How Rabbit Tricked Otter: and Other Cherokee Trickster Stories by Gayle Ross

Published: New York: Harper Collins, 1994.
80 pages
Target Audience: grades 3-5
Reading level: 4.8
Genre: Traditional Fantasy
Themes: Animals

Synopsis: This collection of 15 Cherokee tales introduces the trickster-hero Rabbit, the most important character portrayed in the animal stories of the Cherokee culture. The surefooted messenger who carries important news to his animal friends near and far, Rabbit is charming and mischievous—he tricks others and is often tricked himself. Sometimes he wins and sometimes he loses; sometimes he is lazy and mean, sometimes kind and caring—but somehow Rabbit always survives.

CHARACTER: ****
PLOT: ***
THEME: ***
LANGUAGE: ****
OVERALL RATING: ***

Each story stands alone as a small, humorous teaching tale. Traditional manners and morals, culture, and spirituality are lightly woven into the selections. The acrylic paintings portray the animals, traditional clothing, and environment with incredible detail. Several of the stories will be familiar to young readers in other forms. "Tar Wolf" is known to many through "Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby." "Rabbit Races with Turtle" begins like Aesop's "The Tortoise and the Hare" but takes an unexpected twist at the end. Although the stories are a bit repetitive, all in all this is a sweet offering that will be an enjoyable addition to any collection.