Bruh Rabbit and the Tar Baby Girl

Bruh Rabbit and the Tar Baby Girl

Written By: Virginia Hamilton

Illustrated By: James E. Ransome

Scholastic, The Blue Sky Press, 2003

28 Pages

Traditional Literature

     I picked this book, because I know it has a lesson in it to teach, and I wanted to read an updated version of the story.  The story is about a wolf name Bruh Wolf and a Rabbitt called Bruh Rabbit.  The rabbit has been stealing food for from the wolf’s crops, instead of growing his own.  Bruh Rabbit gets away with it for a long while, until wolf starts noticing some rabbit paw prints in his garden.  The wolf decides to put a scarecrow in the garden to scare the rabbit, but it doesn’t stop him.  So then, wolf decides to trick the rabbit by making a rabbit out of sticky tar and placing her in the garden.   When the rabbit comes across this, he is skeptical.  He gets confused when the rabbit doesn’t talk to him.  Bruh Rabbit gets angry and punches it with his paw, and then it gets stuck in the tar rabbit.  Bruh Rabbit tries again with his other paw.  Before long, Bruh rabbit’s feet are stuck, too; Bruh Wolf finds him the next morning; the rabbit is caught! But, the rabbit tricks the wolf by telling him he doesn’t want to be thrown in the briar patch; he wanted him to throw him in there, because that is where he was born, and it does not faze him one bit. 

     The illustrations are done in watercolor.  The colors are very vibrant. The artist uses several different shades of green.  The artist does a great job illustrating each scene; it is easy to tell what is going on throughout the story.  Some of the pictures are painted close up, which emphasizes the importance of what the character is doing or what is pictured in the scene.  The illustrator also depicts the difference between day and night by making the night scenes darker.  I love the way he paints the scenery.  It is very pretty!

     I would use this in my classroom to teach students characterization.  I would have them describe both characters.  Then, they would write about what they think might happen in a sequel (would the rabbit get caught?).  I would also have my students identify what was right and wrong, and make sure they understand the moral of the story.  I would ask them some questions about the story, and discuss what happens in the story.  Another lesson idea would be to use the story to teach dialects.  After reading the book, we could talk about the way it is written and the dialect of the story.  I think this book is most appropriate for kindergarten through third grade.