author

Florence M. Cronise

A teacher and missionary in Sierra Leone, she helped bring West African folk tales to English-language readers at the start of the 20th century. Her best-known work preserves stories she collected firsthand, with a strong interest in local voice, setting, and tradition.

1 Audiobook

Cunnie Rabbit, Mr. Spider and the Other Beef: West African Folk Tales

Cunnie Rabbit, Mr. Spider and the Other Beef: West African Folk Tales

by Florence M. Cronise, Henry W. Ward

About the author

Florence M. Cronise, also listed as Florence Marie Cronise, was an American missionary and educator. Wikisource identifies her dates as 1861–1949.

She is best known for Cunnie Rabbit, Mr. Spider and the Other Beef: West African Folk Tales, published with Henry W. Ward. In the book's preface, Ward states that the "sole credit" for discovering and collecting the stories belongs to Miss Cronise, while he mainly shaped their presentation for publication.

The collection grew out of her time teaching at the mission school in Rotifunk, Sierra Leone, then in the British Protectorate. The book aimed to make the tales accessible to English readers while keeping their original spirit, and it remains a notable early record of West African oral storytelling gathered directly from local sources.