Chukfi Rabbit's Big, Bad Bellyache

April 28, 2014
Rodgers introduces readers to a handful of Choctaw animal names in this trickster story, which sees Chufki Rabbit faking an illness while other animals help build a house for Ms. Shukata Possum; Chufki then eats all the homemade butter that’s been prepared for the reward feast. There’s a lot of text on each page, but the folksy cadence and easygoing humor of Rodgers’s narration make the story fly by. Dressed in ballcaps, sashes, and aprons, Widener’s animal cast is a friendly bunch—even Chufki looks like a softie, despite his selfishness (which comes back to bite him, of course). Ages 5–10.

July 1, 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

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