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Iktomi
Iktomi and the Coyote: A Plains Indian Story
A winner of the Caldecott Medal for The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses presents the latest humorous adventure of the wisecracking Native American trickster, Iktomi, whose plans for dinner are upset by the wily Coyote.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1998
About the author
Paul Goble
60 books102 followersPaul Goble was an award winning author and illustrator of children's books. He has won both the Caldecott Medal and The Library of Congress' Children's Book of the Year Award.
He gave his entire collection of original illustrations to the South Dakota Art Museum in Brookings, South Dakota.
Goble, a native of England, studied at the Central School of Art in London. He became a United States citizen in 1984. Goble's life-long fascination with Native Americans of the plains began during his childhood when he became intrigued with their spirituality and culture.
His illustrations accurately depict Native American clothing, customs and surroundings in brilliant color and detail. Goble researched ancient stories and retold them for his young audiences in a manner sympathetic to Native American ways.
Goble lived with his wife in Rapid City, SD.
He gave his entire collection of original illustrations to the South Dakota Art Museum in Brookings, South Dakota.
Goble, a native of England, studied at the Central School of Art in London. He became a United States citizen in 1984. Goble's life-long fascination with Native Americans of the plains began during his childhood when he became intrigued with their spirituality and culture.
His illustrations accurately depict Native American clothing, customs and surroundings in brilliant color and detail. Goble researched ancient stories and retold them for his young audiences in a manner sympathetic to Native American ways.
Goble lived with his wife in Rapid City, SD.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 26, 2025
So yes indeed, the many controversies of authenticity and charges of cultural appropriation that have been repeatedly levelled at Paul Goble, these have over the past few years certainly made me approach ANY of his Native American themed picture books (after my perusal of Goble's award winning The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses) critically and with very much reading trepidation.
And while I certainly do think that some of the criticisms against Paul Goble and his work in general might have been rather over the top so to speak and exceedingly harsh, Goble has in my opinion also often seemingly rather invited some if not in fact much of this himself (with how he has approached the controversies, with his own reactions to the same, reactions that I have personally found rather extreme and at times massively childish and petulant, and that for example, Paul Goble's introductory words as well as his author's notes for his series of Iktomi picture books have made me at best furious and angry, and which is also why my rating for Paul Goble's Iktomi and the Coyote is only ever going to be one star and why I also will NOT be reading Iktomi and the Coyote or indeed and in fact ANY of Goble's Iktomi books).
I do well realise that author's notes are actually a relatively recent literary phenomenon for picture books. And thus, I was certainly curious after having read Paul Goble's The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses (which does NOT contain an author's note, and yes, the lack thereof has in fact been majorly and severely criticised) whether Paul Goble does now have supplemental information included for his Native American retellings. And indeed, with regard to Iktomi and the Coyote (as well as for the other Iktomi books I have found at my local public library), Goble does seem to now add actual literary references, although he just lists them and does not specifically state of which of the listed entries he has in fact made use. Also, and I am not in fact trying to sound dismissive here, but to and for me Paul Goble (even though many of his stories are indeed quite lovely, with equally wonderful illustrations) still has not really done a good enough job documenting his sources, and that in the newer picture books, it seems almost as though Goble has very grudgingly responded to the criticism that his earlier Native American themed tomes lacked source materials by simply now overloading us readers with a reference section (but one that is simply listed in a to me rather user unfriendly manner, and perhaps even quite deliberately so). For one is still not given information and details as to from exactly where, from which of the many sources featured in the note(s) Paul Goble's tales have been gleaned, which in my humble opinion in a good supplemental author's note, should and would always be the case.
But for me, even more problematic (and probably the one main reason why I am considering Iktomi and the Coyote and the other series books as "will not be reading" and most definitely as "will never be purchasing") is that in the introductory materials for these Iktomi books, Paul Goble has actually poked some rather nasty fun at his critics (and yes indeed, at mostly his Native American critics). In Iktomi And The Coyote, Paul Goble writes "Hi kids! I'M IKTOMI! That white guy, Paul Goble, is telling my stories again. Only Native Americans can tell Native American stories. So, let's not have anything to do with them. Huh?" And in Iktomi and the Ducks: A Plains Indian Story, Paul Goble goes as far as to write in the front material, "There goes that white guy, Paul Goble, telling another story about me ... My attorney will Sioux." And well, perhaps Paul Goble thought and thinks that this, that the above was and is funny, but I have personally found it quite massively offensive and I would bet that many Native Americans and Native Canadians would find it offensive as well (and it certainly does absolutely nothing to give me a more positive attitude towards Goble, since in fact, it only and simply makes him appear as utterly childish and whining).
