Turtles Race with Beaver: a traditional Seneca story

Citation: Bruchac, James and Joseph Bruchac. 2003. Turtles race with Beaver. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0-8037-2852 Plot Summary: The outlandish Beaver bites off more than he can chew when confronted by the smaller but wiser Turtle. After awakening from hibernation turtle realizes that Beaver has ruined her beautiful haven. After negotiations with Beaver failed Turtle agreed to a raced with Beaver. After using the Beavers own strength through the water, Turtle outsmarts him and wins the race. Beaver leaves in embarrassment, but learns the valuable life lesson of sharing. Critical Analysis: The characters in Turtles Race with Beaver are very well developed. They are easy to understand and relatable. Bruchac and Bruchac retold the American Indian folk tale in a very desirable manner. True to Native American form the small unpresumptuous animal us the smarter/wiser of the animals in conflict. The turtle is usually the "carrier of the earth on her hack" so she is held in high esteem with many Native Americans throughout the Americas. The setting of the story is Northern America. The animals that are placed in the folktale dictate the location. "most of the bigger animals such as Wolf, Moose and Bear sided with Beaver." While some of these animals do habitat the Southwest I havening lived in Arizona form many, many years only saw one wolf and not one moose. Also, the telling of the seasons is important as it tells of how circumstances can and will change in our lives/seasons. Sharing and co-habitating are also important themes in American Indian literature. Even though the "white man" didn't really learn to co-habitate with the Native American they never lost their traditions and customs of working with others. Reviewed Analysis: Kirkus Review (August 15, 2003) In the spirit of the traditional "Hare and the Tortoise," the Bruchacs retell a Seneca tale. Turtle is happy in his pond, which is just deep enough and has rocks to sun on. When Beaver decides to make some changes, consequently making the pond deeper and submerging the rocks, Turtle knows they must discuss how to share the pond. Not willing to share, Beaver challenges Turtle to a swim across the pond; the victor shall have the pond all to himself. Predictably, Turtle outwits Beaver, and despite Turtle's offer that they can still share the space, Beaver leaves in embarrassment. Beaver travels to a nearby pond, but this time he's willing to share with the turtle he finds there. The artists' trademark energy-filled pen-and-ink and gouache illustrations enhance the tale with color and humor. Each animal bursts with personality in this sure winner. Publishers Weekly (January 5, 2004) Following up on their How Chipmunk Got His Stripes, father-son team Joseph and James Bruchac and artists Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey present the tale of how Turtle outsmarts Beaver, who refuses to share his pond with Turtle in Turtle's Race with Beaver: A Traditional Seneca Story. Accessed 7/11/07 www.titlewave.com Connections: Bruchac, Joseph. Thirteen moons on turtle's back : a Native American year of moons. ISBN: 0399-2241-7.Bruchac, Joseph and James Bruchac. How Chipmunk Got His Stripes. ISBN: 0-142-50021-6. McDermott, Gerald. Coyote: A Trickster Tale from the American Southwest. ISBN: 0-152-01958-8.