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Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection
Meet the Trickster, a crafty creature or being who disrupts the order of things, often humiliating others and sometimes himself in the process. Whether a coyote or rabbit, raccoon or raven, Tricksters use cunning to get food, steal precious possessions, or simply cause mischief.
In Trickster, the first graphic anthology of Native American trickster tales, more than twenty Native American tales are cleverly adapted into comic form. An inspired collaboration between Native writers and accomplished artists, these tales bring the Trickster back into popular culture in vivid form. From an ego-driven social misstep in "Coyote and the Pebbles" to the hijinks of "How Wildcat Caught a Turkey" and the hilarity of "Rabbit's Choctaw Tail Tale," Trickster bring together Native American folklore and the world of graphic novels for the first time.
In Trickster, the first graphic anthology of Native American trickster tales, more than twenty Native American tales are cleverly adapted into comic form. An inspired collaboration between Native writers and accomplished artists, these tales bring the Trickster back into popular culture in vivid form. From an ego-driven social misstep in "Coyote and the Pebbles" to the hijinks of "How Wildcat Caught a Turkey" and the hilarity of "Rabbit's Choctaw Tail Tale," Trickster bring together Native American folklore and the world of graphic novels for the first time.
232 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 523 reviews
September 19, 2011
On the one hand, I feel a little guilty giving this collection only 3 stars, because it is fabulous that they collected all these native american tales together and got various artists to illustrate them and paid for a high-quality heavy-paper glossy publication.
On the other hand, I feel a little guilt giving this collection as much as 3 stars, because man, it was pretty effing boring and the retellings were uninspired and most of the art was stunningly weak and cartoonish.
I am far from being an expert and I could easily come up with a more diverse, complex and interesting set of trickster tales. And I could relate them in a more interesting voice. Hell, I could even illustrate them better than most of these artists bothered to do. And since they actually make careers out of this I can only assume that the artists or the editor thought this over-simple, silly tone was appropriate to the subject matter. Wrong.
*******
[Edit: I know it says "three"; I took away another star after reading other reviews where people said that this was their first encounter with Native American mythology and it made them not bother reading further.]
On the other hand, I feel a little guilt giving this collection as much as 3 stars, because man, it was pretty effing boring and the retellings were uninspired and most of the art was stunningly weak and cartoonish.
I am far from being an expert and I could easily come up with a more diverse, complex and interesting set of trickster tales. And I could relate them in a more interesting voice. Hell, I could even illustrate them better than most of these artists bothered to do. And since they actually make careers out of this I can only assume that the artists or the editor thought this over-simple, silly tone was appropriate to the subject matter. Wrong.
*******
[Edit: I know it says "three"; I took away another star after reading other reviews where people said that this was their first encounter with Native American mythology and it made them not bother reading further.]
March 14, 2016
3/5 stars
Trickster was a bright and unique graphic collection of Native American Tales.
I have read a good amount of graphic novels, each with their own writing and art style. This book was like grabbing hundreds of graphic novels and slapping them together. I enjoyed the array of art styles, but most of them didn't fit together very well. Many of them felt misplaced or awkward because they were completely different art form. Some were very realistic while others had the look of a child's coloring book, all black outlines filled with solid colors.
The stories themselves were aimed for a younger audience, so I found myself skimming through the "once upon a time" beginnings. I read a few of the stories to my little sister and she absolutely loved them. She enjoyed the art and characters. I did like the moral behind the stories and how we were able to learn more about very under represented people.
If you like bright and bold graphic novels that you can pick up every once in a while, this collection is for you.
Trickster was a bright and unique graphic collection of Native American Tales.
I have read a good amount of graphic novels, each with their own writing and art style. This book was like grabbing hundreds of graphic novels and slapping them together. I enjoyed the array of art styles, but most of them didn't fit together very well. Many of them felt misplaced or awkward because they were completely different art form. Some were very realistic while others had the look of a child's coloring book, all black outlines filled with solid colors.
The stories themselves were aimed for a younger audience, so I found myself skimming through the "once upon a time" beginnings. I read a few of the stories to my little sister and she absolutely loved them. She enjoyed the art and characters. I did like the moral behind the stories and how we were able to learn more about very under represented people.
If you like bright and bold graphic novels that you can pick up every once in a while, this collection is for you.
July 30, 2011
My acquaintance with North American tribal histories, lores, and mythologies is what those in the know might describe as inadequate. Woefully inadequate, even. Certainly I have for these cultures a passing appreciation that I garnered piecemeal from elementary school classes (focused on Californian tribes), a smattering of books, a couple of films, and even the occasional article. Knowledge thus gained is likely apocryphal and prone to stereotype—and so I’ve largely abandoned any sense that I understand North American tribal culture at all. I’m much more knowledgeable as concerns Olmecs, Toltecs, Aztecs, and Mayans than I am of Cherokees, Apaches, Utes, or Choctaws. And my entire knowledge of Canadian tribal nations comes from an Elmore Leonard novel and Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man, neither of which are satisfactory sources.
So when the opportunity to read an anthology composed wholly by tribal Americans and trafficking entirely in tales drawn from the tribal mythos, I was demonstrably excited. I had grabbed seven books that day and this collection was the first I picked up. It was also, of those seven books, the last finished—and finished reluctantly.
Trickster was, by all measures available to me, a bitter pill to swallow.
I frequently remark at the necessarily uneven tone of anthologies, with one story trumping another and the next falling far short of the bar set by the former. I expected this. What I hadn’t expected was for the bar to be set so low and for it to remain low for the book’s duration. These stories were almost* universally uninvolving and trite, offering no compelling reason to read further. It was only a personal need to perform my due diligence that pressed me to continue. Never a good recommendation for a book.
Almost exclusively, the writing in the book was limp. These stories of the Trickster (usually a coyote or rabbit or raccoon) were simply uninteresting. Perhaps they make a better oral tradition than a written one, but my feeling is that almost any of the stories could have been made more compelling with a steadier author’s hand. Many of the tales take forms similar to Kipling’s Just So Stories. How the alligator got his skin, how the rabbit got his tail, how the raccoon got short and fat, how the beaver stopped being an unbridled killing machine, et cetera. There’s meat there for some decent stories. Or at least some lame stories told interestingly. But it just never coalesces.
And while very rarely all that good, there are times when the art is actually just plain bad. After several stories with lackluster art, I gave up entirely on hoping for good visual storytelling and merely crossed my fingers, hoping that it wouldn’t get worse. The inhabitants of the frame often looked like creatures in static poses, only rendered so still from the steady hand of some demented taxidermist. It was rare that I felt an artist had a good feel for the story being told.
Probably the greatest tragedy is the squandered opportunity. I was a happy and willing student, ready to take on a culture decidedly foreign from my own. I came to Trickster with a thirst for being inducted into terra incognita. And here I stand, as much a foreigner as I was three weeks ago when I first opened the book. Heck, I may even be more of a foreigner now.
I don’t know what to feel. Should I see Trickster as well-representative of the North American tribal folklore? If so, then what am I to make of that culture? I found the storytelling infantile and the artistry remedial. Am I then too quick to judge another culture by standards I have learned under the rigours of my own? If so, that would be deeply unfair, like judging the first novels to come out of Borneo by the standards to which we would hold the latest literary release from Knopf. I don’t want to be that person and yet: if Trickster is a fair representation of the North American tribal narrative art, I can honestly say that I’m not all that interested in sitting around, waiting for it to develop into something I can appreciate.
