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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2016)
10 F LORENCE F ESTIVAL calychiopublishing@gmail.com Th e Fearless Badger Aft er several misadventures, the Lion who’s been hunting to bring food to his ravenous family is heading back to the den empty-handed. Just some yards from his den, the Lion encounters the Bad- ger…. Will this be at last his lucky catch, or….? OF B OOKS • S EPT . 24, 2016 MEET THE AUTHOR Muabilai Tshionyi, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, is a long-time resident of Eugene, Oregon. He obtained two Bachelor of Arts degrees, one in English and another in Humanities, from Oregon State University, and aft er his graduate studies at the University of Oregon, he obtained an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. Dr. Tshionyi is a retired educator who has taught at the university level, at several middle schools, and for the last several years prior to his retirement, Dr. Tshionyi taught Advanced Rhetoric and English Language Composition at a local high school. Now a great-grandfather, Dr. Tshionyi enjoys reading, writing, fl ower gardening, and visiting his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and their families. Dr. Muabilai Tshionyi (Mwa-bee-lie Chō-nee), captures on paper the traditional folktales he grew up listening to in his childhood country of Congo. Th e Hen and Th e Weasel Weasels and chickens are archenemies. But the Weasel in this story tries to convince fi ve big chickens that they could squeeze and fi t in a tiny makeshift cage. Will the chickens take the bait? Th e Tricky Trickster In this tale, Boa, trapped under a huge tree branch, is rescued by a young, robust buck. Having saved Boa’s life, the Antelope fi nds himself in need of rescue. What a predicament! Th ese folktales constitute a treasure trove of fascinating intrigue embodying ancestral wisdom. What was formerly passed down orally through stories told by fathers and uncles from one generation to the next, is presented here in entertaining and captivatingly illustrated books. Th e reader will discover that animals talk and behave like humans. Th ey use wit or trickery, or both to extricate themselves from predicaments, or to save their lives or others’ lives, or to deceive and take advantage of others. Sometimes the less powerful employ quick wit to trick or make fools of the more powerful. Tshionyi’s “picture books’ [themes] seem as universal as Aesop’s fables,” asserts Th e Register Guard (November, 2015). Th e principal goal of these folktales is to entertain, to teach or instruct, and sometimes to transmit moral lessons necessary to handle life events. Equally the author aims to preserve and memorialize these stories. For with the rapid advent of technology and social media, this valuable piece of history is becoming a thing of the past and will likely be lost to posterity. Th e Antelope And Th e Spider and Th e Worst Best Friend Th is book contains two tales. Th e fi rst tale is about a craft y spider who repaid his debt to a frightened ante- lope. Th e second, is about two best friends who found themselves in a diffi cult situation, and how the out- comes were very diff erent for each of the two friends. Th e Sticky Attraction Th is is a tale about a farmer who solved the mys- tery of what was happening to his vegetable crops. In the end, it becomes a sticky situation. Sasquatch Tales, Stew and Sue and the Very Special Shell by Gerald “Boomer” Wright From the magical woods on the edge of Boomer’s Pond comes a delightful series of adventures, of a whimsical family of Sasquatch. Th is is the third book from the series “Adventures at Boomer’s Pond”. All three books by Wright will entertain as well as educate. To learn more about Sea Lion Caves please check online at sealioncaves.com
