BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bruchac, Joseph and James Bruchac. 2001. HOW THE CHIPMUNK GOT HIS STRIPES. Ill. by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0803724047.
Bruchac, Joseph and James Bruchac. 2001. HOW THE CHIPMUNK GOT HIS STRIPES. Ill. by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0803724047.
PLOT SUMMARY
Bear believes that he is the biggest and strongest animal in the forest. He feels that there is nothing that he can’t do so Brown Squirrel challenges Bear to tell the sun to not rise. So Bear tells the sun not the rise in the morning but do you think that sun listened to Bear? No, and all of the animals of the forest witnessed that Bear was wrong and that Brown Squirrel was right. However, Brown Squirrel was not a gracious winner and he taunted Bear. Bear retaliates by attempting to eat Brown Squirrel however; Brown Squirrel is too fast and only suffers from scratches down his back from Bear. After this occurs Brown Squirrel is now known as Chipmunk.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
I found the book to be very interesting. I have never read a Native American folktale before, but due to other traditional tales I am already familiar with the concept of beast tales. Even though the characters are animals they display very prominent human characteristics such as pride and boastfulness. Neither is a very desirable trait and the book illustrates the moral of the folktale rather easily for both Bear and Brown Squirrel. I think that younger children would enjoy the book not only for the story but for the vibrant and expressive illustrations as well. The characters’ expressions are so well drawn that it is easy for young children to infer the mood of the characters. I wish there had been more books like this when I was growing-up. I am glad that the genre of folktales has expanded to include more than just the traditional European folktales. It was interesting to read the authors’ note at the beginning that referred to the origin of the story. I am always interested to discover the history of a folktale since it illustrates the culture that the folktale originated in.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
“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.” – School Library Journal
“…the dialogue is effective and invites audience participation--especially the repeated phrases with sound effects…” – Publishers Weekly
CONNECTIONS
The book would be a good introduction to bullying for young children especially since it shows two different types of bullying. It is not just the overt bullying that children must be aware of but also bullying such as taunting other students for being wrong.
This would be a great book to use puppets with. Younger children would enjoy how the characters interact with one another. All you would need is a puppet to play Bear and a puppet to play Brown Squirrel and something to make stripes with such as yarn or white tape.
As a librarian or teacher you could encourage the children to participate in the reading of the book by having one group say “The sun will not come up” and another group to say “The sun is going to rise” as it follows with the book.
