the river.
PAGE 6 OF 10
Kweku felt proud. He played louder and louder. He played while people talked. He played while babies slept. He played while Auntie Ama called the children for supper.
PAGE 7 OF 10
Soon, everyone covered their ears. The goats ran from the pen. The chickens flapped in circles. Even the old chief’s stool shook from the noise.
PAGE 8 OF 10
The village chief called everyone to the meeting tree. Kweku brought his drum, sure they would praise him. But the people looked tired, not happy.
PAGE 9 OF 10
A wise elder touched Kweku’s shoulder. “Your drum is loud,” she said, “but loud is not the same as beautiful. A good drum listens to the other drums.”
PAGE 10 OF 10
Kweku thought about the children playing together. Then he tapped softly. Tap-tap, boom. The others joined in. Soon the echoing drum was part of the music, and Kweku smiled because harmony sounded better than noise.
Talk about it together
- What was your favourite part of the story?
- What do you think Anansi learned?
- What would you have done differently?
ABOUT THIS TALE
Anansi (Kwaku Ananse) is the clever spider of Ashanti folklore from Ghana. These tales were told aloud for generations and travelled the world with the Akan people. This is an original retelling that keeps the wit and warmth of the tradition alive for young readers.
More Anansi stories
Anansi and the Echoing Truth →
Explore more Anansi
- Who is Anansi? — meet the clever trickster spider of Ghana.
- See Anansi in 360° — his spider and human forms.
- More free stories for ages 5–6
