Marion Knell, writer and speaker, cross-cultural consultant

Ruth E. Van Reken, co-author, Third Culture Kids 

Anne Copeland, Executive Director, The Interchange Institute

The Legend of the Dancing Baobab Tree is an old folktale from Africa. It takes place in the savanna in a time when there was a great drought that threatened to destroy the earth. The animals were suffering from great hunger and thirst as all the rivers, lakes and streams had dried up. But the mighty baobab tree kept all the water stored inside its big, fat trunk and would not share with the rest of the creatures or plants.​

This left the animals with no choice but to pull the baobab tree from the ground and try to get the water out. But the baobab tree went flying up in the sky and returned back to earth upside down! In many legends across Africa, the baobab tree is now known as the upside-down tree. 
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This version of the story will leave young readers with an open discussion about sharing, fairness and how to ensure that every creature, every plant and every person has what they need to live a happy and healthy life on our shared planet.