How Chipmunk Got His Stripes - Hardcover

Bruchac, Joseph; Bruchac, James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0803724047 ISBN 13: 9780803724044

Publisher: Dial, 2001

Synopsis

When Bear and Brown Squirrel have a disagreement about whether Bear can stop the sun from rising, Brown Squirrel ends up with claw marks on his back and becomes Chipmunk, the striped one.

About this title

About the Author

Joseph Bruchac is a highly acclaimed children's book author, poet, novelist and storyteller, as well as a scholar of Native American culture. Coauthor with Michael Caduto of the bestselling Keepers of the Earth series, Bruchac's poems, articles and stories have appeared in hundreds of publications, from Akwesasne Notes and American Poetry Review to National Geographic and Parabola. He has authored many books for adults and children including Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two, Skeleton Man, and The Heart of a Chief. For more information about Joseph, please visit his website www.josephbruchac.com.

Reviews

K-Gr 3-Bear struts through the forest, bragging as he goes: "I am Bear. I am the biggest of all the animals. Yes, I am!-I can do anything. Yes, I can!" Little Brown Squirrel elects to challenge him: "Can you tell the sun not to rise tomorrow morning?" Bear accepts the challenge. As the sun sets, he issues his command and the two settle down to see what morning will bring. As the night progresses, the braggart continues to boast, and Squirrel cannot resist teasing. When the sun predictably rises in the morning, Bear is disgruntled and angry, and his taunter foolishly continues to tease. When Bear threatens to eat the little creature, Squirrel makes a desperate dash for his burrow. He is able to escape, but not before Bear has raked his back with his sharp claws. Although the scratches heal, they leave Squirrel with long, pale stripes on his back. He is now Chipmunk, the Striped One. In their introductory authors' notes, the Bruchacs indicate that the story is an amalgam of tales they have heard from Cherokee, Abenaki, and Mohawk sources, and has further been fleshed out through their own telling over the years. The result is polished, cohesive, and energetic. While the story begs to be told, Aruego and Dewey's vibrantly hued trademark watercolors add significantly to the humor. A priority purchase for most collections.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

In Bruchac and his son's (When the Chenoo Howls) serviceable retelling of a Native American pourquoi tale, Brown Squirrel challenges prideful Bear to keep the sun from rising. When the sun does rise, and Brown Squirrel teases Bear, Bear threatens to eat Brown Squirrel, and his claw marks transform the fellow into Chipmunk. Though the prose occasionally falters (e.g., "Everyone was happy except for one animal. That animal was Bear" or the advice of Brown Squirrel's grandmother, "It is good to be right about something. But when someone else is wrong, it is not a good idea to tease him"), the dialogue is effective and invites audience participation--especially the repeated phrases with sound effects, as when the quarrelsome pair sit side by side all night chanting: "The sun will not come up, hummph!" and "The sun is going to rise, oooh!" Aruego and Dewey (Antarctica Antics) create lush landscapes, but Bear and Brown Squirrel are uncharacteristically bland, often featuring the same facial expressions repeatedly. Ages 5-8.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 1-3 (younger for reading aloud). This retelling of a traditional Native American story teaches lessons about anger and pride. Brown Squirrel challenges the bragging Big Bear to stop the sun from rising. When Big Bear is unsuccessful, Brown Squirrel teases him, so he attempts to eat the squirrel, who tricks him out of it. In a fit of anger, Big Bear claws Brown Squirrel, leaving the now familiar chipmunk stripes down his back. The animals' cartoonlike facial expressions seem slightly inappropriate for the story, but the pages' background colors and the illustrations of the forest are vibrant. An author's note explains oral tradition and the story's history. The simplicity of the tale makes this ideal for introducing students to the concept of mythology. Marta Segal
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Dial
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0803724047
• ISBN 13: 9780803724044
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Aruego Jose, Dewey Ariane
• Number of pages: 32