Product Description

Newbery Medalist Virginia Hamilton and National Book Award-winner Barry Moser join forces to tell 11 humorous trickster tales from the story ring of the slave trade. Following the migration of stories during the Plantation Era, Hamilton presents readers with a fascinating history of the first African Americans and the wonderful stories they brought with them to the West Indies and America. Full color.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #502490 in Books
• Published on: 1997-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 112 pages

From School Library Journal
K Up. Hamilton offers readers and storytellers 11 animal trickster tales from the African diaspora. Most are quite familiar. "Bruh Wolf and Bruh Rabbit Join Together" is a variant of the popular tale about who gets the top or the bottom of the harvested crops. "The Cat and the Rat" takes a new twist when Bruh Wolf is brought in to help them share their find. "Cunnie Anansi Does Some Good" is a different take on name guessing. "Cunnie Rabbit and Spider Make a Match" is a tale about strength that also explains why animals have different colors or spots or stripes. It is the least successful offering as it lacks the humor and familiar touches found in "The Extraordinary Tug-of-War." As in When Birds Could Talk & Bats Could Sing (Scholastic, 1996) and In the Beginning (Harcourt, 1988), Moser's humorous illustrations of the principal characters capture and complement the wily, dazed, and perplexed demeanor of the animals as described by Hamilton. A section of notes helps readers understand the colloquialisms and contractions in the retellings and gives an explanation about the tricksters and the specific geographical location of the diaspora they represent. The format, size, and attractive illustrations make this title a good choice for group sharing.?Marie Wright, University Library, Indianapolis, IN
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 3^-6. Similiar in format and design to Hamilton and Moser's Newbery Honor Book, In the Beginning: Creation Stories from around the World, this is a stunning collection of trickster tales from Africa and the diaspora. Some of these wily, bold creatures like Bruh Rabbit and Anansi will be familiar; others like the Africans' Cunnie Rabbit and Hare will be less well known. Moser's elegant and imaginative watercolors are a revelation. They strike a delicate balance between the characters' animal natures and human traits, often playing off the humor and wit of the narratives. Many of the tales are very funny, like the slapstick opener that finds the wily Bruh Rabby outsmarting the fiddling Bruh Gator. A few, such as "Buzzard and Wren Have a Race," are more restrained and pensive. In language that is simple yet eloquent, innovative yet accessible (especially when read aloud), Hamilton interprets three black vernaculars, including a version of the daunting Gullah. Hamilton's introduction is thoughtful, and the notes that accompany each yarn are fascinating; however, students of folklore might have appreciated the identification of specific sources and archives. This is but a minor flaw in an undeniably handsome and well-written book that showcases two masters at the top of their form. Julie Corsaro

From Kirkus Reviews
A consummate collection from the team behind When Birds Could Talk and Bats Could Sing (1996), combining witty prose with breathtaking watercolors. Hamilton economically delineates the history of and theories behind trickster tales, encompassing the slave trade, the Revolutionary War, and the intertwining of African and American influences. Folktales from America, the West Indies, and Africa follow, featuring the familiar animals--Buh Rabby, Cunnie Anansi, Bruh Buzzard, and others--who use wit and cunning to help others, but always take care of themselves first. Moser, in addition to playing tricks with various typefaces, chooses what detail of fur or animal face to portray, posing an animal on its back like a flirting cat, hanging upside down, or, in the case of a tiger, drowsing in a tree branch, the weight of his limbs palpable. Informative notes on each tale are given in the back of the book, interesting to general readers as well as to specialists. (Folklore. 5-11) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.