Review - Rabbit's Snow Dance

Rabbit's Snow Dance
by James Bruchac & Joseph Bruchac
illustrated by Jeff Newman
Date: 2012
Publisher: Dial Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

A hip and hilarious fable perfect for wintertime

Rabbit loves the winter. He knows a dance, using a traditional Iroquois drum and song, to make it snow--even in springtime! The other animals of the forest don't want early snow, but Rabbit doesn't listen to them. Instead, he sings and dances until more and more snow falls. But how much snow is too much, and will Rabbit know when to stop?

This stylish and oh-so-funny story is a modern take on a traditional Native American fable from master storytellers Joseph and James Bruchac.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I didn't realize it when I picked it up, but this is an Iroquois story. That was a nice surprise, as I haven't read many of those.

Rabbit loves the snow because it helps him reach the tender buds on the trees. So, one summer, he decides to sing his snow song to make it snow. At first, some of his friends like the summer snowfall. But Rabbit, never satisfied, keeps doing his snow dance and the snow continues to fall until all the trees in the forest are covered. But Rabbit didn't count on one thing: the summer sun. He finds that his obsession with snow comes back to bite him in the end.

The story here is cute and well done. I'm not as enamoured with the illustrations, although they do complement the story nicely.

This is a nice book that tells a story about greed. It's also a little legend about why the rabbit has such a small tail.

Quotable moment:

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.5 out of 5