Lapin Plays Possum
Trickster Tales from the Louisiana Bayou
-
- ¥1,200
-
- ¥1,200
発行者による作品情報
This series of trickster tales, stemming from African folklore, bears remarkable resemblance to the Deep South's Brer Rabbit. That's because Compere Lapin is his kissing cousin. In one form or another Lapin and Compere Bouki have been harassing each other for more than two centuries. Doucet's retelling of these popular stories is flavored with all the spice of a Cajun gumbo.
Compere Lapin came into the world with nothing but a cypress splinter, and he never misses an opportunity to talk himself out of work. The only thing he does better is playing tricks on the large, dim-witted Bouki. Whether he becomes a parrain three times in one day, trading crops for roots and leaves or begging to be thrown into a fire, Lapin always has something up his sleeve, and Bouki is just gullible enough to believe it.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Pranks prevail on the bayou when lollygagging Comp re Lapin (aka Brer Rabbit) takes on Comp re Bouki (which means "hyena") in these three lively folktales from the Pelican State. Lapin continually outwits Bouki, cleverly tricking him out of his cotton crop or playing dead in order to abscond with Bouki's seafood gumbo. Colorful vocabulary ("picayunish"; "hornswoggled") and peppery idioms ("greasier than a politician's palm") season each page, along with Doucet's (Why Lapin's Ears Are Long and Other Tales from the Louisiana Bayou) robust metaphors ("And there, as far as the eye could see, stretched sweet potato vines greener than ten-dollar bills and thicker than a passel of lawyers in cahoots"). Many of these literary devices require a sophisticated audience for full appreciation, as may also be true of Cook's (With a Whoop and a Holler) illustrations, with their abstract brushstrokes, recurring salmon and saffron hues and subtle details. But those who pay close attention will be rewarded by Lapin's canny expressions and droll mannerisms (e.g., chewing a mint leaf while clutching a glass of mint julep as he lolls in his hammock). Glossary and notes round out this highly polished presentation. Ages 5-up.
