The Butter Tree: Tales of Bruh Rabbit

Wily ``Bruh'' Rabbit (like ``brer,'' ``bruh'' is a variant of ``brother'') stars in six stories from South Carolina. These stories are priceless historically-as Lyons points out in an afterword, hearing about how small animals could trick big animals undoubtedly helped the enslaved originators of these tales endure their own oppression. Modern audiences, however, may find the narration here somewhat abrupt. In one story, for example, Bruh Rabbit tricks Bruh Wolf into drying his wet fur in the oven. But when Bruh Wolf wants out, ""`Chin-chin,' [Bruh Rabbit] said. `I want you crispy dry.' Then he slammed the door. And Bruh Rabbit's children had oven-fried wolf for supper.'' Equally problematic is the use of black-and-white illustrations to alternate with antic color art. Vautier's quirky primativism fizzles without her energetic primary paints. See Bo Rabbit: Smart for True (noted below) for a more developed treatment of similar material. Ages 5-7. (Mar.)