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8th out of 14 books
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How Chipmunk Got His Stripes
Bear brags that he can do anything-even stop the sun from rising. Brown Squirrel doesn't believe him, so the two wait all night to see if the sun will rise. Sure enough, the sky reddens and the sun appears. Brown Squirrel is so happy to be right that he teases Bear. What happens when a little brown squirrel teases a big black bear? Brown Squirrel gets stripes and is called...more
Paperback, 32 pages
Published
April 14th 2003
by Puffin Books
(first published March 1st 2001)
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Recommends it for:
Young Folklore Lovers / Joseph Bruchac Fans
Bear was the biggest, strongest, loudest animal in the forest - and he knew it! Out for a walk one autumn day, and chanting a boastful little refrain - "I am Bear, I am Bear. I can do anything. Yes, I can!" - he finds himself challenged by a tiny brown squirrel, who asks him if he can stop the sun from rising, the next morning. And so begins a charming pourquoi tale, in which Bear learns that even the mighty have limitations, and Brown Squirrel (soon to be transformed into Chipmunk) le...more
Brown Squirrel challenges Bear to stop the sun from rising when Bear boasts that he can do anything. When the sun comes up the next morning, Brown Squirrel teases Bear relentlessly until Bear finally digs his claws into his back causing Brown Squirrel to become Chipmunk, the striped one.
I love Bruchac and his representation of Native American stories. Not only is it fun for kids to ponder creation stories, this particular story offers an opportunity to discuss character flaws (boa...more
I love Bruchac and his representation of Native American stories. Not only is it fun for kids to ponder creation stories, this particular story offers an opportunity to discuss character flaws (boa...more
Joseph Bruchac retells a tradional Mohawk folktale, with a snappy rhythmic cadence and building to a satisfying climax. In the story, Bear is caught out for boasting when he claims he can keep the sun from coming up and is proven wrong. But a brash young squirrel finds himself in trouble when (against his wise grandmother's advice) he begins to tease the humiliated bear.
This entertaining story, full of action and humor, underscores the importance of both humility and being sensitiv...more
This entertaining story, full of action and humor, underscores the importance of both humility and being sensitiv...more
This book would be a great tool to address the issue of bragging and teasing because in this story the bear continuously brags because he is so much bigger and stronger than the other animals. In fact, in order to prove how great he is he bets a squirrel that he can make the sun not rise. Of course this does not happen so squirrel teases him. As the squirrel ran to escape from the bear, the bear reached his claws out and scraped down his back, giving him his stripes. He now was a chipmunk....more
I really enojyed this story. It's very fun and has a lot of repetition, which I think young children will like. However, I really enjoyed the style inwhich the story was told. It is very much like reader's theatre style with action words and sounds that the animals make. For example,"The sun will not come up, hummph!", "The sun is going to rise, oooh!". Looking even further into the story, there is a strong message for children to learn about, that not everyone can do everyth...more
Summary: Bear struts through the forest, bragging as he goes: "I am Bear. I am the biggest of all the animals. Yes, I am!-I can do anything. Yes, I can!" Little Brown Squirrel elects to challenge him: "Can you tell the sun not to rise tomorrow morning?" Bear accepts the challenge. As the sun sets, he issues his command and the two settle down to see what morning will bring. As the night progresses, the braggart continues to boast, and Squirrel cannot resist teasing. When the...more
Authored by father and son team, Joseph and James Bruchac, How Chipmunk Got His Strips is an enjoyable tale that explains how the chipmunk came to be. Bruchac explains that this story is still widely told and passed down from generation to generation of Native American storytellers. Now in print and with vibrant illustrations, this tale is preserved for all time.
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Arrogant Bear and cheeky Brown Squirrel get into a test of wills over whether Bear has the power to forbid the sun from rising. When the sun does indeed rise, Brown Squirrel taunts Bear into chasing him to his hold, resulting in a long scratch down Brown Squirrel's back. When Brown Squirrel emerges from his den in the spring, he is now Chipmunk, the striped one. Bruchac and Bruchac retell this East Coast native pourquoi tale with wonderful voice; each character comes alive in a story begging to ...more
This Native American story is perfect for preschool aged children. Squirrel challenges Bear to keep the sun from rising. Bear's claw marks then make squirrel look like a chipmunk.
I'm *slightly* older than the intended audience, but this adorable book with a lesson - based on a Native American folktale - is a great find for the little ones in your life.
Bear is the biggest and strongest of all the animals--and he knows it. Bear can do anything, he says. Anything he wants. A little squirrel challenges him by asking if he can stop the sun from rising. Of course, replies the bear. All through the night the bear repeats that the sun will not rise, while the squirrel taunts that it will. When the sun comes up, the bear is angry and the squirrel is in trouble.
This is another of the Bruchacs' Native American tales retold in book form. I d...more
This is another of the Bruchacs' Native American tales retold in book form. I d...more
Cute, cute story! And a great reasoning for why chipmunks have stripes. Teaches a good lesson not to tease. Nice colorful illustrations.
Perfect folklore tales.
Great read aloud!
A wonderful story about what happens when you are annoying! But seriously, it's a lesson about bragging and teasing and consequences.
a cute legend of native american flavor
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Joseph Bruchac lives with his wife, Carol, in the Adirondack mountain foothills town of Greenfield Center, New York, in the same house where his maternal grandparents raised him. Much of his writing draws on that land and his Abenaki ancestry. Although his American Indian heritage is only one part of an ethnic background that includes Slovak and English blood, those Native roots are the ones by wh...more
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