Fiction - General & Miscellaneous, Native American Folklore & Mythology - General & Miscellaneous, Native North American Peoples - Folklore

Rabbit Plants the Forest

Name: Rabbit Plants the Forest
Author: Deborah L. Duvall
ISBN: 9780826336910

by Duvall, Deborah L., Jacob, Murv

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Overview

Rabbit Plants the Forest is an adventure story based on characters from Cherokee tradition, including Ji-Stu (Rabbit) and his friends Otter, Sa-lo-li (Squirrel), and the mysterious Wampus Cat.

Ji-Stu, the Messenger for all the animals, is asked by Otter to tell Sa-lo-li it is a good day to plant. Much to his delight, Ji-Stu is invited to help Sa-lo-li plant the hickory nuts, walnuts, pecans, and acorns that will become new trees, keeping the forest thick and beautiful. Ji-Stu and Sa-lo-li only laugh when the elderly squirrel White Oak warns them to watch out for Wampus Cat. Before the planting is done, their laughter turns to fright as they narrowly escape with their lives!

Based on the ancient Cherokee teaching that squirrels keep the woods alive and should not be hunted, Rabbit Plants the Forest combines Jacob's color paintings and a blending of Cherokee mythology with scientific facts about animals and their places in our world.

About the Author, Deborah L. Duvall

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.

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Editorials

Children's Literature - Dianne Ochiltree

In this story, which has as its basis an old Cherokee tale, Rabbit (Ji-Stu) is pleased and proud when Squirrel (Sa-lo-li) invites him to help her plant the forest with hickory nuts, pecans, acorns, and walnuts. Why is Rabbit so delighted? Because Squirrel has always kept her planting secrets to herself, along with her methods of making sure the seeds sprout and how to find them again, even in the deepest snow. As Rabbit and Squirrel work their way toward the river, they meet an ancient squirrel sage named White Oak who warns them about the dreaded Wampus Cat. The Wampus Cat is just an old story, the two friends tell themselves. Or is it? There is a wonderful adventure in store for them, and the reader, when they find out. This story is a rare combination of Native American myth and scientific fact: readers will learn how and why squirrels bury nuts in the fall as they enjoy the folk tale. The language is appropriately respectful of its cultural origins. The artwork is rich, vivid, and textural in much the way a tapestry or other woven artwork might be. The illustrations are filled with plants and animals that are native to the territory in which the tale takes place. The back of the book features an index of the plants and animals organized by the page upon which they appear. Both author and illustrator have been honored by Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and other organizations, and this volume lives up to these high standards.