From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4?In the 1970s, Faulkner, an African American minister and folklorist, published The Days When the Animals Talked, a collection of African American folktales (now published by Africa World, 1993). Many of these stories are not to be found elsewhere, including the one told here. On the surface, it is a lively tale of how Brer Rabbit organized the other animals into tricking Brer Tiger into giving them food and water during a time of famine. Under the surface, it is intended as a comfort tale to show those in bondage how to triumph over the many repressions of slavery. The writing is engaging and amusing, and lends itself naturally to storytelling and reading aloud. Done with egg tempera, the illustrations strongly feature the earth tones of brown, black, greens, and golds. They sit in an attractive and well-laid-out format. They resemble primitive woodcuts but are filled with movement and vitality. Wilson's Brer Rabbit is a sly, rakish critter, the sort of rabbit you wouldn't want to buy a used car from, but who would charm you into it anyway. The end result is a lively first purchase for most collections, sure to be enjoyed by groups and by individual children poring and chuckling over the pages.?Kay McPherson, Central Atlanta-Fulton Public Library, GA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Ages 5^-9. Brer Tiger guards the only source of water on a parched earth, preventing other animals from relieving their thirst. Along comes Brer Rabbit, and faster than you can say "trickster tale," he convinces Brer Tiger that a big wind is going to blow everyone off the earth. After the thoroughly tricked tiger is secured to a tree, the animals get all the water they need. Wilson carefully avoids the cute in her illustrations, anthropomorphizing the animals only to the extent that their expressions are recognizably human. With attractive, full-page, egg tempera paintings in gold and sienna tones, this picture book will be a solid addition to comparative folktale and multicultural collections. Janice Del Negro
About the Author
William Faulkner (1897-1962) is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all American novelists and short-story writers. His other works include the novels The Sound and the Fury, The Reivers, and Sanctuary. He twice won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and in 1949 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
