rabbit's snow dance as told by joseph & james bruchac and illustrated by jeff newman

Bruchac, James, and Joseph Bruchac. Rabbit's Snow Dance, Illustrated by Jeff Newman. New York: Penguin Group, 2012. ISBN: 9780803732704

Plot Summary:
     Rabbit is a snow bunny who loves the Winter snow. He has his own special snow dance he performs to call the snow to fall during Winter; however, one bright sunny Summer day, Rabbit decides he wants it to snow. He sings his song and dances his dance causing it to snow in the middle of Summer, but due to his impatience, Rabbit is in for a surprise.

Critical Analysis:
     Rabbit's Snow Dance is a retelling of a traditional Iroquois story. The authors, James and Joseph Bruchac, retell this traditional story in a friendly and humorous manner while maintaining Native American authenticity. The authors base their main focus around the religious and ceremonial practices of weather dances in Native American culture. They proceed to describe one prominent figure (Rabbit) with the ability and power to call a weather occurrence when there is a lack thereof. In the case of this story, the authors correlate Rabbit with that prominent role of having great responsibility and knowing the importance of tradition.  The story continues as the authors detail how due to Rabbit's impatience and lack of responsibility to his gift, he endures great consequence. Along with the emphasis of traditional practices, the authors also incorporate animistic attributes which coincides with Native American beliefs of animals having living souls. This is shown at the conclusion of the story as the authors state, "...if yo keep an open ear toward the forest, you may just hear a small voice singing this song...," depicting the living soul after Rabbit is gone.
     In addition to the retelling of this story, the authors collaborate with Jeff Newman to illustrate this Iroquois tale. Newman utilizes watercolor, gouache, and ink to add to this story. He uses a simplistic artistic approach by only illustrating the outlines and main parts of each animal and the scenery. This approach allows the audience to not be distracted by detailed images that could result in taking away from the content of the story. Despite the illustrators lack of detail in his art, he is still able to depict the story by his accurate portrayal as he follows the storyline. The authors and illustrator do a good job in providing their audience with a humorous twist on this traditional Iroquois story.

Review Excerpts:

"The father-and-son storytelling team behind Raccoon’s Last Race and Turtle’s Race with Beaver return with their version of a traditional Iroquois tale. While the Bruchacs reach back hundreds of years for the source of their story, Newman’s influences are comparatively modern—think Mary Blair with a touch of Hanna-Barbera. Set back when Rabbit had a “very long, beautiful tail,” the story follows the selfish, impatient animal’s attempts to conjure a massive midsummer snowstorm (rabbit’s big snowshoe-like feet allow him to hop atop the snow and reach “tasty leaves and buds” more easily). His chanting and drumming do the trick, creating so much snow that it covers the treetops and causes difficulties for the small animals; the summer sun that rises the next day, however, brings about rabbit’s comeuppance and costs him his tail. Rabbit and the other animals don’t always look consistent from page to page, as though Newman couldn’t quite settle on a style, but his paintings are nonetheless a welcome departure from the stodgier artwork that can often accompany myths and folk tales." - Publishers Weekly

"When the long-tailed Rabbit wants something, he wants it immediately. One summer, tasty leaves high in the trees prove so irresistible to Rabbit that he decides he needs piles of snow to build up to the point he can reach the leaves. Small animals, such as Squirrel and Chipmunk, warn Rabbit that bringing snow in the summer will leave them without food. Beaver's dam is not finished, and Turtle is not ready to sleep. But Rabbit does not listen. He rushes home, grabs his drum and begins singing his winter song, the song that brings snow. Though the snow lasts only a day, the consequences of Rabbit's selfishness are long-lasting. This retelling of a traditional Iroquois tale by father-son duo James and Joseph Bruchac begs to be read aloud and shared at story time. Repeated sentences and sounds invite young listeners to chime in and bring the impatient Rabbit to life. Unusual animals, such as lynx and grouse give teachers an opportunity to discuss different habitats and the story's woodland inhabitants. Jeff Newman's energetic illustrations capture the feeling of animated cartoons of the 1970s and will inspire reenactments of Rabbit's racing, dancing, sleeping, and falling. A fun addition to any personal or library collection, this dramatic tale will capture the imagination of readers of all ages and gently teach lessons about seasons, thoughtfulness, and the importance of being patient." - Children's Literature

"A long-tailed rabbit who wants a nibble of the highest, tastiest leaves uses his special snow song in the summertime, despite the protests of the other animals. The Bruchacs' Iroquois pourquoi tale tells how selfish Rabbit, who is short on patience, simply cannot wait for natural snow, no matter that the other forest denizens are not yet ready for winter. Drum in hand, he sings as he dances in a circle: "I will make it snow, AZIKANAPO!" (It won't take much coaching before listeners join in with this and other infectious refrains.) Like the Energizer Bunny, Rabbit just keeps going; by the time he ceases his drumming, only the top of the tallest tree is left sticking above the snow. Exhausted, Rabbit curls up on this branch and sleeps through the night and the hot sunshine of the next day, which melts all the snow. Stepping from his treetop, Rabbit gets a terrible surprise when he falls to the ground, his long bushy tail catching on each branch he passes and making the first pussy willows. And that is why rabbits now have short tails. Newman's watercolor, gouache and ink illustrations are an interesting mix of styles. Some foregrounds appear to be painted in a pointillist manner, and some of the animals are almost manga-esque, lacking any shading in their sharp outlines and flat colors. Kids who are looking forward to a snow day may give Rabbit's chant a try, but hopefully, they will know when to stop." - Kirkus Reviews 

Connections:
Customers who purchased this title as purchased the following books: Turtle's Race with Beaver, Bear has a Story to Tell, and Between Earth and Sky.

Interactivity:

• Ask children if they have ever heard of a rain or snow dance and then educate them on the cultural significance as well as the factual information pertaining to these Native American ceremonial dances.
• Share the significance of lessons told at the conclusion of fables and their importance.