Raccoon's Last Race

 Bibliography:

Bruchac, James and Bruchac, Joseph. 2004. RACCOON'S LAST RACE. Ill. by Aruego, Jose and Dewey, Araine. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers Group. ISBN 0803729774.

Plot Summary:

In this Native American folktale about a raccoon, Azban who prides himself on being the fastest, so he would challenge the other animals to race him. Often Azban would taunt the animals after beating them. The were annoyed by his behavior and so they didn't race against him no more. The raccoon would then play tricks on the animals: hiding and jumping out scaring them. Since Azban was quite fast, the animals could never catch him. One day, Azban sees someone sitting at the top of a hill. He goes to the hilltop and finds that its a big rock perched on the hill. Azban introduces himself as being a fast runner. The rock tells Azban that he is fine right where he sits. But Azban doesn't accept the rocks response and he decides to help the rock move. What ensues is a catastrophic event and Azban getting hurt. But not to be outdone, Azban is his cunning self and he asks for help from the ants. He promises to be their friend and protect them from the bigger animals. The ants agree but Azban feeling like himself throws the ants off and begin to be rude to them. Unfortunately, Azban was never the same physically.

Critical Analysis:

Having read a previous Native American folktale written by Mr. Bruchac and son, I found this one to be interesting and new to me. I somewhat thought it reminded me of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" but as I kept reading, I lost that thought. The retelling of a story that involved a tricky character was something I hadn't read before. When it comes the illustrations, Mr. Aruego and Ms. Dewey do and excellent job of capturing the details of nature, the animals, and the rock. They use the same artistic methods as used in the Bruchac tale. The pen-and-ink gives definition to the characters; while the watercolor allows each image to 'pop' on the pages.

Review Excerpt(s):

KIRKUS REVIEWS:" The illustrators’ familiar pen-and-ink, gouache, and pastel work is as appealing as ever—Azban is a particularly engaging character."

Connections:

*I would use this in a lesson that talks about Native American tribes and the stories that were told. 

*This would also be a good story to talk about the tradition of oral storytelling.

*This review are my own words and are part of a graduate studies class at Sam Houston State University.