Coyote Tales

Two tales, set in a time “when animals and human beings still talked to each other,” display Thomas King’s cheeky humor and master storytelling skills. Freshly illustrated and reissued as an early chapter book, these stories are perfect for newly independent readers. In Coyote Sings to the Moon, Old Woman and the animals sing to the moon each night. Coyote attempts to join them, but his voice is so terrible they beg him to stop. He is crushed and lashes out — who needs Moon anyway? Furious, Moon dives into a pond, plunging the world into darkness. But clever Old Woman comes up with a plan to send Moon back up into the sky and, thanks to Coyote, there she stays. In Coyote’s New Suit, mischievous Raven wreaks havoc when she suggests that Coyote’s toasty brown suit is not the finest in the forest, thus prompting him to steal suits belonging to all the other animals. Meanwhile, Raven tells the other animals to borrow clothes from the humans’ camp. When Coyote finds that his closet is too full, Raven slyly suggests he hold a yard sale, then sends the human beings (in their underwear) and the animals (in their ill-fitting human clothes) along for the fun. A hilarious illustration of the consequences of wanting more than we need. Key Text Features table of contents illustrations Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5 Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.

Coyote is awfully hungry! Can he trick Bear into giving him his lunch? Or fool the prairie dogs into inviting him to their feast? But if Coyote's not careful, HE could end up on the menu!

These tales feature Mole, Coyote's wife, Chipmunk, Owl-Woman, Fox, and others

Winner of the American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Awards, Best Picture Book. Trickster Coyote is having his friends over for a festive solstice get-together in the woods when a little girl comes by unexpectedly. She leads the party-goers through the snowy woods to a shopping mall -- a place they have never seen before. Coyote gleefully shops with abandon, only to discover that fi lling your shopping cart with goodies is not quite the same thing as actually paying for them. The trickster is tricked and goes back to his cabin in the woods -- somewhat subdued -- though nothing can keep Coyote down for long. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.4 Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.

Who needs the moon, anyway? Every evening, Old Woman and the animals gather at the pond to serenade the moon. When Coyote overhears them, he decides that what they really need is a good tenor. Unfortunately, the other animals disagree. Coyote has an atrocious voice, and they worry that his singing will scare the poor moon away! "Hummph," says Coyote, whose feelings are hurt. Why would anyone want to sing to the moon, anyway? In fact, he wonders, who needs the moon at all? All she does is make the sky so bright it's almost impossible to get a good night's sleep. But Moon is listening, and she decides it's time to teach Coyote a lesson. She packs her bags, slides out of the sky and dives into the pond, leaving the animals in utter darkness. When all their efforts fail to entice the Moon to return, Old Woman and the animals concoct one final, desperate scheme to get her back into the sky. Thomas King triumphs again, using the traditional coyote in this brilliant and original tale. Johnny Wales's wry and beautiful illustrations are a perfect complement to King's humourous cautionary tale for children.

This volume brings together twenty-one traditional tales recently retold by Hopi narrators. Complete with English translations and original Hopi transcriptions on facing pages and a bilingual glossary. Hopi Coyote Tales is important to an understanding of the Hopi language and folklore. To nomadic hunters such as the Navajo, who competed with him on the open range, Coyote was by turns a formidable trickster, a demonic witchperson, and a god. As sedentary planters, the Hopis tended to reduce Coyote to the level of a laughable fool. In these tales Coyote is a friendly bumbler whose mistakes teach listeners what tricks to avoid. Time after time he is hurt or killed for failing to understand a situation correctly. The collection is as amusing as animal fables should be, as simply told, and as instructive. Published as a companion volume to Father Berard Haile's Navajo Coyote Tales, Hopi Coyote Tales is a valuable contribution to cross-cultural studies.

Coyote insists the crows teach him how to fly, but the experience ends in diaster.

Originally published: Toronto: Key Porter Books, c2004.