Brer Rabbit and Boss Lion

by Brad Kessler, Joel Chandler Harris, Bill Mayer (Illustrator)

Boss Lion threatens to eat all the inhabitants of the village, until he is outsmarted by B'rer Rabbit.

Genres: Picture Books

Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Brad Kessler’s novel Birds in Fall won the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. His other books include Goat Song, Lick Creek, and The Woodcutter’s Christmas. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Nation, The Kenyon Review, and BOMB, as well as other publications. He is the recipient of a Whiting Writers’ Award, a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, and the Rome Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Reviews

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brer Rabbit has remained to be one the most popular folktales in American history. Of all the stories about Brer Rabbit’s escapades that I have heard, “Brer Rabbit and Boss Lion” remains to be one of my most favorite escapades of Brer Rabbit. Rabbit Ears’ version of how Brer Rabbit outsmarts Boss Lion is probably one of the most memorable versions since Danny Glover’s narration and Dr. John’s music greatly enhance this story.

Danny Glover’s narration is a hoot as he energetically tells the story of how Brer Rabbit outsmarted the big, bad lion. His voice goes from high-pitch as he voices Brer Rabbit and Brer Pig, to a deeply threatening tone when he voices Boss Lion. My favorite part of Danny Glover’s narration was when he voices Brer Pig’s discomfort about feeding Boss Lion by sounding so high-pitched and whiny that it makes this situation funny, even though the audience knows he is going to be eaten. Dr. John’s gritty blues music greatly matches with the chaotic tone of the story as the folks of Brer Village struggled to deal with Boss Lion. Dr. John uses somewhat chilling saxophone music to perform the intense scenes with Boss Lion. Bill Mayer’s illustrations are pure genius as it is both humorous and intense at the same time. His images of Boss Lion are beautifully detailed as Boss Lion is seen with pimples all across his face and his excessive drooling and sharp teeth greatly emphasizes the ugliness of Boss Lion. Also, the image of Brer Rabbit is greatly appreciated as he wears blue jean overalls to portray his tough exterior.

Parents should know that the image of Boss Lion may scare younger children, as I described in the pros section. Also, even though this story is great, it has many dark themes such as Boss Lion eating up the folks of Brer Village and threatening to eat Brer Rabbit a great number of times. But, that is not as bad as certain movies where the main protagonist would usually get killed during the movie and Brer Rabbit does make it out of this situation alive. However, I do feel sorry for the other folks of Brer Village, such as, Brer Pig and Brer Goose, getting eaten by the vicious Boss Lion.

“Brer Rabbit and Boss Lion” is a great video for everyone because of its occasional dark humor, such as, Boss Lion eating Brer Pig before he used the milkshake Brer Pig brought him for shampoo. Also, families would enjoy the way that Brer Rabbit outsmarted Boss Lion in his own game and came back to the village as a hero. This video / book is an instant treat for both children and adults, but parents may want to make sure that their children can handle the intense scenes of Boss Lion.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crafty, wily, big-with-words Brer Rabbit confronts Boss Lion since he has been terrorizing the village animals. He makes a deal with Boss Lion and turns the agreement around to benefit him (the other village animals keep disappearing though). When the other animals figure it all out, they send Brer Rabbit to deliver the daily meals to Lion. Just as Boss Lion is about to devour Brer Rabbit, he tricks him and Boss Lion is a problem no more.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I especially love the audio version of this Rabbit Ears radio book.

[Ashley B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a rabbit who uses his smart thinking skills to out wit a lion who is causing frustration in a small town. This book is comical and made me laugh. This story would make a good read aloud. The pictures are amazing and show lots of detail. There can be discussions about the characters' personalities and how they handle tough situations and I think it would be fun to ask students what they would do in that situation. What else could have been done to stop the lion from eating everyone?

[Melissa Namba · Rating 3 out of 5]

you really can't help but think of splash mountain as you read this story. it's an older story and I'm not sure how it would fare now. i mean, there is murder and lots of selfish plotting in this story.

[Breyanna Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boss Lion threatens to eat all the inhabitants of the village, until he is outsmarted by Brer Rabbit.

[James Biser · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a good Brer Rabbit story followed by a large collection of jazz. Brer Rabbit outsmarts everyone and makes a fool of Boss Lion. Luckily, he also saves all others from Lion's wrath.

[emyrose8 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, a bit long for a read-aloud. Fun illustrations.

[Ashley Lahr]

This book is about the kind friendly animals that live in Brer Village. Until one day Boss Lion came to town. The village had a meeting and decided someone needed to go to talk to Boss Lion. Brer Rabbit stepped up to the plate. Brer rabbit soon got his straw drawn and he was to feed himself to the lion. However he came up with a plan. He was able to trap Boss Lion in his well. He then became the hero of the town.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging children's story--a modernized version of Brer Rabbit. The language is lingo that children in the 21st century will understand. I reviewed the book before getting it for our great grandchildren. Brad Kessler is a good novelist and writer of this children's book.

[Bethany Lovhaug]

Southern folktale, mean old Boss Lion threatens the peaceful folk of Brer Village, and Brer Rabbit is forced to teach the carnivorous trouble-maker a lesson he’ll never forget. Brer Rabbit outsmarts the baddest fella in the forest—then saunters back to town as the local hero.

[Natajah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LIKED THIS BOOK THIS BOOK IS GOOD FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE TRICKSTERS