Rabbit and the Wolves

In this sixth volume of the Grandmother Stories, Murv Jacob and Deborah Duvall blend two ancient Cherokee tales into an adventure story. Ji-Stu, the Cherokee trickster Rabbit, sets out to prove that he can magically be transformed into a great singer whose voice will rival that of Redbird. To gain such fame, Ji-Stu must travel far from home to a strange land and into a dark forest, where shadows prevail and danger lurks behind every tree.

"The Grandmother Stories are eloquent, beautifully illustrated tales that capture the imagination of Native America. Deborah L. Duvall and Murv Jacob have done a brilliant job of revisiting the mythic world of Rabbit, Bear, and Otter and introducing them to a contemporary audience. These characters are timeless, as are their stories, and readers of all ages will delight in their antics and unique insights."—Teresa Miller, director, Center for Poets and Writers, Tulsa, Oklahoma

The Cherokee trickster rabbit is determined to find the "red paint rock" to make him as red as the Redbird so he, too, can sing a beautiful song. Traveling to a strange portion of the forest, he encounters wolves and learns he should accept himself as he is.

Kirkus Reviews

The sixth in the "Grandmother stories" is a lively tale that combines two Cherokee stories. Rabbit, Ji-Stu, loves to sing and to lead the dances. He loves to hear his friend Wa-ya, the wolf, tell the story of Redbird. In that story, a raccoon tricks a wolf into believing he's blind by covering his eyes with clay, but a little bird pecks off the clay. In gratitude, the wolf shows the bird a cache of red paint. The bird covers himself in the beautiful red, and "his song was even more beautiful than his feathers." Ji-Stu wants to sing as beautifully as Redbird, so he seeks out the paint rock in Wa-ya's story, but his voice remains the same and he is surrounded by wolves who want to eat him. Ji-Stu tricks them by teaching them a new dance and escapes home. Wa-ya reminds him that the song was already inside Redbird, but presents his friend with a red feather to tie to his dance rattle. The elaborate art is white on black, with a look of woodcuts, though too overwhelmingly detailed to enjoy easily. No source notes are given. (Picture book/folktale. 5-9)

Deborah L. Duvall is an author of books and short stories on Cherokee history and tradition, a singer-songwriter, and a professional in financial management. She was born and continues to live in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, capital of the Cherokee Nation.

Murv Jacob, a descendant of Kentucky Cherokees, is an internationally known artist whose illustrations appear in over seventy book and video projects. He won the 2003 Oklahoma Book Award for Design and Illustration for his drawings in The Great Ball Game of the Birds and Animals.