HOW CHIPMUNK GOT HIS STRIPES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bruchac, Joseph and James Bruchac. 2001. HOW CHIPMUNK GOT HIS STRIPES. Ill. by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey. New York: Puffin Books. ISBN 0142500216.

PLOT SUMMARY

Bear is tromping around the woods claiming he is the best animal and can do anything.  So Little Brown Squirrel gives him a challenge to keep the sun from rising the next day.  Bear accepts the challenge and waits all night willing the sun to not rise.  All of the animals in the forest wait in anticipation as the sun rises in the morning, and of course Bear is angry.  Brown squirrel foolishly teases him, and Bear swipes him with his paw leaving white stripes down his back where the hair is sheared away.  So Brown Squirrel becomes chipmunk, and he is the first animal to rise in the morning and sing to the sun.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The simple and repetitive text of this story makes it a great read aloud for younger elementary age students.  Bear chants, “The sun will not come up, humph!” and Squirrel counters, “The sun is going to rise, oooh!”.  The cartoon-like watercolor illustrations are very juvenile and may deter older readers from choosing to read the story.  However, younger students will enjoy the colorful pages and animals. Like most folktales, the moral is a simple one about not being boastful or teasing others, and like many Native American tales, it explains something occurring in nature.

REVIEW EXERPTS

School Library Journal (February 01, 2001)-  “While the story begs to be told, Aruego and Dewey's vibrantly hued trademark watercolors add significantly to the humor.”

Booklist (February 01, 2001)- “The simplicity of the tale makes this ideal for introducing students to the concept of mythology.”

Kirkus Reviews (December 15, 2000)-  “The Bruchacs translate the orality of the tale to written text beautifully, including dialogue that invites audience participation. Aruego and Dewey’s (Mouse in Love, p. 886, etc.) signature cartoon-like illustrations extend the humor of the text “perfectly.”

CONNECTIONS

• Have the students choral read the sing-song lines of Bear and Squirrel.

• Read other Native American tales such Between Earth & Sky : Legends of Native American Sacred Places by Joseph Bruchac and Thomas Locker or Arrow to the Sun : A Pueblo Indian Tale by Gerald McDermott.