Females, worthy foes of their male counterparts, are often absent from the body of trickster tales, but in this stellar collection, it’s Molly Cottontail (aka Molly Hare) who takes center stage and matches wits with Mistah Slickry Sly-fox. Slickry’s staged funeral and his plan to get even with Miz Molly are foiled when she arrives at the funeral and awakens him by throwing a pepper-laced bouquet of flowers on his corpse. Forced to sneeze, Slickry gives chase as Miz Molly is joined by Miz Grasshopper, Miz Duck and Miz Goose, and the rollicking fun takes off through the rest of the tales, eight in all. Full-page luminously colored illustrations introduce each tale as they foreshadow each story’s action. The telling is styled in southern droll and perfect for adding to the storyteller’s bag. The introduction summarizes the origin of the female trickster tale and helps to make this a first purchase for most libraries. (Folktales. 7-10, adult)
