Jan Brett and her husband, Joe, have visited Botswana three times. Their guide, Ali Tiego, told them the true story of the honeyguide, and then the legend—if you don’t share the honey, the next time the honeyguide will lead you to a lion! “Ali taught us that large cats could be hiding anywhere, especially under the candle pod acacia,” Jan says. “In Tswana, the language of Botswana, this shrub is called ‘the house of the lion.’”
How does news travel without any telephones? “It’s a bush telegraph, we were told. Ali is always listening to the sounds. The yelp of a jackal or a guinea hen’s cackle spells out a whole story—if you know how to listen."
You can visit Jan Brett at www.janbrett.com