Finally, I am actually rather glad to have gone to the library and to have found a number of Paul Goble's Iktomi picture books there because it kind of has massively justified me being very much and completely critical towards Paul Goble and his work in general. But personally and emotionally, I also am incredibly angry at how immaturely Goble has chosen to react to criticism, and will therefore and definitely not be reading ANY more of Paul Goble’s work and to not ever recommend Goble either (except of course as negative examples to be criticised, academically deconstructed).
And while I certainly do think that some of the criticisms against Paul Goble and his work in general might have been rather over the top so to speak and exceedingly harsh, Goble has in my opinion also often seemingly rather invited some if not in fact much of this himself (with how he has approached the controversies, with his own reactions to the same, reactions that I have personally found rather extreme and at times massively childish and petulant, and that for example, Paul Goble's introductory words as well as his author's notes for his series of Iktomi picture books have made me at best furious and angry, and which is also why my rating for Paul Goble's Iktomi and the Coyote is only ever going to be one star and why I also will NOT be reading Iktomi and the Coyote or indeed and in fact ANY of Goble's Iktomi books).
I do well realise that author's notes are actually a relatively recent literary phenomenon for picture books. And thus, I was certainly curious after having read Paul Goble's The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses (which does NOT contain an author's note, and yes, the lack thereof has in fact been majorly and severely criticised) whether Paul Goble does now have supplemental information included for his Native American retellings. And indeed, with regard to Iktomi and the Coyote (as well as for the other Iktomi books I have found at my local public library), Goble does seem to now add actual literary references, although he just lists them and does not specifically state of which of the listed entries he has in fact made use. Also, and I am not in fact trying to sound dismissive here, but to and for me Paul Goble (even though many of his stories are indeed quite lovely, with equally wonderful illustrations) still has not really done a good enough job documenting his sources, and that in the newer picture books, it seems almost as though Goble has very grudgingly responded to the criticism that his earlier Native American themed tomes lacked source materials by simply now overloading us readers with a reference section (but one that is simply listed in a to me rather user unfriendly manner, and perhaps even quite deliberately so). For one is still not given information and details as to from exactly where, from which of the many sources featured in the note(s) Paul Goble's tales have been gleaned, which in my humble opinion in a good supplemental author's note, should and would always be the case.
But for me, even more problematic (and probably the one main reason why I am considering Iktomi and the Coyote and the other series books as "will not be reading" and most definitely as "will never be purchasing") is that in the introductory materials for these Iktomi books, Paul Goble has actually poked some rather nasty fun at his critics (and yes indeed, at mostly his Native American critics). In Iktomi And The Coyote, Paul Goble writes "Hi kids! I'M IKTOMI! That white guy, Paul Goble, is telling my stories again. Only Native Americans can tell Native American stories. So, let's not have anything to do with them. Huh?" And in Iktomi and the Ducks: A Plains Indian Story, Paul Goble goes as far as to write in the front material, "There goes that white guy, Paul Goble, telling another story about me ... My attorney will Sioux." And well, perhaps Paul Goble thought and thinks that this, that the above was and is funny, but I have personally found it quite massively offensive and I would bet that many Native Americans and Native Canadians would find it offensive as well (and it certainly does absolutely nothing to give me a more positive attitude towards Goble, since in fact, it only and simply makes him appear as utterly childish and whining).
Finally, I am actually rather glad to have gone to the library and to have found a number of Paul Goble's Iktomi picture books there because it kind of has massively justified me being very much and completely critical towards Paul Goble and his work in general. But personally and emotionally, I also am incredibly angry at how immaturely Goble has chosen to react to criticism, and will therefore and definitely not be reading ANY more of Paul Goble’s work and to not ever recommend Goble either (except of course as negative examples to be criticised, academically deconstructed).
February 8, 2012
Iktomi and the Coyote: a Plains Indian Story told and illustrated by Paul Goble. The book starts off with a About Iktomi. The trickster’s name in Lakota is Iktomi, meaning spider. Iktomi is clever but untrustworthy. In this story he meets Coyote also equally clever and untrustworthy. The story is about how Iktomi tricks some prairie dogs into being his dinner, Coyote then tricks Iktomi and all the prairie dogs become Coyotes dinner.