Not that a culture’s goal is to develop into something I can appreciate, of course.
My real hope is that Trickster is not a good reflection of the stories of these cultures.** That it is, rather, simply the product of those who were willing to put pen to paper in the particular form required by the medium. Perhaps tribal culture generally views the comics form as infantile as most Americans did until (mainly) this last decade. Maybe there are great storytellers among the peoples and nations who can turn the legends into verdant tales, both relevant and riveting. Perhaps those people exist and were merely not interested in a medium that doesn’t get half the respect it often deserves. That is my deep and solemn hope.
Because I would hate to judge cultures based on this one hollow product.
Notes:
*Hm. I suppose I should note that I did enjoy two stories in the volume. The best of show were the story about the raven kicking sea anemones and the one about how the wildcat caught a turkey. Both were enjoyable, with fair art—the wildcat story’s art bore strong resemblance to Doug TenNapel’s. Still, these were two stories out of twenty-one and there’s a long stretch between the two tales.
**With the very traditionally Americano cartoon styles employed by the artists, it’s easy to become hopeful that this work isn’t really representative of Native American culture at all. Or at least not representative of the best of it.
[review courtesy of Good Ok Bad]
January 24, 2016
This is a collection edited by a non-Native artist who fell in love with North American trickster tales. He recruited Native storytellers from various nations to tell their stories, allowing them to choose which artist from a pool of contributors would create the accompanying artwork. The editor's note says nothing was changed without the storytellers' approval. At the end of the book, there are useful contributor bios. Readers can learn where the stories came from and follow up on favorite authors and artists.
I loved this collection for the variety of art and storytelling styles. This collection would be excellent for a school library, because it presents Native stories as distinct, vibrant, and still evolving. There are the expected tricksters--Crow, Rabbit, Coyote, Raccoon--but also wily figures less familiar--Horned Toad Lady, the Yehasuri (like imps or fairies), and Wizard Dog.
My favorite stories were the surreal "Raven the Trickster" by John Active, "Rabbit and the Tug-of-War" by Michael Thompson, in which a pretty doe lends rabbit her shoes, "The Bear Who Stole the Chinook" by Jack Gladstone, for its rhythm and rhyme, and "Espun and Grandfather" by John Bear Mitchell, which tells how Raccoon got his lumpy shape.
The only story I didn't like was "When Coyote Decided to Get Married," in which Coyote punishes lots of people because a young woman presented to him for marriage is "impure." The woman never had any interest in marrying Coyote, because she was in love with someone else, but her father forced her to participate. Also, the father grossly asks her "Are you still my little girl?" to find out if she's a virgin. (To which she answers yes, because, hello, having sex doesn't change who your parents are.)
Aside from this one sour note, the stories are delightful. Also, it's interesting to think about how the various comic styles complement the storytelling. My favorite artists here were Micah Farritor, who illustrated "Coyote and the Pebbles" with smoky magic realism, Jacob Warrenfeltz, who gave "Rabbit and the Tug-of-War" a soft sepia look that transferred well to the black and white cover, and Michelle Silva, whose dense, colorful images beautifully evoked the woods of "The Wolf and the Mink."
I loved this collection for the variety of art and storytelling styles. This collection would be excellent for a school library, because it presents Native stories as distinct, vibrant, and still evolving. There are the expected tricksters--Crow, Rabbit, Coyote, Raccoon--but also wily figures less familiar--Horned Toad Lady, the Yehasuri (like imps or fairies), and Wizard Dog.
My favorite stories were the surreal "Raven the Trickster" by John Active, "Rabbit and the Tug-of-War" by Michael Thompson, in which a pretty doe lends rabbit her shoes, "The Bear Who Stole the Chinook" by Jack Gladstone, for its rhythm and rhyme, and "Espun and Grandfather" by John Bear Mitchell, which tells how Raccoon got his lumpy shape.
The only story I didn't like was "When Coyote Decided to Get Married," in which Coyote punishes lots of people because a young woman presented to him for marriage is "impure." The woman never had any interest in marrying Coyote, because she was in love with someone else, but her father forced her to participate. Also, the father grossly asks her "Are you still my little girl?" to find out if she's a virgin. (To which she answers yes, because, hello, having sex doesn't change who your parents are.)
Aside from this one sour note, the stories are delightful. Also, it's interesting to think about how the various comic styles complement the storytelling. My favorite artists here were Micah Farritor, who illustrated "Coyote and the Pebbles" with smoky magic realism, Jacob Warrenfeltz, who gave "Rabbit and the Tug-of-War" a soft sepia look that transferred well to the black and white cover, and Michelle Silva, whose dense, colorful images beautifully evoked the woods of "The Wolf and the Mink."
December 6, 2012
Meh. I really wanted to like this, what with my fondness for native folklore and my work with a number of tribes, mostly in the northern Plains. It may be the graphic novel format alone, which I don't think I care for, or something else I can't put my finger on.
It felt shallow. This book could have really used a forward with information on the traditional role of the trickster and especially contexts with each story, at least a mention of the contributing tribe or region. A few of the comics just seemed inappropriately cartoonish and I wonder if the artwork was fully vetted -- quite a bit of it seemed like Disney-Indian. (Much of the art and graphic design just wasn't to my personal taste, too. YMMV.) A tougher editor could have helped shape up some of these stories for the graphic novel format. There are just so many great collections of stories out there (for academic and popular audiences) that this one seemed like a hollow mish-mash with an adorable cover.
It felt shallow. This book could have really used a forward with information on the traditional role of the trickster and especially contexts with each story, at least a mention of the contributing tribe or region. A few of the comics just seemed inappropriately cartoonish and I wonder if the artwork was fully vetted -- quite a bit of it seemed like Disney-Indian. (Much of the art and graphic design just wasn't to my personal taste, too. YMMV.) A tougher editor could have helped shape up some of these stories for the graphic novel format. There are just so many great collections of stories out there (for academic and popular audiences) that this one seemed like a hollow mish-mash with an adorable cover.
February 6, 2016
WHAT IT IS ABOUT:
“Trickster: Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection” is a graphic novel anthology of Native American trickster tales collected by editor Matt Dembicki. This collection features twenty-one storytellers from Native American tribes all across The United States as well as the same number of talented artists. Some of the stories strive to explain the world around us, others aim to teach us a lesson, still others want nothing more than to entertain the reader. However, all the stories have one thing in common: they center around a trickster, a crafty creature - let it be a coyote, raven, raccoon or rabbit - that uses deceit to get what it wants, or simply enjoys causing mischief.
THUMBS UP:
1) Important.
“Trickster” is a very important addition to the literary world - it’s the first graphic novel anthology of Native American trickster tales. This collection introduces the reader to the worldview, beliefs and cultural values of indigenous people, and does so in a very readable format making it appealing to both children and adults.
2) Authentic.
Although the editor himself is not Native American, this collection is soaked with authenticity. To ensure the best graphic representation, each of the twenty-one Native American storytellers selected an artist from the pool of contributors and later approved the storyboards. What is more, the vernacular is not westernized, and any editions to the original text had to be approved by the storyteller.
3) Effective format.
