  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 07/01/2014 K-Gr 2—Choctaw storyteller Rodgers recounts a proverbial Native American trickster tale. Lazy Chukfi Rabbit's neighbor, Ms. Shukata Possum, needs a new house. She promises a delicious dinner including a tub of the best butter ever to everyone who will join the construction team. All the animals, except Chukfi, work together to help Shukata. While they sweep, hammer, and saw, he pretends illness, steals the butter, and eats it all. Just as the sun sets, Chukfi returns to the work site, ready to pitch in. Of course, the others have already completed the job. Nevertheless, Shukata generously invites Chukfi to share the meal. When the others discover the empty butter tub, Chukfi deflects the blame onto poor Nita Bear, but they soon figure out that he is the true culprit. As punishment for his duplicity, the rabbit suffers from "one really, really big, bad bellyache," but has Chukfi learned his lesson? Despite the situation with Chukfi, Ms. Shukata Possum and her friends go home happy because they know that "helping others is always more joyful than even the best butter ever." The narrative is enhanced by a sprinkling of Choctaw vocabulary and details of Native American culture, as well as Widener's watercolor and pencil illustrations. She portrays the anthropomorphic animals dressed in shirts, hats, or aprons, working together in a springtime landscape of soft greens and blues. The large, plush characters dominate each spread. Pair this story with Helen Ketteman's Armadilly Chili (Albert Whitman, 2004) for a trickster storytime.—Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston, MA - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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