GREAT RABBIT AND THE LONG-TAILED WILDCAT
adapted by Andy Gregg & illustrated by Cat Bowman Smith
A less convoluted version of the Passamaquoddy tale retold in Shetterly's Muwin and the Magic Hare (p. 379). Here, a wildcat, who's inordinately proud of his long tail, aspires to eat the chief of all rabbits. Three times Great Rabbit tricks him by appearing as a person who feeds him what seems to be meat, but is revealed in the morning as ``squishy squash'' or ``burned beans''; when the angry wildcat rants and threatens, Great Rabbit—now in the guise of a warrior—docks his tail. Gregg's eventful retelling has a lot more dramatic tension that Shetterly's, which is interrupted by other stories; Smith's boldly expressive art serves the story well, though her brash brush-strokes and subtle palette of earth colors and muted blues and greens have less popular appeal than Shetterly's more conventional art. Fine for telling or independent reading. (Folklore/Picture book. 5-10)