Graphic novel format is not only very readable and appealing, but it also enables an easier transition from spoken to written word as it allows more structural freedom minimizing the need to edit the original language.
4) Dynamic.
Each story is written by a different author and illustrated by a different artist, and it ends shortly after it starts leaving no reason for the reader to get bored.
COULD BE BETTER:
1) Underdeveloped.
The stories in this collection have a lot of potential but some of them seem underdeveloped. I can imagine HEARING these stories, but in a written format they are not the most engaging, quite often seem too simplistic and even a little bit illogical.
2) Uneven quality of artwork.
Although I like the fact that each story is illustrated by a different artist, some illustrations are not as appealing as the others, and some styles are harder to “read.”
3) Background information.
The background information on each of the authors and artists provides a useful context; however, I wish it precedes each of the story instead of being listed in the back of the book alphabetically with authors and artists mixed together.
VERDICT: 3 out of 5
Matt Dembicki’s “Trickster” is an authentic introduction to Native American folklore that both children and adults can enjoy. However, some of the stories do not live up to their potential as they lack more development.
“Trickster: Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection” is a graphic novel anthology of Native American trickster tales collected by editor Matt Dembicki. This collection features twenty-one storytellers from Native American tribes all across The United States as well as the same number of talented artists. Some of the stories strive to explain the world around us, others aim to teach us a lesson, still others want nothing more than to entertain the reader. However, all the stories have one thing in common: they center around a trickster, a crafty creature - let it be a coyote, raven, raccoon or rabbit - that uses deceit to get what it wants, or simply enjoys causing mischief.
THUMBS UP:
1) Important.
“Trickster” is a very important addition to the literary world - it’s the first graphic novel anthology of Native American trickster tales. This collection introduces the reader to the worldview, beliefs and cultural values of indigenous people, and does so in a very readable format making it appealing to both children and adults.
2) Authentic.
Although the editor himself is not Native American, this collection is soaked with authenticity. To ensure the best graphic representation, each of the twenty-one Native American storytellers selected an artist from the pool of contributors and later approved the storyboards. What is more, the vernacular is not westernized, and any editions to the original text had to be approved by the storyteller.
3) Effective format.
Graphic novel format is not only very readable and appealing, but it also enables an easier transition from spoken to written word as it allows more structural freedom minimizing the need to edit the original language.
4) Dynamic.
Each story is written by a different author and illustrated by a different artist, and it ends shortly after it starts leaving no reason for the reader to get bored.
COULD BE BETTER:
1) Underdeveloped.
The stories in this collection have a lot of potential but some of them seem underdeveloped. I can imagine HEARING these stories, but in a written format they are not the most engaging, quite often seem too simplistic and even a little bit illogical.
2) Uneven quality of artwork.
Although I like the fact that each story is illustrated by a different artist, some illustrations are not as appealing as the others, and some styles are harder to “read.”
3) Background information.
The background information on each of the authors and artists provides a useful context; however, I wish it precedes each of the story instead of being listed in the back of the book alphabetically with authors and artists mixed together.
VERDICT: 3 out of 5
Matt Dembicki’s “Trickster” is an authentic introduction to Native American folklore that both children and adults can enjoy. However, some of the stories do not live up to their potential as they lack more development.
June 12, 2024
Just to say that reading Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection (2010) on Open Library is proving to be a wee bit frustrating and I have thus decided to also purchase a paper copy of Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection for my personal bookshelves. For aside from me definitely wanting to own a copy of Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection (as I adore trickster tales and even more so since ALL of the authors presenting their twenty-one stories in Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection are Native American, albeit of the accompanying illustrators, there are only two Native American artists, not a huge deal, since the storytellers worked with the illustrators and also approved the artwork, but yes, I do kind of wish that there were more Native American artists to be encountered in Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection), unfortunately, reading Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection online, the illustrations do have the tendency to sometimes appear a bit visually blurry, that being able to quickly flip to the back of the book to read details regarding the tribal affiliations of the featured authors is pretty much impossible on Open Library, and that yes indeed and in my humble opinion, the information on the contributors, on the Native American authors and also on the illustrators should definitely be provided by editor and compiler Matt Dembicki (who by the way is not Native American) as either a preamble or an afterword for each of the presented stories and not relegated to the back of Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection.
Now Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection features a pretty wild and interesting array of wily rascals (and diverse types of trickster tales, considering that the Native American storytellers providing the texts for Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection also hail from different nations and with different stories and lore). And while some of the presented plots of Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection use the trickster to explain such natural events and phenomena like why there are stars in the sky, how the rabbit got its puffy tail, why the buzzard has no feathers on its head, why the owl guards burial sites, why geese fly in a V formation (basically pourquoi type of tales), trickster stories are also used to show and teach morals and how trickster animals (mostly coyotes, ravens, raccoons, rabbits, wolves, beavers, dogs) and sometimes also humans (like Moshup, Ishjinki and Waynaboozhoo) rely on cunning, craft (and thus usually not on brute strength) to survive, outwit and amuse (but yes, that the trickster only sometimes wins through and certainly not always). A fun and engaging combination of text and images is Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection, a reading experience I have found both pleasurable and also educational (and yes, I also and definitely find that the illustrations for each of the twenty-one trickster tales work very well with the presented narratives and vice versa).
But well, and as already pointed out above, I would definitely enjoy Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection a wee bit more if Matt Dembicki would be using more Native American illustrators and if the information on the contributors for Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection would be featured either before or after each story and not just at the back of the book.
Now Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection features a pretty wild and interesting array of wily rascals (and diverse types of trickster tales, considering that the Native American storytellers providing the texts for Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection also hail from different nations and with different stories and lore). And while some of the presented plots of Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection use the trickster to explain such natural events and phenomena like why there are stars in the sky, how the rabbit got its puffy tail, why the buzzard has no feathers on its head, why the owl guards burial sites, why geese fly in a V formation (basically pourquoi type of tales), trickster stories are also used to show and teach morals and how trickster animals (mostly coyotes, ravens, raccoons, rabbits, wolves, beavers, dogs) and sometimes also humans (like Moshup, Ishjinki and Waynaboozhoo) rely on cunning, craft (and thus usually not on brute strength) to survive, outwit and amuse (but yes, that the trickster only sometimes wins through and certainly not always). A fun and engaging combination of text and images is Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection, a reading experience I have found both pleasurable and also educational (and yes, I also and definitely find that the illustrations for each of the twenty-one trickster tales work very well with the presented narratives and vice versa).
But well, and as already pointed out above, I would definitely enjoy Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection a wee bit more if Matt Dembicki would be using more Native American illustrators and if the information on the contributors for Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection would be featured either before or after each story and not just at the back of the book.
November 20, 2010
This year I helped a committee come up with the 100 best books for children. This list has been produced for a while and each year we make sure to include a folk and fairytale section. The problem? With each passing year publishers produce less and less folk and fairytales for kids. In the past this was a serious category, with a variety of different authors and illustrators all battling it out for folktale supremacy. Nowadays, you can read through a big publisher’s full catalog for the upcoming season and not find a single solitary folktale gracing their lists. It’s sad really. Maybe that’s part of the reason that Trickster, as edited by Matt Dembicki, appealed so strongly to me. This isn’t just a graphic novel and it isn’t just a pairing of smart writers and great artists. Dembicki has come up with a way of collecting a wide variety of Native American folktales into a single source, done in such a way that kids will find themselves enthralled. When was the last time a book of folktales enthralled one of your kids anyway? It’s remarkable. Not that it’s a perfect collection (there are a couple things I’d change) but generally speaking I hope Trickster acts as a sign of good things to come. I wouldn’t call it the ultimate solution to the current folktale crisis but I would call it a solution. And in this day and age of publishing, there’s something to be said for that.
