‘Buzz’-ing about West Africa

The perfect introduction to folklore for children, “Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears and More African Folk Tales” DVD, boasts five beautifully illustrated stories about West Africa and the secret lives of the animals that live there. In “Why Mosquitoes Buzz,” by author Verna Aardema and narrated by James Earl Jones, a mosquito offers a piece of gossip to an iguana, who quickly spreads the news across the animal kingdom until finally, the mosquito is outed as a pest. In “Not So Fast Songololo,” a little boy spends a day shopping with his grandmother; “Who’s in Rabbit’s House?” tells the story of a rabbit who can’t get into her home, because another animal is hiding inside; and in “Hot Hippo,” the eponymous animal agrees not to eat the river’s fish in exchange for a chance to cool off in the water.

Scholastic Storybook Treasures’ “Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears and more African Folk Tales” DVD, $14.95. For info, visit www.scholastic.com.