Rabbit and the Bears

Deborah L. Duvall. University of New Mexico Press, $14.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-8263-3131-1

Fourth in the Grandmother Stories series, which focuses on Cherokee history and legend, Rabbit and the Bears by Deborah Duvall, illus. by Murv Jacob, follows the trickster rabbit Ji-Stu and Yona, a bear, as winter approaches. Yona brings Ji-Stu up into the Smoky Mountains to Lake Ata-Gahi, a sacred and hidden refuge for all animals. Everyone shares food, stories and songs before the bears must prepare for hibernation. Jacob, a descendant of Kentucky Cherokees, creates b&w illustrations that resemble woodcuts and take on a vintage printmaking quality.

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