Twenty-one Native American storytellers are paired with twenty-one artists. Each storyteller tells a tale about a trickster type character. Coyote, raven, rabbit, raccoon, dog, wolf, beaver, and wildcat all have their day. The sheer range of storytellers is impressive, calling upon folks from Hawaii to the Eastern shore, from Alaska to Florida. Sometimes the stories are told traditionally. Sometimes they utilize a lot of modern terms (you don’t usually run across the term “crystal cathedral thinking” in a book of folktales these days). The final result is an eclectic collection, where each story plays off of the ones paired before and after it. Though oral in nature, editor Matt Dembicki finds a way to make these tales as fresh and spontaneous on the printed page as when they were told to generations of eager listeners.
I liked the sheer array of kinds of tricksters in this book. In some cases they were villains that had to be outsmarted. Other times they were unrepentant bad boys (never bad girls, alas) who always got their way. Sometimes they were wise and powerful, and other times very small and more sprite than single entity. I also enjoyed seeing similar stories repeat in different places. For example, in three different stories a trickster pretends to be dead in order to lure its prospective meal nice and close. These include “How Wildcat Caught a Turkey” as told by Joseph Stands With Many, “Azban and the Crayfish” by James and Joseph Bruchac, and “Ishjinki and Buzzard” by Jimm Goodtracks. Now these are stories from guys from the Cherokee, Abenaki, and Ioway/Otoe tribes, but the similarities are striking. There are people in this world who spend their entire lives tracking how tales move from one group of people to another. Trickster allows you a quick glimpse into that lifestyle.
I tried this book out with my children’s bookgroup and it was a big success. Really, the only problem was that a lot of them weren’t familiar with the very concept of tricksters and had a hard time figuring out, what they called, the "point" of certain stories. For example, in the tale “Rabbit and the Tug of War” a sneaky bunny manages to get two buffalo to tug on a single rope against one another, thinking they’re tugging against him. It’s a silly prank, but my kids were puzzled. “Why did he do that?” It’s tough being the first person to explain the concept of tricksters and trickery to ten-year-olds. You just sort of assume they know what you’re talking about.
The kids also had distinct opinions on the art. I was a little surprised by it, honestly. First off, I’d never heard of a single one of the artists. None of them have really done graphic novels or comics in the young reader sphere, working instead in the realm of adult comics and Eisner Award winning books. None of the artists, as far as I could tell, were Native American either. Now in his notes From the Editor at the end of the book, Mr. Dembicki does say that the text of individual tales was always changed with the full approval of the storyteller. That said, I had to wonder what their opinions of their accompanying artists were. The animal stories wouldn’t have had to worry (mostly) but when you see American Indians in headdresses and the usual shtick, you have to parse whether or not someone might be offended. However, after listening to an interview with Dembicki, I learned that the storytellers were allowed to choose their artists, and that makes a huge difference, so my fears were sort of abated. On the kids’ part, they paid far more attention to the types of art being utilized. We all loved the art Jason Copland created of “Raven the Trickster” (looking like nothing so much as Arabel’s Raven in a slightly different form). They were disturbed by the art Paul Zdepski made for “Puapualenalena Wizard Dog of Waipi’o Valley” (like me). And they were all equally entranced by the work Pat Lewis did on “Rabbit’s Choctaw Tail Tale”. That Mr. Lewis doesn’t have a children’s book out yet is nothing short of bizarre. Clearly this is his medium.
For all this, the book is not without its flaws. For example, on a first reading it’s impossible to say which story is attributed to which tribe. After some time you will realize that within the biographies in the back of the book the tribe of each of the storytellers is listed alongside that person's name. All well and good, but unfortunately this gives the book the initial impression that all tales are one and the same. I would have also have liked more information in Dembicki's note at the end of the book about why certain artists were paired with certain stories. Ah well.
Of course, the book wasn’t really written with a child audience in mind. Librarians in children’s rooms have purchased it for that purpose but you can tell that it was initially meant to be for a more adult crowd. Maybe that’s the solution to the folktale gap problem, then. If adults start reading folktales and begin collecting books like Trickster here, then perhaps we’ll see a resurgence of interest in the publishing industry. In the meantime, supplement your reading of this book with the child-friendly Trick of the Tale: A Collection of Trickster Tales by John and Caitlin Matthews and the more young adult The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. I guarantee your trickster hunger will be well satiated if you happen to do so. You'll probably keep returning to this book, though. There's something new to find within it each time you pick it up.
For ages 9 and up.
Twenty-one Native American storytellers are paired with twenty-one artists. Each storyteller tells a tale about a trickster type character. Coyote, raven, rabbit, raccoon, dog, wolf, beaver, and wildcat all have their day. The sheer range of storytellers is impressive, calling upon folks from Hawaii to the Eastern shore, from Alaska to Florida. Sometimes the stories are told traditionally. Sometimes they utilize a lot of modern terms (you don’t usually run across the term “crystal cathedral thinking” in a book of folktales these days). The final result is an eclectic collection, where each story plays off of the ones paired before and after it. Though oral in nature, editor Matt Dembicki finds a way to make these tales as fresh and spontaneous on the printed page as when they were told to generations of eager listeners.
I liked the sheer array of kinds of tricksters in this book. In some cases they were villains that had to be outsmarted. Other times they were unrepentant bad boys (never bad girls, alas) who always got their way. Sometimes they were wise and powerful, and other times very small and more sprite than single entity. I also enjoyed seeing similar stories repeat in different places. For example, in three different stories a trickster pretends to be dead in order to lure its prospective meal nice and close. These include “How Wildcat Caught a Turkey” as told by Joseph Stands With Many, “Azban and the Crayfish” by James and Joseph Bruchac, and “Ishjinki and Buzzard” by Jimm Goodtracks. Now these are stories from guys from the Cherokee, Abenaki, and Ioway/Otoe tribes, but the similarities are striking. There are people in this world who spend their entire lives tracking how tales move from one group of people to another. Trickster allows you a quick glimpse into that lifestyle.
I tried this book out with my children’s bookgroup and it was a big success. Really, the only problem was that a lot of them weren’t familiar with the very concept of tricksters and had a hard time figuring out, what they called, the "point" of certain stories. For example, in the tale “Rabbit and the Tug of War” a sneaky bunny manages to get two buffalo to tug on a single rope against one another, thinking they’re tugging against him. It’s a silly prank, but my kids were puzzled. “Why did he do that?” It’s tough being the first person to explain the concept of tricksters and trickery to ten-year-olds. You just sort of assume they know what you’re talking about.
