CALLIE ANN AND MISTAH BEAR

In a variant of Wiley and the Hairy Man, San Souci (Peter and the Blue Witch Baby, p. 892, etc.) tells the story with characters speaking a slight dialect. Callie Ann thinks “good-natured hardworking Mose would make a fine stepdaddy.” But Callie Ann’s Mama “plans t’ marry a quality gennelman.” And when a stranger strolls up from the piney woods with a broad-brimmed hat, a fancy coat, and white spats, she invites him “inter the kitchen to sit a spell.” It is up to Callie Ann to expose Mistah Bear for the sweet-toothed varmint he is, and she does. But, Mistah Bear is vengeful and sends his two sisters, dressed in elegant finery, to trick Callie Ann into the woods. With tough advice from Mose, and her own quick wits, Callie Ann saves the day, but not before she is trapped in a tree. Daily’s picture-book debut is fairly successful; his illustrations in gouache present strong, colorful characters. The sister bears are especially fine in their elegant costumes complete with parasols, veils, and gloves. His softly rendered backgrounds are reminiscent of Jerry Pinkney’s work. The overall design of the book is pleasing, but some of the pictures are strangely static and posed rather than full of action. The typeface is formal, giving an old-fashioned sense to the tale. However, the capital letters have a heavy look to them and seem to jump out at the reader. This detracts from a uniform-looking text and mars a smooth integration of pictures and text. The lively text and story will be enjoyed by a group, though the dialect used by the characters might put some storytellers off. There are notes as to sources used, and the African and African-American background is further explained. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)