Sister Rabbit's Tricks

PreS-Gr 2—A mediocre trickster tale. Sister Rabbit has many friends and relatives in the forest, and sometimes she likes to play tricks on them. For instance, Buzzard once had many colorful feathers on his head, and he was quite proud of them. But Sister Rabbit convinces him to learn the Fire Dance in order to impress people. She places sticks and leaves on top of his head and sets them on fire, all the while encouraging him to dance. His feathers burn, and, "Today Buzzard does not have any more feathers on his head." Sister Rabbit goes on to trick other animals, but Eagle retaliates by threatening to eat her, and she runs away and hides, feeling sorry for hurting her friends. Pringle's sweet, colorful illustrations are pleasing to the eye and add much more to the story than its message. The rabbit's antics seem more like cruelty than trickery, and readers will see right through her "redemption." Stick with Gerald McDermott's Coyote: A Trickster Tale from the American Southwest (Harcourt, 1994) or Matt Dembicki's Trickster: Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection (Fulcrum, 2010) for more pleasing tales.—Carol Connor, Cincinnati Public Schools, OH