The kids also had distinct opinions on the art. I was a little surprised by it, honestly. First off, I’d never heard of a single one of the artists. None of them have really done graphic novels or comics in the young reader sphere, working instead in the realm of adult comics and Eisner Award winning books. None of the artists, as far as I could tell, were Native American either. Now in his notes From the Editor at the end of the book, Mr. Dembicki does say that the text of individual tales was always changed with the full approval of the storyteller. That said, I had to wonder what their opinions of their accompanying artists were. The animal stories wouldn’t have had to worry (mostly) but when you see American Indians in headdresses and the usual shtick, you have to parse whether or not someone might be offended. However, after listening to an interview with Dembicki, I learned that the storytellers were allowed to choose their artists, and that makes a huge difference, so my fears were sort of abated. On the kids’ part, they paid far more attention to the types of art being utilized. We all loved the art Jason Copland created of “Raven the Trickster” (looking like nothing so much as Arabel’s Raven in a slightly different form). They were disturbed by the art Paul Zdepski made for “Puapualenalena Wizard Dog of Waipi’o Valley” (like me). And they were all equally entranced by the work Pat Lewis did on “Rabbit’s Choctaw Tail Tale”. That Mr. Lewis doesn’t have a children’s book out yet is nothing short of bizarre. Clearly this is his medium.
For all this, the book is not without its flaws. For example, on a first reading it’s impossible to say which story is attributed to which tribe. After some time you will realize that within the biographies in the back of the book the tribe of each of the storytellers is listed alongside that person's name. All well and good, but unfortunately this gives the book the initial impression that all tales are one and the same. I would have also have liked more information in Dembicki's note at the end of the book about why certain artists were paired with certain stories. Ah well.
Of course, the book wasn’t really written with a child audience in mind. Librarians in children’s rooms have purchased it for that purpose but you can tell that it was initially meant to be for a more adult crowd. Maybe that’s the solution to the folktale gap problem, then. If adults start reading folktales and begin collecting books like Trickster here, then perhaps we’ll see a resurgence of interest in the publishing industry. In the meantime, supplement your reading of this book with the child-friendly Trick of the Tale: A Collection of Trickster Tales by John and Caitlin Matthews and the more young adult The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. I guarantee your trickster hunger will be well satiated if you happen to do so. You'll probably keep returning to this book, though. There's something new to find within it each time you pick it up.
For ages 9 and up.
Read
April 5, 2023Inconsistent art and writing.
Not great.
Not great.
July 28, 2021
A collection of indigenous American stories about tricksters, told by Native storytellers and illustrated by Native artists.
I appreciated the artistry and collection of stories from across North America, and I really enjoyed quite a few of them. Also, I liked that the vernacular and cadence of the stories was authentic and not modified for a white/colonizer audience.
However, some of the illustrations were...not the best, and quite often the fonts were hard to read (this might be different in the print version, I read the ebook and a lot of the images were pixelated). I kind of wish that there was more of a cohesive look (same font/similar formatting) across the collection.
I appreciated the artistry and collection of stories from across North America, and I really enjoyed quite a few of them. Also, I liked that the vernacular and cadence of the stories was authentic and not modified for a white/colonizer audience.
However, some of the illustrations were...not the best, and quite often the fonts were hard to read (this might be different in the print version, I read the ebook and a lot of the images were pixelated). I kind of wish that there was more of a cohesive look (same font/similar formatting) across the collection.
February 24, 2019
A collection of stories written or re-told by Native Americans, and illustrated by others.
Many had the structure and feel of Kipling's Just So Stories. I enjoyed some of them, but don't really have enough context to know how to think about them. I know that Kipling was trying only for entertainment, but I know not for the stories here. Were they stories for entertainment? For children or adults? Religious stories? I may have appreciated some differently if I knew more.
I think that many of them were originally oral stories and those often lose some of their power when translated to a different language and not presented orally by a master storyteller. That seems to have happened here to many stories. Though some work well by adding humorous cartoony details. (The one drawn by Pat Lewis was particularly fun.)
One story was by a Native Hawaiian. That one felt very different, as I would expect due to differences in culture, and I really enjoyed it. Who wouldn't like a dancing dog?
Many had the structure and feel of Kipling's Just So Stories. I enjoyed some of them, but don't really have enough context to know how to think about them. I know that Kipling was trying only for entertainment, but I know not for the stories here. Were they stories for entertainment? For children or adults? Religious stories? I may have appreciated some differently if I knew more.
I think that many of them were originally oral stories and those often lose some of their power when translated to a different language and not presented orally by a master storyteller. That seems to have happened here to many stories. Though some work well by adding humorous cartoony details. (The one drawn by Pat Lewis was particularly fun.)
One story was by a Native Hawaiian. That one felt very different, as I would expect due to differences in culture, and I really enjoyed it. Who wouldn't like a dancing dog?
October 3, 2019
I love the range of the stories and artwork in this collection. It's a beautiful book and would make a fantastic read aloud.
October 2, 2020
A wonderful assortment of folktales accompanied by interesting artwork. The collection didn't feel totally coherent because of the differences in style (which were VAST) but this is a brilliant idea and a great way to keep these stories alive and vibrant and show them to a new audience.
August 25, 2010
A collection of trickster tales from native tribes all over amerika.
I struggle with this one. On the one hand, it's a neat looking package. An awesome cover, glossy color images inside, with stories contributed by native americans and illustrations by comic artists. As an artifact, I think it's valuable in society.
But I'm not sure it's entirely effective. Many of the stories are extremely text heavy, and it's often hard to see the benefit the illustrations lend to the telling. Also, there's no extra information about where the stories come from, which areas of the country, what tribes, any kind of a context. There was one story set near Celilo Falls (on the Columbia River), and the dwellings were teepees. Maybe I'm ignorant, but I didn't think northwest native americans used teepees. And the afterward (which I think should have been a forward) said that the storytellers (natives) approved the illustrations, but why wouldn't they correct that? There's no extra information or analysis of the trickster tale as an entity, which I felt was lacking, given this rich collection of examples to draw from. I respect and appreciate the effort to invite the native writers to do the writing uninhibited, but the text didn't always lend itself well to the comic medium, which a good editor should have helped with. The editor said that he had a really hard time finding native americans willing to help with the project, so it felt like he became coordinator instead of true editor, and it suffers.
But still...
What did you think?
I wanted this to be a good fit for a graphic novel discussion group for tweens I'm (very slowly) developing, but I'm not sure the kids will enjoy reading it.
I struggle with this one. On the one hand, it's a neat looking package. An awesome cover, glossy color images inside, with stories contributed by native americans and illustrations by comic artists. As an artifact, I think it's valuable in society.
But I'm not sure it's entirely effective. Many of the stories are extremely text heavy, and it's often hard to see the benefit the illustrations lend to the telling. Also, there's no extra information about where the stories come from, which areas of the country, what tribes, any kind of a context. There was one story set near Celilo Falls (on the Columbia River), and the dwellings were teepees. Maybe I'm ignorant, but I didn't think northwest native americans used teepees. And the afterward (which I think should have been a forward) said that the storytellers (natives) approved the illustrations, but why wouldn't they correct that? There's no extra information or analysis of the trickster tale as an entity, which I felt was lacking, given this rich collection of examples to draw from. I respect and appreciate the effort to invite the native writers to do the writing uninhibited, but the text didn't always lend itself well to the comic medium, which a good editor should have helped with. The editor said that he had a really hard time finding native americans willing to help with the project, so it felt like he became coordinator instead of true editor, and it suffers.
But still...
