by Vita Murrow
They raced to the perimeter of the fabric and grabbed hold. Above them Anansi hurtled toward the earth. The six stretched the fabric taut to form a parachute. As soon as they had done so, their father struck the cloth. Anansi bounced in the air and then landed safely onto the luxurious fabric.
Anansi lay in the parachute overwhelmed with gratitude. He cried happy tears, and everyone climbed in beside him. The family held each other. Anansi kissed each and every one of his children.
“How ever did you know how to help me?” Anansi wept as he looked to the sky. “I thought I’d never see your faces again. That I’d miss the wonderful things you do.”
The seven of them lay side by side. A full moon rose above and shone its soothing light upon them.
“What can I give you to repay each of you for the ways in which you have rescued me today?’ Anansi pondered aloud. “If I could, I would pull the moon from the sky for you all.”
“We don’t need anything, Father,” Golden Silk said.
“Speak for yourself,” joked Wolf.
“Seriously, I must give you something!” Anansi insisted.
“Why don’t you let us give to you for a change?” Red said gently.
Anansi went very quiet.
“You can give us the chance to teach you, Father,” Cam added.
Anansi saw the new path he needed to take. “I’ll leave the moon in the sky,” he joked, “and I’ll let my children shine on me for a change.”
In the days and years that followed Anansi was true to his promise. He offered his children the reward of his time as a gracious listener. A “know it not” rather than a “know it all.” Anansi saw that people appreciated listening far more than instructions.
And as for Golden Silk’s torn train, well the family spun a new tapestry. It featured each of them, Anansi too, as gardeners tending an orchard in the mind of a great thinker.
“You can give us the chance to teach you, Father,” Cam added.
In the spirit of Washington Irving’s words, “There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness but of power. They are messengers of overwhelming grief and of unspeakable love.”—V. M.
To my husband, my best supporter and the kindest, bravest man I know—J. B.
High-five to the Hero © 2019 Quarto Publishing plc. Text © 2019 Vita Murrow.
Illustrations © 2019 Julia Bereciartu.
First published in 2019 by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books,
an imprint of The Quarto Group,
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401, USA.
T (612) 344-8100 F (612) 344-8692 www.QuartoKnows.com
The right of Vita Murrow to be identified as the author and Julia Bereciartu to be identified as the illustrator of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 (United Kingdom).
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electrical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Digital edition: 978-0-71124-848-9
Hardcover edition: 978-1-78603-782-4
The illustrations were created in watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil
Published by Rachel Williams
Designed by Karissa Santos
Edited by Katie Cotton
Production by Nicolas Zeifman