This book was a little over the top for me. In the Note for the Reader at the beginning of the book, it lets the reader know that stories about tricksters have always been told with "audience participation". The text changes to gray italics and readers and listeners can make their own comments. Iktomi’s thoughts are printed in small type, which might break the flow of the story and can be read when looking at the pictures. So on that note, the story starts and that is a regular black font, then it goes to gray italics (insert your own comment) and then in small print Iktomi’s thoughts are also on the page with the illustrations. For me I felt like there were three different people telling the story. It felt all over the place. The second page goes like this, which is the black font, not an insert your own comments or Iktomi's thoughts…“Hi! I am Iktomi. You know me. Yesterday I was at the White House. The President needed my advice.” (And then in gray italics…???) “That was yesterday. Today I’m going to the school to read to the kids…" That to me makes absolutely no sense. I always thought Native American stories were sacred stories, this is not a sacred story, and maybe the core of the trickster part is but the telling of the story sounds like a joke. So are they trying to make a stereotype gesture of Native-Americans?
During the story in small black font, Iktomi's thoughts, he was creeping towards the prairie dogs and his thought is "I'm a great hunter-it's in my ancestral blood. I wish I brought my AK-47." Then here is another one, he getting ready to eat the prairie dogs and his thoughts read like this…"M-m-m-m. This is gen-u-ine fast food!" Is that really necessary for the story, or is suppose to be a joke about Native-Americans?
The illustrations were good, Iktomi in his native clothing, until the story came to the eating of the prairie dogs. The illustrations actually show a drawing of coyote, with a part to be his esophagus and stomach in the color pink, and the whole prairie dogs in him. Then again a pooched stomach with all of the prairie dogs in his stomach.
I really have mixed feelings about this book. I really do not know how or where to use this book in the classroom. There are other books out there with Iktomi retold by the same author, Maybe I will check them out and see if they are like this one.
This book was a little over the top for me. In the Note for the Reader at the beginning of the book, it lets the reader know that stories about tricksters have always been told with "audience participation". The text changes to gray italics and readers and listeners can make their own comments. Iktomi’s thoughts are printed in small type, which might break the flow of the story and can be read when looking at the pictures. So on that note, the story starts and that is a regular black font, then it goes to gray italics (insert your own comment) and then in small print Iktomi’s thoughts are also on the page with the illustrations. For me I felt like there were three different people telling the story. It felt all over the place. The second page goes like this, which is the black font, not an insert your own comments or Iktomi's thoughts…“Hi! I am Iktomi. You know me. Yesterday I was at the White House. The President needed my advice.” (And then in gray italics…???) “That was yesterday. Today I’m going to the school to read to the kids…" That to me makes absolutely no sense. I always thought Native American stories were sacred stories, this is not a sacred story, and maybe the core of the trickster part is but the telling of the story sounds like a joke. So are they trying to make a stereotype gesture of Native-Americans?
During the story in small black font, Iktomi's thoughts, he was creeping towards the prairie dogs and his thought is "I'm a great hunter-it's in my ancestral blood. I wish I brought my AK-47." Then here is another one, he getting ready to eat the prairie dogs and his thoughts read like this…"M-m-m-m. This is gen-u-ine fast food!" Is that really necessary for the story, or is suppose to be a joke about Native-Americans?
The illustrations were good, Iktomi in his native clothing, until the story came to the eating of the prairie dogs. The illustrations actually show a drawing of coyote, with a part to be his esophagus and stomach in the color pink, and the whole prairie dogs in him. Then again a pooched stomach with all of the prairie dogs in his stomach.
I really have mixed feelings about this book. I really do not know how or where to use this book in the classroom. There are other books out there with Iktomi retold by the same author, Maybe I will check them out and see if they are like this one.
October 4, 2019
I don't know enough about the tales and legends of various Plains Indian tribes to evaluate Goble's efforts to bring some of the tales to a mainstream American audience.
I found the tale to be rather disturbing. Despite the interesting and evocative artwork and the unusual storytelling style which invokes an oral style, I find myself repelled by the book.
I found the tale to be rather disturbing. Despite the interesting and evocative artwork and the unusual storytelling style which invokes an oral style, I find myself repelled by the book.
January 26, 2013
Mommy's review from 11/23/11 -
This is hard for me to rate because the story, for the most part is worth three stars to me. The illustrations hindered the story for me though.
A small thing I didn't like was the little phrases around Iktomi ('my moccasins', 'I AM a real chief', etc. That bothered me because I didn't see the reason for it.
I wasn't keen on Iktomi carrying around Goble's other Iktomi books - that was over the top for me because again, I didn't see the reasoning behind it. (Beyond promoting his books that is.)
I started getting a little anxious when Iktomi started talking about wanting to eat prairie dogs and the "game" between them and Iktomi but I was still with the story at that time.