What did you think?
I wanted this to be a good fit for a graphic novel discussion group for tweens I'm (very slowly) developing, but I'm not sure the kids will enjoy reading it.
July 17, 2011
Some of these stories certainly merit a 5, but the overall quality--especially of illustration--is uneven. A two-sentence source note about the culture that tells each story would have vastly improved the book. One of the things that bothered me most was that some illustrators seemed to fall into the lazy pattern of treating all Native Americans as members of the same tribe, depicting a stereotyped "cigar store injun" instead of the setting within a particular tribe and nation. For instance, Jerry Carr's illustrations for the Winnebago tale "Trickster and the Great Chief" show the chief lying in state with what look like a Sioux war bonnet and a Navajo blanket. Since part of the idea of an anthology like this is to preserve and celebrate the unique and separate culture that gave us each story, this is doubly insulting. All the same, there are some great stories here, and a few truly outstanding pieces of graphic storytelling.
June 28, 2012
What we have here are around two dozen trickster stories from roughly as many Native American traditions. I enjoyed it, for the most part, but it wasn't the most inspiring selection of trickster tales. But I love reading trickster tales. There's a variety of art styles represented here, but none of them were that inspiring to me. But the thing that irritated me the most, which would have been such a small thing to do, is that you had to read the author/storyteller bio at the end of the book to know which tradition each story came from. An example: the second story in the book is obviously Pacific northwest in origin, but that only narrows it down a little. I kept flipping to the back of the book so I could know where the story came from. How easy it would have been to have a subtitle for each story something along the lines of "A Choctaw Tale". Yes, it's nitpicky, but I do feel like it would have improved the collection.
January 30, 2020
As with every collection, some stories were better than others, but man was I happy to find this collection in the first place! The art work was usually pretty awesome, and the stories were often well-rendered and humorous. So happy to see Native American tales put in graphic form for both adults and young readers to learn from and enjoy!
Read
April 30, 2015It was funny and entertaining. I liked how the stories where cut and not all together but it was all about tricking.
May 22, 2017
This is a volume of Native American folk tales that include a trickster or how a creature or person got out of a potentially dangerous situation using cunning or their wits. The story-telling of what appears to be a YA book is easy-to-follow, the stories themselves not too complicated and easy-to-understand, and the drawings/artwork quite entertaining and well-executed. I'd recommend this book to readers of all ages since even for an adult, it can be a relaxing break - usually the stories are also on the humorous side, so reading these stories will usually be rewarded with at least a chuckle if not a laugh.
The stories all have an underlying precept, told via situations set up usually between different forms of wildlife, such as coyote vs. birds, or bear vs. a group of smaller wildlife and so forth. This is analogous to Aesop's fables. The stories probably were invented as a way to illustrate life lessons, to try to instill wisdom/sense in kids using entertaining stories of ants, birds, and so forth - with the occasional story also dealing with tribes etc. Sometimes animals take the form of humans and humans may take the form of animals. Sometimes, boulder formations may talk. Rabbit is often the trickster - analogous to Br'er Rabbit, or the wascally rabbit Bugs Bunny. In one story, a clever raccoon outsmarts a colony of crayfish. A brilliant raven is the hero of another story - outsmarting, sea anemones, a whale and Inuit villagers. A coyote-Indian helps bring starlight into the world, in another story, when shining pebbles are thrown into the night sky in the shape of animals. In another story, demons are out-tricked by the inordinately clever wizard-dog Puapualenalena. Another story tells how coyote changed Indians into pillars of rock in Washington State, because the parents of one bride "candidate" tried to deceive him about her purity (i.e. she actually already had a boyfriend). In another story, an old wise man (?shaman) outsmarts a buzzard - and in so doing, insured that buzzards would henceforth be bald foul-smelling birds. These are all entertaining tales that are suitable for readers of any age.
Of note, the cover - with the minute glittering "stars" set in the matte black sky above the glossy white rabbit head peering out from behind a formation of off-white rocks - is quite effective & cool.
The stories all have an underlying precept, told via situations set up usually between different forms of wildlife, such as coyote vs. birds, or bear vs. a group of smaller wildlife and so forth. This is analogous to Aesop's fables. The stories probably were invented as a way to illustrate life lessons, to try to instill wisdom/sense in kids using entertaining stories of ants, birds, and so forth - with the occasional story also dealing with tribes etc. Sometimes animals take the form of humans and humans may take the form of animals. Sometimes, boulder formations may talk. Rabbit is often the trickster - analogous to Br'er Rabbit, or the wascally rabbit Bugs Bunny. In one story, a clever raccoon outsmarts a colony of crayfish. A brilliant raven is the hero of another story - outsmarting, sea anemones, a whale and Inuit villagers. A coyote-Indian helps bring starlight into the world, in another story, when shining pebbles are thrown into the night sky in the shape of animals. In another story, demons are out-tricked by the inordinately clever wizard-dog Puapualenalena. Another story tells how coyote changed Indians into pillars of rock in Washington State, because the parents of one bride "candidate" tried to deceive him about her purity (i.e. she actually already had a boyfriend). In another story, an old wise man (?shaman) outsmarts a buzzard - and in so doing, insured that buzzards would henceforth be bald foul-smelling birds. These are all entertaining tales that are suitable for readers of any age.
Of note, the cover - with the minute glittering "stars" set in the matte black sky above the glossy white rabbit head peering out from behind a formation of off-white rocks - is quite effective & cool.
February 13, 2021
I had to read this book for a children's book class I am currently taking. I found the whole concept interesting: turning Native American trickster tales into a graphic novel book for children. Overall, I found it pretty intriguing but I was questioning its authenticity. Fortunately, the editor of this book mentioned that he had reached out to Native American storytellers to help him retell this book and make it into a graphic novel format. Most of the stories were good, and the illustrations complimented each story. However, there was a few that I felt like were a stretch and maybe should not of made the cut. A good book to add to a library collection as it is a fun way to spark an interest in Native American tales to an older elementary crowd.
Read
August 5, 2021some very cool art styles. enjoyed most of the stories and the telling style
September 25, 2019
Some sections I liked better than others. Over all a very fun book.
July 19, 2019
I stole this book (fitting). I'm going to leave it in a public place because it's quite awful
August 6, 2022
Niet alle verhalen spraken me aan, en When Coyote decided to get married vond ik zelfs misselijkmakend (zo'n beetje de Native-American-variant van een eerwraakverhaal 🤮).
Nee, voor mij was The Yehasuri, the little wild Indians qua inhoud misschien niet de topper (maar ver, ver uitstijgend boven het hiervoor genoemde verhaal!!!!!), maar in combinatie met de wijze waarop het getekend is, werd dat zo ruimschoots goed gemaakt dat het met enige afstand het beste verhaal van de bundel is. Kleine rotzakjes, die de gewone mensen (en paarden... grrrrr... die heksenvlechten!) het leven zuur maken, zijn natuurlijk sowieso al heerlijk, maar de wijze waarop Andrew Cohen gebruikmaakt van de mogelijkheden van een strip is geweldig en perfect passend!
