The Sticky Doll Trap

K-Gr 3—Souhami tells her version of the West and South African folktale that most Americans will recognize as "Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby." One hot summer day, lazy Hare rests while the other animals scratch away at the dry earth until they discover a precious pool of water. Wanting to save the water for the animals who worked for it, Monkey stands guard but is tricked by Hare, who fills his calabash and runs away. After the rascal tricks Hyena, the angry animals collect gum from the rubber trees and make a sticky doll to stand by the pool. As in the Uncle Remus story, the argumentative Hare becomes stuck in the gummy doll but escapes after talking the other animals into throwing him into the spiny, thorny bushes. Bright collages made from Ingres papers hand-painted with watercolor inks and graphite pencil depict the savannah wildlife and horizon. The text is conversational in tone, as told from a storyteller's perspective. This book is a good addition to collections in need of an updated edition or a variant of the popular tale.—Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT