Jungle Doctor's Monkey Tales
From SPARK
One-sentence summary
Eleven stories (fables), using African jungle animals to teach children about living as followers of Jesus.
Description
The eleven stories in this book use fables of African animals to help introduce and explain the message of the Bible. The stories are a good method for evangelizing and discipling children.
The stories were written by Dr. Paul White who served for many years as a medical missionary in Tanganyika (now called Tanzania). He became known as Jungle Doctor. Dr. White learned to teach in fables, creating stories with a timeless quality. Children everywhere can relate to these stories that help them understand the Christian life and commitment.
- Prologue – Introduces M'gogo and the puppy that Daudi gives him.
- The Goat Who Wanted to Become a Lion – Goat becomes a lion....then he becomes a lion's supper! You cannot become a Christian by doing or saying things.
- The Monkey in the Lion's Skin – Foolish monkey thinks he can become a lion by crawling inside a lion skin – instead a leopard eats him! The wearing of skins is a futile way to become a new creature.
- Nyani and the Matter of Eggs – Because you cannot see through an egg shell, you need to test an egg in water. – But God can see through you. He needs no water to test your heart.
- The Catch in Camouflage – The chameleon and giraffe try unsuccessfully to hide. The chameleon is hurt and the giraffe is eaten by a leopard. The words of Jesus are, “There is nothing covered that shall not be known.”
- Nyani Crosses the Equator -Nyani, the monkey, crosses the invisible equator from southern hemisphere to northern hemisphere. He feels no different – geography is geography. How he feels makes no difference. The boy M'gogo is worried that he feels no difference after asking Jesus to take away his sin.
Daudi tells him, “when you cross the line from death into everlasting life, you may not feel different at the beginning. But keep on traveling further into life. Do not cross the line and just sit, looking back.”
- Monkeys Find Solid Safety – Two small monkeys ignore warnings and fall into a bog of quicksand. Giraffe and Elephant reach out to bring the monkeys to safety on a solid rock. Jesus is our Rock. We need to place our feet firmly on our belief in Him.
- Famous Monkey Last Words – Little monkeys ignore the advise of elders and find death waiting to claim them. – Those persons who enter the kingdom of God remember that God's Word says, “The man who claims to know God but does not obey his laws, is not only a liar, but he lives deceiving himself.”
- The Monkey, the Mirror and the Red Paint – A small monkey gets paint on his face, steals a mirror, and instead of looking at himself, causes trouble for other animals. Storyteller Daudi says, “The Bible is the Great Mirror. Read it and you see yourself as God sees you...”
- The Medically Minded Monkey – A monkey in poor health refuses to eat food with vitamins. The medical monkey tries to patch him up but only uses bandages; he does not treat the inner problem. The sick monkey dies of pneumonia. Daudi then explains, “Wash your hands..., but don't forget the dirt in your heart. Your body's health is much less important than your soul's health.”
- Ending – The small boy M'gogo tells Daudi, “Your words and those of Yohanna make the eyes of my soul open and its legs grow. Does not God have the same problems with me as I have with my small dog?”
Considerations
- These stories have no western influences. The storytellers are Daudi, an African dispenser of medicines, and Yohanna,the wood carver. Both tell stories to children who are at the hospital for treatment.
- The setting is the African nation of Tanganyika (now called Tanzania).
- Black and white line drawings add interest to the stories.
- Some of these drawings show parts of the animals. This could cause a problem for children who are not visually literate. Explanations would be needed.
- The sketches could be used as a flipchart, and shown as the story is told.
- The stories would be very useful on audio-cassettes.
- The stories would be useful as radio stories.
Limitations
Guidelines for Use
Where to Obtain
Link to Producer or Source Organization
Sarah's Ministry Princess Publishers
Cost
Producer/Owners
Author/Artist/Producer
Paul White. These stories are out of print. However they are available on the following web site.
Current copyright owner
Sarah's Ministry Princess Publishers
In the future these stories may be available free of charge on this SPARK website.