Daarom hieronder één pagina, helemaal alleen voor Andrew's Yehasuri:
Nee, voor mij was The Yehasuri, the little wild Indians qua inhoud misschien niet de topper (maar ver, ver uitstijgend boven het hiervoor genoemde verhaal!!!!!), maar in combinatie met de wijze waarop het getekend is, werd dat zo ruimschoots goed gemaakt dat het met enige afstand het beste verhaal van de bundel is. Kleine rotzakjes, die de gewone mensen (en paarden... grrrrr... die heksenvlechten!) het leven zuur maken, zijn natuurlijk sowieso al heerlijk, maar de wijze waarop Andrew Cohen gebruikmaakt van de mogelijkheden van een strip is geweldig en perfect passend!
Daarom hieronder één pagina, helemaal alleen voor Andrew's Yehasuri:
June 7, 2014
This graphic novel, edited by Matt Dembicki, consists of 21 Native American trickster tales that have been re-imagined in a comic format. Each tale is told by a different author/illustrator pair with all of the authors, and some of the illustrators, being of Native American descent. There are many elements of this collection that are intriguing. There are many different styles of illustration, the tricksters come in a variety of forms, and the outcome for the tricksters is not always what one would expect.
This would be a great vehicle to work on comparison and contrast or to analyze story structure with students since the stories lend themselves to some direct comparisons.
Dembicki includes an editor's note that explains the process through which the book came to exist and author/illustrator biographies for all of the contributors.
This would be a great vehicle to work on comparison and contrast or to analyze story structure with students since the stories lend themselves to some direct comparisons.
Dembicki includes an editor's note that explains the process through which the book came to exist and author/illustrator biographies for all of the contributors.
April 27, 2014
I have encountered versions of some of these tales before, but this collection is very well done. It's diverse and respectful, ranging from Choctaw to Navajo to one set in Hawaii. The information in the back states that they made sure that the storyteller approved of the art, and that little editing was done so that the true voice could be preserved. I loved the majority of the artwork--really, a number of panels were just plain gorgeous--though found one in particular to be a bit too contemporary-cartoony for my taste. But hey, that's me.
Since my 9-year-old son loves graphic novels, I think he might like this book--whereas he wouldn't pick up a standard book of mythological tales. It's the kind of book a child or adult can appreciate.
Since my 9-year-old son loves graphic novels, I think he might like this book--whereas he wouldn't pick up a standard book of mythological tales. It's the kind of book a child or adult can appreciate.
January 4, 2017
This collection of Native American folklore told by Indigenous writers and illustrators was a pleasant morning read. There was even some overlap between this and MOONSHOT, as the first story in this collection was the same version of "Coyote and the Pebbles" that is found in that one. It also happened to be one of my favorites, so it was a strong start. While I liked some of the art styles more than others, I liked having all of these different representations of Indigenous folklore and mythology that would definitely appeal to the kids that it has been targeted towards. I don't really understand the criticism that I've seen on this site, as it was a perfectly fine and rather charming read.
December 26, 2011
Many readers here on Goodreads don't seem to like this. I did. I enjoyed it. It was a wonderful Christmas present. It is true, I didn't like all of the art work, but in many cases (say 90%) the artwork suited the tale. It matched it. Maybe it's because I was already familiar with many of these stories so I was just intersted in seeing how the retelling went, I don't know. For instance, the story of how rabbit got his tail works with cartoon like drawings that accompany it.
Overall, I enjoyed it, though the wizard dog story I really didn't like.
Overall, I enjoyed it, though the wizard dog story I really didn't like.
May 29, 2015
I liked the book and how their was tricksters in each story of the book and their goal as to get what they wanted and making plans so that they could trick other people and they getting what they wanted.
April 9, 2022
Giddy up, wolfie -
I chose Giddy up, wolfie as a secondary book because I had a longer book that I was currently reading and I decided to use this as a way to enjoy my book (harry potter) a little more without rushing it.
Chuckfi the rabbit is not your average rabbit, where he has thoughts and feelings just like a human. Another not-so-average trait that Chuckfi has is somehow falling in love with another animal and falling in love in general. Although Chuckfi knows it will be hard he decides to ask her out and maybe give it a chance. To where he finds out "Nashoba-tek" his crush already has a boyfriend. It looks like Chuckfi is going to have to use his wits to win over her love. In order to do this Chuckfi came up with very elaborate lies. These lies include saying that the boyfriend does everything he says and even lets him carry him around on his back like a horse. Only if these accusations are proven to be true Nashoba-tek will have nothing to do with ChuckFI. After Nashoba-tek's boyfriend finds out about what Chuckfi said to her, he decides it's time to have a talk with Chuckfi. Here we find Chuckfi using his smartness over strength or even being a different animal. Chuckfi uses being hurt as an excuse to go on the boyfriend's back and as ChuckFi said he rode on his back like a horse all the way back to the cave whereas you can guess, Chuckfi won the heart over Nashoba-tek.
I really liked the outcome of this story. It was very predictable although at the same time satisfying where we find out that Chuckfi won the love over Nashoba-tek. I also like how wits were chosen over strength and dominance. The illustrations used throughout the story also make the story much more visually pretty, and overall make it more clear to understand. Even though it's already very easy to understand.
I know it's supposed to be a shorter story, but I'd honestly like it to go in more depth and be a longer story overall. For example, it would be cool to see the reaction of Nashoba-teks bf when she finds Chuckfi riding his back.
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Rabbit Choctaw tail tale was my second choice when taking a quick glance looking through the trickster book. What caught my eye was the drawing style which reminded me of an old tv show I used to watch and naturally made me want to read it.
Fox lives with his four fox babies and isn't your average trickster. Through this story, we seem to find two separate trickster types, one that is just plain annoying and one who uses his wits to outsmart the other trickster. Fox loves his family and loves food. His number one priority is is to keep Fox wife happy by feeding her and their fox babies, but most importantly keep his belly happy! He knows if he gets enough catfash, then his fox wife will make him his favorite homemade hushpuppies with gripe dumplings on the side, yum. Now Rabbit is an extremely annoying lazy trickster. He thinks anything and everything is his with no hesitation. One day during Fox's daily fish hunt Rabbit seems to smell Fox's catfish. Here you can tell that in order to get Rabbit away fox is going to need to use his smarts in order to be able to keep his food all to himself. Fox decides to lead Rabbit to the pond that he fishes at, and here he learns why Fox is a trickster. Fox tells Rabbit that if he uses his tail, then he will be able to catch many fish. I bet from here you can guess how things go for rabbit... He loses his tail!! After this encounter with being tricked Rabbit never wants to go through regrowing his tail again and will defiantly never ask Fox for more fish again!
What I like about this story is how for once, the Rabbit isn't the trickster! For once Fox was a trickster but in my opinion is was for a good reason. Fox didn't use his stronger body to get Rabbit away but used him being smarter and his words to force Rabbit into being tricked! I think by doing this it just changes up how usually a Fox seems to be an aggressive beast that eats it's problems away but this story changes that and I like it.
What I dislike is just the very boring and predictable ending. I feel like it was gonna go a different way possibly but was just very mediocre with Rabbit just getting his tail bitten off. I guess it helped him learn his lesson but I believe it was very long for no reason and maybe something more interesting could have happened to him.
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Raven the trickster is a nice satisfying book which was my thrid choice when flipping through the whole book. For once it was a different trickster and I thought it was worth a shot to read this one.
