Synopses & Reviews
The team behind How Chipmunk Got His Stripes retells an Abenaki fable that warns against arrogance and honors the importance of keeping your promises.
Azban the Raccoon loves to race on his long legs. He is the fastest of all the animals, but hes also the most conceited, mocking everyone with his speed. When the other animals grow tired of his attitude, Azban chooses Big Rock as his next opponent. Busy taunting instead of running, he trips, and Big Rock flattens him. Only the ants will help stretch him out againas long as he promises to be their friend. But will a trickster like Azban keep his word?
This clever and funny reimagining of a traditional story is for fans of Ed Youngs Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China and David Wiesners The Three Pigs.
Lively, clever, and authentic.”Kirkus
The text reads aloud smoothly and keeps the action moving quickly. A strong addition to picture-book collections.”School Library Journal
Review
“Lively, clever, and authentic.”—
Kirkus “The text reads aloud smoothly and keeps the action moving quickly. A strong addition to picture-book collections.”—School Library Journal
Synopsis
Long ago, Azban the Raccoon loved to race on his long legs. He was the fastest of all the animals, but he was also the most conceited. When the other animals grew tired of his attitude, Azban chose Big Rock as his next opponent. But, busy taunting instead of running, Azban tripped . . . and Big Rock flattened him--splat! Only the ants would help stretch Azban out again--as long as he promised to be their friend. Did Azban keep this promise? Is the raccoon still the fastest of all the animals?
In this lively, funny romp, the team that created How Chipmunk Got His Stripes and Turtle's Race with Beaver once again captures the fun and energy of traditional Native American stories. This time, they have chosen an Abenaki tale that warns against arrogance and honors the importance of keeping your promises.
About the Author
Joseph Bruchac and James Bruchac are a father-son storytelling pair. They share a deep commitment to the preservation of the Abenaki Indian culture and traditions, which is part of their heritage. Joseph is the award-winning author of more than 120 books for children and adults. James is not only an author, but also a wilderness survival expert. They both live in Greenfield Center, New York.
Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey have illustrated more than seventy books for children, including several ALA Notable Books, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honoree, and two Reading Rainbow featured selections.