Rabbit's Gift: A Fable from China (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Betwixt April Spisak Smith, Tara Bray Betwixt. Little, 2007488p ISBN 978-0-316-06033-2$17.99 R Gr. 9-12 When another snowfall is poised to fall on the already blanketed countryside, Rabbit digs up a couple of turnips to fill his larder. Once he's home and nibbling, he begins to worry that his friend Donkey won't be so fortunate, and he drops off the second turnip by her door. When Donkey, prepped with a potato, returns, she passes the turnip on to her neighbor Goat, who gives it to Deer, who thinks that she should take it to . . . Rabbit again. This is a gentle tale, personably told; the universal warmth and fondness means there's not much tension, but wee listeners may be genuinely surprised by the circular turnip journey, and they'll appreciate the convivial turnip-sharing of the end. Dronzek's acrylics echo the softness of the tale with cushiony mounds of snow and sweetly rounded animals; decorative borders that begin with the Chinese character for each new animal detract from the visual simplicity, but the recurring figure of the little yellow bird gives youngsters additional hunt-and-point pleasure. The straightforwardness of the message and the warmth of its delivery will make this a storytime natural any time of the year. A note explains the folktale's general history but gives no specific source. Copyright © 2007 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois