Masoba Chronicles Vol. 1

Tale One: Mbeku and the Drum of Silence
Mbeku, the tortoise, loved drums more than he loved sense. When the village announced a drum that could make children speak only truth, Mbeku stole it to win a debate. The drum, however, made Mbeku himself confess every trick he’d ever played — from stealing yams to blaming the wind. The children forgave him, but only after he returned the drum and danced badly on purpose for their laughter. Moral, as Mama used to say: "Wisdom is not in the drum, but in knowing when not to beat it."

Tale Two: The Bird Who Borrowed a Beak
Small Ofu the weaverbird was tired of being overlooked. She borrowed Eagle’s bright beak for a day to speak at the council. With it, her words boomed — and no one listened, because they were not her words. She returned the beak, sang in her own thin, brave voice, and the council leaned in.

Tale Three: The Market of Unseen Things
Nnenna followed a trail of missing spoons to a night market where items were sold not for money but for memories. She traded a memory of being scolded for a spoon that never emptied — and then, aching, traded it back.

Retold in crisp, read-aloud prose with illustrations by Chidi Nsofor and an Igbo-English glossary. For ages 8 and up, and for elders who remember.