Then the illustrations actually showed the prairie dogs, side by side, covered with hot ash, while the story tells us how Iktomi let them burn while they pleaded for their lives. Yeahhhhh, not the stuff children's books are made of IMO. I was borderline horrified when a pregnant prairie dog pleaded for the lives of her babies and Iktomi let her live so they'll "always be more prairie dogs".
Don't ask me how I came up with the thought but I really thought it wouldn't get any worse. And it did. I flip the page and I see a line of dried, burnt prairie dogs and Iktomi getting ready to eat one. Talk about horrible. There isn't even any tact, if there could be any in relation to this, it's really freaking horrible.
So the coyote comes, tricks Iktomi, yada, yada, yada, and then we see the coyote, standing with his head down eating, we all know what he's eating but just to be sure Goble made sure to have the whole pile of dead, dried and burnt prairie dogs lying there, shown again. And, to drive the point home Goble has readers able to see the prairie dogs going down the coyotes throat. Picture that if you will. Now picture it in the mind of a child. I don't get the reason. I don't get it. I'd like help please. Can someone explain to me why these illustrations had to be like this? Could this story not have been told well, better even, without such "graphic" pictures?
On a smaller note I touched on above, a buzzard other coyotes, a magpie and a mouse come running to share in the meat and I guess Goble thinks everyone who reads his books is mentally challenged because again he names them all for us, even though we were told what they were on the same page, in the actual story. Huh.
The finale? Just to leave children - and adults - with an everlasting picture the second to last page shows Mr. Coyote, his inside again able to be seen, with a huge circle of whole prairie dogs in his stomach.
Thank you Mr. Goble, I tip my hat to you fine sir. Thank you for this gem.
What upsets me most, beyond my 6 year old sensitive but mature daughter seeing this disgusting mess, is that we read The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses and found it absolutely beautiful. It's a charming story with lovely illustrations. I was so looking forward to finding more stories as enchanting as that. If this is what Goble's works usually are like I want nothing more to do with them.
Luckily my daughter, Julia, is pretty advanced in reading and we've had a book or two that I'd put in the same pile as this one. She's also very interested in dinosaurs and watches adult programs about them on t.v. which are very graphic. She's also involved in animal rescue and she's seen dogs recovering from abuses so she doesn't have a weak stomach. But these things have a purpose. When she sees an abused dog she knows she's helping to save his or her life. When she watches the dinosaur shows, she's learning about something. Even more she's learning about something she wants to incorporate into her working life when she's older. There are reasons. What is the reason here? There is nothing.
Actually, there is a reason. Shock value. Shock value and nothing more. And this coming from an author who could put out The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses is tragic, very, very tragic.
This is hard for me to rate because the story, for the most part is worth three stars to me. The illustrations hindered the story for me though.
A small thing I didn't like was the little phrases around Iktomi ('my moccasins', 'I AM a real chief', etc. That bothered me because I didn't see the reason for it.
I wasn't keen on Iktomi carrying around Goble's other Iktomi books - that was over the top for me because again, I didn't see the reasoning behind it. (Beyond promoting his books that is.)
I started getting a little anxious when Iktomi started talking about wanting to eat prairie dogs and the "game" between them and Iktomi but I was still with the story at that time.
Then the illustrations actually showed the prairie dogs, side by side, covered with hot ash, while the story tells us how Iktomi let them burn while they pleaded for their lives. Yeahhhhh, not the stuff children's books are made of IMO. I was borderline horrified when a pregnant prairie dog pleaded for the lives of her babies and Iktomi let her live so they'll "always be more prairie dogs".
Don't ask me how I came up with the thought but I really thought it wouldn't get any worse. And it did. I flip the page and I see a line of dried, burnt prairie dogs and Iktomi getting ready to eat one. Talk about horrible. There isn't even any tact, if there could be any in relation to this, it's really freaking horrible.
So the coyote comes, tricks Iktomi, yada, yada, yada, and then we see the coyote, standing with his head down eating, we all know what he's eating but just to be sure Goble made sure to have the whole pile of dead, dried and burnt prairie dogs lying there, shown again. And, to drive the point home Goble has readers able to see the prairie dogs going down the coyotes throat. Picture that if you will. Now picture it in the mind of a child. I don't get the reason. I don't get it. I'd like help please. Can someone explain to me why these illustrations had to be like this? Could this story not have been told well, better even, without such "graphic" pictures?
On a smaller note I touched on above, a buzzard other coyotes, a magpie and a mouse come running to share in the meat and I guess Goble thinks everyone who reads his books is mentally challenged because again he names them all for us, even though we were told what they were on the same page, in the actual story. Huh.
