My dad loved reading me Bruh Rabbit stories when I was little. :) I hope you are OK reading vernacular, because this one is written that way. Or, if you sound every bit as midwestern as I do when you read vernacular, just translate it in your head. ( )

I purposely chose to read this book based off the tale that was mentioned in the book Sugar, by Jewell Parker Rhodes. The main character Sugar loved to hear Mr. Beale tell the story of "Bre'r Rabbit". The story was about a jealous fox and a sly rabbit who always outwitted the fox.

I am especially pleased with Virginia Hamiltons' version of Bre'r Rabbit. The tones and dialects used in the book made me feel as if Mr. Beale, from Sugar was telling the story himself. Bre'r rabbit was a popular fable told on many southern plantations by African slaves. The authors' decision to keep with the traditions of the fable is very respectful to the culture of African people and I commend her for it. ( )

This is an African American folktale originating from oral storytellers in the South from the times of slavery. Virginia Hamilton puts her own spin on this story using the heavy Gullah speech of the Sea Islands of South Carolina. In this story Bruh Rabbit is caught yet again in the act of thievery from Bruh Wolf's crops. However, in an unexpected twist Bruh Rabbit manages to outwit Bruh Wolf in the end. The tale originates from slaves identifying with the rabbit who was helpless compared to other animals such as the fox, bear and wolf. Yet in the tale Bruh Rabbit is smart and clever and gets himself out of a jam winning over the wolf. It contains plenty of wonderful illustrated paintings by James E. Ransome.

It is about 40 pages long. Amazon recommends it for children age 3 and up. It would work well for students who are preschool through 3rd grade.

I had mixed feelings about this book and liked it for a few reasons, but also disliked it for several. I enjoyed the illustrations and plot, however thought the language was a bit more difficult and look away from the storyline. The book is about a clever rabbit and a frustrated wolf who are constantly in an argument. The wolf works hard to plant corn and peanuts, while the rabbit doesn’t do any of his own planting and simply steals from the wolf in the night. The wolf tries to catch the rabbit with a scarecrow and tar baby girl, but the rabbit is to sneaky and at the end still gets away from the wolf by telling a lie. The illustrations in the book are very well done and emphasize the important text of the plot showing the conflict between the two characters.

The language of the story on the other hand was a little hard to follow and while authentic to the time and location of the tale, I think some of the wording and dialog would be difficult for children. This story and one’s similar, originated in African American culture in the south during slavery often comparing animal characters to those of plantation owners and slaves. On one page in the book the wolf exclaims, “You a stuck-up bruh, for true! Bruh, you been a theif in my corn and my peanuts. And now, I’m-a going to eat you!” The main message of this tale is that, sometimes it is better to be clever than it is to be a hard worker, and that taking risks but knowing limits is the key to carrying out any plan. ( )

Bruh Rabbit and the Tar Baby Girl the story of a battle between Bruh Rabbit and Bruh Wolf. Bruh Rabbit steals Bruh Wolf’s food so Bruh Wolf creates a tar baby rabbit to trick Bruh Rabbit and Bruh Rabbit ends up getting stuck. The next morning, Bruh Wolf sees Bruh Rabbit stuck in the tar and throws Bruh Rabbit into the briar patch even though Bruh Rabbit told him not to. Bruh Rabbit gets up and tells Bruh Wolf that his whole family was raised in the briar bush and that Bruh Wolf will never be able to catch him again. This story is written in the way that it would be told on plantations and it includes the lingo and dialect that would be used when telling this story. A major theme of this story is to not take things that do not belong to you because there will be consequences. Throughout the story, Bruh Rabbit tricks and outsmarts Bruh Wolf and is able to get out of any situation he gets into. ( )