Raven is a very smart bird who seems to always get his way, although sometimes it can be mean. Raven is a big liar and uses this in order to get out of tough situations that he can't phyucally and he also sometimes ends up in tougher situation because he does whatever he wants. Even when told not to. Raven one day was walking down a long beach kicking every Deq or sea anemone he sees. This last for a while until Deq becomes trapped by a deq who doesn't want to be kicked. Raven seems to enjoy doing this and definitely isn't gonna stop for this one deq. Raven at first offers up many things he doesn't actually have such as an jacket from his uncle but this is worth nothing to a deq. But a wife is something he'd love because it could cook for him. But this was really just a lie for Raven to get out of the sticky situation. Here we see how Raven is very smart and can get out of any problem. Later a giant whale is seen near the surface of the ocean. Raven decides to take a closer look and tricks the whale into opening its mouth to fly into it. He seems to be surprised where he is met with a door and a person inside with the instructions of not touching the light. But to no surprises the first thing he does is touch the light where darkness now consumes the entire room. Great!! But to Ravens luck this doesn't matter since men looking for blubber find the dead whale washed up on the sand where Raven uses this as a chance to get more food! Raven uses his smarts once again to scare the men into giving him his food. To do this he tells the men a black spirit flew out of the whale but it was really just him!
And raven ends up with food without even having to do anything!
What I like about this story is how things end up going good for the trickster. He gets usually evreyhig he wants and sometimes a trickster story like this is satisfying. Raven gets out of tough problems when he wants, and even finds a wat to get all the food he needs but sacring humans into thinking there's a ghost. He ends up facing all these problems but ends up with something out of them.
There's nothing I really dislike about this story, I'm just confused on how a little room was inside of a whale. I know it's just a little story or whatever but I guess that was just very random to me and I honestly wasn't really expecting it. I defiantly would read another story about trickster raven!
I chose Giddy up, wolfie as a secondary book because I had a longer book that I was currently reading and I decided to use this as a way to enjoy my book (harry potter) a little more without rushing it.
Chuckfi the rabbit is not your average rabbit, where he has thoughts and feelings just like a human. Another not-so-average trait that Chuckfi has is somehow falling in love with another animal and falling in love in general. Although Chuckfi knows it will be hard he decides to ask her out and maybe give it a chance. To where he finds out "Nashoba-tek" his crush already has a boyfriend. It looks like Chuckfi is going to have to use his wits to win over her love. In order to do this Chuckfi came up with very elaborate lies. These lies include saying that the boyfriend does everything he says and even lets him carry him around on his back like a horse. Only if these accusations are proven to be true Nashoba-tek will have nothing to do with ChuckFI. After Nashoba-tek's boyfriend finds out about what Chuckfi said to her, he decides it's time to have a talk with Chuckfi. Here we find Chuckfi using his smartness over strength or even being a different animal. Chuckfi uses being hurt as an excuse to go on the boyfriend's back and as ChuckFi said he rode on his back like a horse all the way back to the cave whereas you can guess, Chuckfi won the heart over Nashoba-tek.
I really liked the outcome of this story. It was very predictable although at the same time satisfying where we find out that Chuckfi won the love over Nashoba-tek. I also like how wits were chosen over strength and dominance. The illustrations used throughout the story also make the story much more visually pretty, and overall make it more clear to understand. Even though it's already very easy to understand.
I know it's supposed to be a shorter story, but I'd honestly like it to go in more depth and be a longer story overall. For example, it would be cool to see the reaction of Nashoba-teks bf when she finds Chuckfi riding his back.
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Rabbit Choctaw tail tale was my second choice when taking a quick glance looking through the trickster book. What caught my eye was the drawing style which reminded me of an old tv show I used to watch and naturally made me want to read it.
Fox lives with his four fox babies and isn't your average trickster. Through this story, we seem to find two separate trickster types, one that is just plain annoying and one who uses his wits to outsmart the other trickster. Fox loves his family and loves food. His number one priority is is to keep Fox wife happy by feeding her and their fox babies, but most importantly keep his belly happy! He knows if he gets enough catfash, then his fox wife will make him his favorite homemade hushpuppies with gripe dumplings on the side, yum. Now Rabbit is an extremely annoying lazy trickster. He thinks anything and everything is his with no hesitation. One day during Fox's daily fish hunt Rabbit seems to smell Fox's catfish. Here you can tell that in order to get Rabbit away fox is going to need to use his smarts in order to be able to keep his food all to himself. Fox decides to lead Rabbit to the pond that he fishes at, and here he learns why Fox is a trickster. Fox tells Rabbit that if he uses his tail, then he will be able to catch many fish. I bet from here you can guess how things go for rabbit... He loses his tail!! After this encounter with being tricked Rabbit never wants to go through regrowing his tail again and will defiantly never ask Fox for more fish again!
What I like about this story is how for once, the Rabbit isn't the trickster! For once Fox was a trickster but in my opinion is was for a good reason. Fox didn't use his stronger body to get Rabbit away but used him being smarter and his words to force Rabbit into being tricked! I think by doing this it just changes up how usually a Fox seems to be an aggressive beast that eats it's problems away but this story changes that and I like it.
What I dislike is just the very boring and predictable ending. I feel like it was gonna go a different way possibly but was just very mediocre with Rabbit just getting his tail bitten off. I guess it helped him learn his lesson but I believe it was very long for no reason and maybe something more interesting could have happened to him.
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Raven the trickster is a nice satisfying book which was my thrid choice when flipping through the whole book. For once it was a different trickster and I thought it was worth a shot to read this one.
Raven is a very smart bird who seems to always get his way, although sometimes it can be mean. Raven is a big liar and uses this in order to get out of tough situations that he can't phyucally and he also sometimes ends up in tougher situation because he does whatever he wants. Even when told not to. Raven one day was walking down a long beach kicking every Deq or sea anemone he sees. This last for a while until Deq becomes trapped by a deq who doesn't want to be kicked. Raven seems to enjoy doing this and definitely isn't gonna stop for this one deq. Raven at first offers up many things he doesn't actually have such as an jacket from his uncle but this is worth nothing to a deq. But a wife is something he'd love because it could cook for him. But this was really just a lie for Raven to get out of the sticky situation. Here we see how Raven is very smart and can get out of any problem. Later a giant whale is seen near the surface of the ocean. Raven decides to take a closer look and tricks the whale into opening its mouth to fly into it. He seems to be surprised where he is met with a door and a person inside with the instructions of not touching the light. But to no surprises the first thing he does is touch the light where darkness now consumes the entire room. Great!! But to Ravens luck this doesn't matter since men looking for blubber find the dead whale washed up on the sand where Raven uses this as a chance to get more food! Raven uses his smarts once again to scare the men into giving him his food. To do this he tells the men a black spirit flew out of the whale but it was really just him!
And raven ends up with food without even having to do anything!
What I like about this story is how things end up going good for the trickster. He gets usually evreyhig he wants and sometimes a trickster story like this is satisfying. Raven gets out of tough problems when he wants, and even finds a wat to get all the food he needs but sacring humans into thinking there's a ghost. He ends up facing all these problems but ends up with something out of them.
There's nothing I really dislike about this story, I'm just confused on how a little room was inside of a whale. I know it's just a little story or whatever but I guess that was just very random to me and I honestly wasn't really expecting it. I defiantly would read another story about trickster raven!
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