When Bear and Brown Squirrel have a disagreement about whether Bear can stop the sun from rising, Brown Squirrel ends up with claw marks on his back and becomes Chipmunk, the striped one. - (Baker & Taylor)
Booklist Reviews
Gr. 1-3 (younger for reading aloud). This retelling of a traditional Native American story teaches lessons about anger and pride. Brown Squirrel challenges the bragging Big Bear to stop the sun from rising. When Big Bear is unsuccessful, Brown Squirrel teases him, so he attempts to eat the squirrel, who tricks him out of it. In a fit of anger, Big Bear claws Brown Squirrel, leaving the now familiar chipmunk stripes down his back. The animals' cartoonlike facial expressions seem slightly inappropriate for the story, but the pages' background colors and the illustrations of the forest are vibrant. An author's note explains oral tradition and the story's history. The simplicity of the tale makes this ideal for introducing students to the concept of mythology. ((Reviewed February 1, 2001)) Copyright 2001 Booklist Reviews
Horn Book Guide Reviews
Bear brags that he can do anything, so Brown Squirrel dares him to keep the sun from rising. When Bear fails, Brown Squirrel teases him and gets scratched down his back. Expressive illustrations in bright autumn colors bring out Bear's anger and Brown Squirrel's sauciness. This Native American tale is great for storytelling. Source notes are included in an authors' note. Copyright 2001 Horn Book Guide Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
Noted storyteller Bruchac (Squanto's Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving, p. 1498, etc.) teams up with his son, James (Native American Games and Stories, not reviewed) to present a pourquoi tale from the East Coast Native American tradition. Bear is undeniably big; he is also a braggart, given to walking through the forest and proclaiming his superiority to all within earshot: "I can do anything! Yes, I can!" When he hears this, little Brown Squirrel challenges Bear to tell the sun not to rise the next day. This Bear does, and when the sun does in fact rise despite his injunction not to, Brown Squirrel unwisely gloats: "Bear is foolish, the sun came up. Bear is silly, the sun came up." Thanks to trickery, Brown Squirrel escapes with his life, but not before Bear claws the stripes into his back that cause him to change his name to Chipmunk. The Bruchacs translate the orality of the tale to written text beautifully, including dialogue that invites audience participation. Aruego and Dewey's (Mouse in Love, p. 886, etc.) signature cartoon-like illustrations extend the humor of the text perfectly. One spread shows the faces of all the animals rejoicing in the yellow light of the newly risen sun—all except Bear, whose glower contrasts ominously with Brown Squirrel's glee. Clever use of perspective emphasizes the difference in size between boastful Bear and his pint-sized trickster opponent. Authors' notes precede the story, explaining the history of the tale and each teller's relationship to it. A winner. (Picture book/folktale. 4-8) Copyright 2000 Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly Reviews
In Bruchac and his son's (When the Chenoo Howls) serviceable retelling of a Native American pourquoi tale, Brown Squirrel challenges prideful Bear to keep the sun from rising. When the sun does rise, and Brown Squirrel teases Bear, Bear threatens to eat Brown Squirrel, and his claw marks transform the fellow into Chipmunk. Though the prose occasionally falters (e.g., "Everyone was happy except for one animal. That animal was Bear" or the advice of Brown Squirrel's grandmother, "It is good to be right about something. But when someone else is wrong, it is not a good idea to tease him"), the dialogue is effective and invites audience participation especially the repeated phrases with sound effects, as when the quarrelsome pair sit side by side all night chanting: "The sun will not come up, hummph!" and "The sun is going to rise, oooh!" Aruego and Dewey (Antarctica Antics) create lush landscapes, but Bear and Brown Squirrel are uncharacteristically bland, often featuring the same facial expressions repeatedly. Ages 5-8. (Mar.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
School Library Journal Reviews
K-Gr 3-Bear struts through the forest, bragging as he goes: "I am Bear. I am the biggest of all the animals. Yes, I am!-I can do anything. Yes, I can!" Little Brown Squirrel elects to challenge him: "Can you tell the sun not to rise tomorrow morning?" Bear accepts the challenge. As the sun sets, he issues his command and the two settle down to see what morning will bring. As the night progresses, the braggart continues to boast, and Squirrel cannot resist teasing. When the sun predictably rises in the morning, Bear is disgruntled and angry, and his taunter foolishly continues to tease. When Bear threatens to eat the little creature, Squirrel makes a desperate dash for his burrow. He is able to escape, but not before Bear has raked his back with his sharp claws. Although the scratches heal, they leave Squirrel with long, pale stripes on his back. He is now Chipmunk, the Striped One. 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. A priority purchase for most collections.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
