Description

Book Synopsis

The first man and woman are lonely. What to do? They decide to fashion children out of clay. As they are baking the little figures in their fire, they're constantly interrupted by visits from the sky-god, Nyame. As a result, some of the children are pale and underdone, some are left in so long that they come out very dark, and the rest are every shade between. Frané Lessac's gorgeous gouache paintings, inspired by West African masks and pottery, and Eric Maddern's vivid text make this one of the most compelling of creation myths for young readers.



Trade Review

‘An uplifting lightness of touch in the story-telling and a luminous intensity of colour in the illustrations.’


‘An uplifting lightness of touch in the story-telling and a luminous intensity of colour in the illustrations.’

The Fire Children: A West African Folk Tale

    Product form

    £8.54

    Includes FREE delivery

    RRP £8.99 – you save £0.45 (5%)

    Order before 4pm tomorrow for delivery by Wed 24 Jun 2026.

    A Paperback / softback by Eric Maddern, Frané Lessac

    2 in stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of The Fire Children: A West African Folk Tale by Eric Maddern

      Publisher: Quarto Publishing PLC
      Publication Date: 07/05/2015
      ISBN13: 9781847806529, 978-1847806529
      ISBN10: 184780652X

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      The first man and woman are lonely. What to do? They decide to fashion children out of clay. As they are baking the little figures in their fire, they're constantly interrupted by visits from the sky-god, Nyame. As a result, some of the children are pale and underdone, some are left in so long that they come out very dark, and the rest are every shade between. Frané Lessac's gorgeous gouache paintings, inspired by West African masks and pottery, and Eric Maddern's vivid text make this one of the most compelling of creation myths for young readers.



      Trade Review

      ‘An uplifting lightness of touch in the story-telling and a luminous intensity of colour in the illustrations.’


      ‘An uplifting lightness of touch in the story-telling and a luminous intensity of colour in the illustrations.’

      Recently viewed products

      © 2026 Book Curl

        • American Express
        • Apple Pay
        • Diners Club
        • Discover
        • Google Pay
        • Maestro
        • Mastercard
        • PayPal
        • Shop Pay
        • Union Pay
        • Visa

        Login

        Forgot your password?

        Don't have an account yet?
        Create account