Review — Sister Tricksters
The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books — 12/11/2006
While the exploits of Anansi the Spider, Br’er Rabbit, and Coyote may be familiar from the many noteworthy collections of trickster tale published for young people, the female tricksters have had far less prominence in the literature. This outstanding collection be the brothers San Souci seeks to right that wrong by means of eight trickster tales of a more feminine persuasion from the American South. Adapted from a turn-of-the-century collection gathered by Anne Virginia Culbertson, these tales recall the wit and wisdom of Molly Cottontail, Miz Grasshopper, and Miz Duck, among others. While the stories stand independent of one another, they are all related in that the characters live in the same community, so the exploits of one tale carry over as revenge (or, as is often the case, attempted revenge) in the next. More often than not, the female tricksters are depicted as superior thinkers (“That seems to be the special gift of the ladies, to get their own way with their brains instead of their fists. Compared to these quick-wits, menfolk often seem kind of clumsy and lumbersome”); the womenfolk also seem to work more in cahoots with one another, so that when Miz Goose tricks Mistah Bear into sitting on a pile of pumpkins to hatch a family, she is quick to run off and tell Miz Molly Cottontail about the trick she played (who then hurries over to laugh at Bear herself). The eight selections are consistently remarkable, and the rhythmic dialect and finely tuned language of the stories beg for a rollicking read aloud. Each tale is accompanied by a single vibrantly rendered painting by Daniel San Souci; the paintings, which depict an expressive and at times mischievous cast of characters in a moment of action from the upcoming story, would function well to inspire plot predictions from the audience. A solid introduction grounds trickster tales in a historical and social context. This fine collection is certain to receive widespread kudos and a long and noteworthy life on shelves and in story programs.
Title Details: Sister Tricksters
Author: Robert D. San Souci
Illustrator: Daniel San
Interest Level: GR 3-6
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