Tiger Fat

Story

Anansi invites Tiger to go swimming. He suggests that Tiger should take off his fat and fur so he doesn’t sink. Tiger is reluctant but Anansi promises to look after the fat and fur. However Anansi gets hungry and eats all of the fat.

He realises that Tiger will be angry so he comes up with a plan. He goes to Big Monkey Town and tells the Big Monkeys that he wants to teach them a song. They won’t let him in because he plays too many tricks, so he goes to Little Monkey Town and tries there.

The Little Monkeys love the song, which is all about eating the tiger fat, and Anansi leaves them singing it. He goes back to the swimming hole where an angry Tiger has discovered the fat has gone. Without his fat his fur is very baggy!

Anansi takes Tiger to Little Monkey Town where he hears the Little Monkeys sing and thinks that they have eaten his fat. He attacks them, encouraged by Anansi, but the Big Monkeys arrive to help. They pick Tiger up by his baggy fur and throw him over the town and into the forest – and that is why, even today, Tigers don’t live near any other animals. Anansi made himself into the smallest spider he could and hid from the Big Monkeys in the long grass and that’s why, even today, spiders hide in long grass.

Why we chose it

A story full of tricks with lots of repetition to join in with and a catchy song.