Week 4 Extra Reading: Brer Rabbit 1-B

So, just like with Part A, I did the same thing with Part B: updating the text of the stories, adding new notes, plus all the new images! These are the stories in Part B, and again I have two favorites: the amazing story about the little rabbits (which is more like a fairy tale), and also the story about the tug-of-war between turtle and bear:

Mr. Fox and the Deceitful Frogs
Old Mr. Rabbit, He's a Good Fisherman
Mr. Rabbit Meets His Match Again

A Story about the Little Rabbits. This is absolutely one of my all-time favorite Brer Rabbit stories. I love the little rabbits, and the mysterious magic help that comes from the bird in the form of little songs. Yes, it makes no sense that the fox does not just eat them up... but stories are not here to make sense; they are here to entertain us, and I find this story so entertaining. My favorite illustration for this one is by A. B. Frost:

Mr. Rabbit and Mr. Bear

Mr. Terrapin Shows His Strength. In traditional African versions of this story, what the trickster does is to get two strong animals to pull against each other, and that also happens in some African American stories too, where Brer Rabbit gets Whale and Elephant to pull against each other for example. This is a simpler story where Turtle just tricks Brer Bear, but love the way the setting works here, with all the animals getting together for a candy-pulling, Miss Meadows offering her bed-cord to use for the tug-of-war, and so on. The details are really charming! I also really like this illustration by Elwes: the turtle looks very determined and almost fierce here!

Frost's picture of him under the water is a nice one too:

The Story of the Deluge
Plantation Proverbs