The finale? Just to leave children - and adults - with an everlasting picture the second to last page shows Mr. Coyote, his inside again able to be seen, with a huge circle of whole prairie dogs in his stomach.
Thank you Mr. Goble, I tip my hat to you fine sir. Thank you for this gem.
What upsets me most, beyond my 6 year old sensitive but mature daughter seeing this disgusting mess, is that we read The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses and found it absolutely beautiful. It's a charming story with lovely illustrations. I was so looking forward to finding more stories as enchanting as that. If this is what Goble's works usually are like I want nothing more to do with them.
Luckily my daughter, Julia, is pretty advanced in reading and we've had a book or two that I'd put in the same pile as this one. She's also very interested in dinosaurs and watches adult programs about them on t.v. which are very graphic. She's also involved in animal rescue and she's seen dogs recovering from abuses so she doesn't have a weak stomach. But these things have a purpose. When she sees an abused dog she knows she's helping to save his or her life. When she watches the dinosaur shows, she's learning about something. Even more she's learning about something she wants to incorporate into her working life when she's older. There are reasons. What is the reason here? There is nothing.
Actually, there is a reason. Shock value. Shock value and nothing more. And this coming from an author who could put out The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses is tragic, very, very tragic.
September 5, 2020
Oh my god. The worst motifs I could possibly imagine. Iktomi's thoughts are sprinkled throughout the narratives, making for not only a confusing read, but also deeply offensive jokes. I can't tell you exactly what was happening. I have been googling, but most writing about this has been from the 80's, and itself racist. All I could find is that the first thought is Goble's mimicking of Native American critics of his work: "I'm Iktomi. That white guy, Paul Goble, is telling my stories again. Only Native Americans can tell Native American stories. So, let's not have anything to do with them. Huh?" Honestly, I want to agree. Vomit. Here's the deal. Iktomi has thoughts that rely on stereotypes, such as natives having gambling issues ("I'd like to bet on this race! If only my ancestors had had casinos...") and violence (I'm a great hunter-- it's in my ancestral blood. I wish I had brought my AK-47") and no technology/cultural history ("I won't take the car today... How did my ancestors tell stories if they had no books?"). The forward says Iktomi typically does so with humor, but how humorous is it if it is told through the words and art of the oppressor, a self proclaimed white man, and the joke is never explained or pushed back upon. If anything, portraying the dishonest trickster as a native american who CRITIQUES a white man for telling native stories is beyond passive aggressive. It's a direct middle finger to the people Goble is profiting from.
Genuinely, I am shocked. WHY did we ever think Paul Goble was worth reading. Someone please explain this to me.
Genuinely, I am shocked. WHY did we ever think Paul Goble was worth reading. Someone please explain this to me.
October 7, 2008
In this book, a Native American named Ikotmi tricks a bunch of prairie dogs into getting in a warm little fire. Only, they get trapped and he won’t help them get out, so they end up getting cooked. Just as he was getting ready to eat them a coyote comes up and asks if he may have a few, and Ikotmi says no way. They end up agreeing that who ever could run around the mountain the fastest would get to eat all the prairie dogs and the loser gets none. Being the coyote is injured Ikotmi knows he will win for sure so he says go and takes off. The coyote is smart and stays there and starts to eat the prairie dogs. When Iktomi gets back he sees he has been tricked and walks off hungry and tired.
1. How did both Ikotmi and the wolf trick the others, and have you ever been tricked by someone or tricked someone.
2. Have the kids draw a picture of what they think the story looked like to them.
1. How did both Ikotmi and the wolf trick the others, and have you ever been tricked by someone or tricked someone.
2. Have the kids draw a picture of what they think the story looked like to them.
November 1, 2019
Written a little oddly for a story. Drawings of killing and eating prairie dogs could be disturbing to some children. The prairie dogs go from cute living creature playing around to skinny bald stiff creatures that get eaten. One drawing even shows a number of them in a coyote stomach.
November 2, 2016
I like the story but the little print distracted from the story. There is an author's note about that before the story starts but I was distracted by them anyway. I always like his art work.
April 2, 2017
The book starts off with a About Iktomi. The trickster’s name in Lakota is Iktomi, meaning spider. Iktomi is clever but untrustworthy. In this story he meets Coyote also equally clever and untrustworthy. The story is about how Iktomi tricks some prairie dogs into being his dinner, Coyote then tricks Iktomi and all the prairie dogs become Coyotes dinner. This book would be useful for a Native American storytelling unit!
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