How Snowshoe Hare Rescued the Sun: A Tale from the Arctic

When the animals of the tundra awaken one morning, they realize that the demons who live under the earth have stolen the sun in order to keep warm, and one by one the animals take turns trying to retrieve it.

K Up-This careful retelling of a Siberian Yuit tale is true in form and detail to traditional legend, embodying elements of several similar stories such as "The Rescue of the Sun" in Edythe Weatherford Newell's The Rescue of the Sun (Albert Whitman, 1970; o.p.); "The Ogre, the Sun and the Raven" in Ruth Manning-Sanders's A Book of Charms and Changelings, (Dutton, 1972; o.p.). When the underground demons decided to take the sun for themselves, the animals of the tundra, led by wise old Snowy Owl, sent first Bear and then Wolf to get it back. But they were too focused on their own needs and failed, allowing the unselfish, sharp-witted Snowshoe Hare to rescue it. When he kicked it into the sky, the moon and stars were created, and the demons were frightened back to their subterranean cavern. Painted in gouache over transparent acrylic and textured with colored pencil, the art features animals in the traditional folk style and colors (black, white, violet, gray, brown) used in Inuit soapstone prints. Borders in soft pastel hues are decorated with small white designs. Bernhard has designed her demons after shaman ritual masks. This authentic, attractively illustrated tale is an important addition to folklore collections.
Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Fresh language and striking illustrations rescue what could have been a humdrum retelling of a tale borrowed from the Yuit people of the northeast tip of Siberia. Greedy demons steal the sun, leaving the earth cold and dark for its animal populace. Old Snowy Owl calls a great council to decide who should rescue the sun from its captors. Bear is chosen for the task but gets sidetracked by some tasty berries. Wolf sets out next but falls asleep on the way. Finally, Snowshoe Hare takes on the challenge, never stopping to eat or seek shelter. Facing great danger, he retrieves the sun and kicks it up into the sky where it breaks into a brighter sun, a moon and stars. Each animal represents some human foible or strength, with the quiet rabbit hero exhibiting selflessness and courage. The gouache and acrylic paintings, inspired--as the artist notes in the book's introduction--"by ritual masks and carved objects of native peoples of Alaska and Siberia and by contemporary Inuit stonecut prints," feature sleek lines and pleasingly unexpected color combinations. With their wintry colors, these illustrations complement the quiet, dignified cadences of this traditional folktale. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Retold from a Siberian tale included in James Riordan's The Sun Maiden and the Crescent Moon, a story incorporating the theme of a small animal completing a mission where his powerful neighbors have failed. When demons harpoon the sun and take it to their cavern, the animals elect Bear to retrieve it. But Bear stops to eat; then Wolf curls up to sleep in a den. Hare, however, finds the demons' underground hideout and escapes with the Sun, kicking it aloft just as the demons are about to catch him, so that it splinters and creates the moon and stars. This simple adaptation will make an effective readaloud; Durga Bernhard's powerfully structured art features bold forms in an array of colors she observed in winter from her Catskill studio- -to more decorative than realistic effect as deployed here, but arrestingly innovative. (Folklore/Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Ages 5-8, younger for reading aloud. Greedy demons from under the earth steal the sun at the beginning of a long arctic winter, and the animals meet in council to decide who will rescue it. Both Bear and Wolf are sent, and both fail--Bear because he stops to eat, and Wolf because he stops to get warm. Snowshoe Hare is the last to try, and because he ignores both hunger and cold, he wins the day, rescuing the sun and creating the moon and stars in the bargain. Adapted from the story "How the Sun Was Rescued," found in James Riordan's collection of Siberian folktales, The Sun Maid and the Crescent Moon (1991), the text is straightforward and polished. Cool, pastel colors appropriate to the winter theme predominate in the gouache-on-acrylic illustrations, which were "inspired by ritual masks and carved objects of native peoples of Alaska and Siberia and by contemporary Inuit stonecut prints." The large, arresting two-page spreads make the book good for reading aloud in a group setting. Janice Del Negro