Module 4 Raccoon's Last Race

A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bruchac, Joseph and James Bruchac. 2004. RACCOON’S LAST RACE. New York, NY: Dial Books. ISBN 803729774.

B. PLOT SUMMARY
The retelling of an Abenaki legend of how Raccoon, the fastest animal on earth, loses his speed because he is boastful and breaks his promises.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDLING CULTURAL MARKERS)
Father and son team Joseph and James Bruchac team up once again to narrate the famous Raccoon tale. Raccoon’s Last Race is a good addition to a folklore collection and can be used to entertain children, as well as teach a lesson. The authors use repetition nicely when telling how Raccoon brags, “He would race Bear. Zip-zip! He would beat Bear. He would race Fox. Zip-zip! He would beat Fox.” Onomatopoeias like, “thump-thump, ka-boom, and splat!” are also used to add details to the action. This book is an excellent read-aloud story that has a meaningful message about discipline and the consequences of boastfulness and the failure to keep promises.

The Authors’ notes page is helpful to the reader because it provides background on the importance of the Raccoon to the Abenaki people. The Bruchacs also inform the reader that the word “Azebansoo” in Abenaki means “to act like a Raccoon or to play a trick.” The Native American motif of four is seen in this story when Raccoon races four other characters, the Bear, Fox, Rabbit and Big Rock. The illustrations provide detail about the characters and story plot but do not just an overtly obvious Indian American characteristics. The authors did not use any Abenaki language in the body of the story either. Other than the notes page, readers of this story would probably not realize they were reading a traditional Abenaki tale.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
“A solid retelling of an Abenaki legend. The text reads aloud smoothly and keeps the action moving quickly. Done in pen-and-ink, gouache, and pastel, the illustrations accentuate the humor of the tale. The boldly colored animals are set against softer backgrounds, and occasional close-ups add variety to the scenes. An authors' note provides some background for the story. A strong addition to picture-book collections.” SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

E. CONNECTIONS
Discuss with older readers whether or not the Bruchacs should have incorporated more Abenaki language into this story.
Compare this story to other folktales where bragging and boasting are themes, like How the Possum Lost His Beautiful Tail" as retold by Kathi Smith Littlejohn.