How Chipmunk Got His Stripes by Joseph Bruchac and James Bruchac

Bruchac, Joseph and James Bruchac. How Chipmunk Got His Stripes! Ill. Jose Aruego and Arianne Dewey. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2001. ISBN: 0-8037-2404-7.

PLOT SUMMARY

What happens when a boastful Bear's power is challenged by a daring Brown Squirrel? Bear believes he is the most powerful of all the animals and that there is nothing that he cannot do. He is so confident in his belief, that he accepts Brown Squirrel's challenge to stop the sun from rising the following day. As the story unfolds, both animals' overconfident natures -Bear's boasting throughout the tale, and Brown Squirrel's endless teasing- eventually lead to humiliating results in front of the other forest animals. Both animals learn important an important lesson about the foolishness of bragging and the importance of humility in How Chipmunk Got His Stripes.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Joseph and James Bruchac's modern retelling of the old Iroquois folktale stays true to the spirit of the pourquoi folktale. The characters of Bear and Brown Squirrel have personalities suited to their natures: Bear is strong, gruff, and powerful, while Brown Squirrel is quick, playful, and chatty. A similar trait the two possess is their overconfident natures, which lead them to foolish actions as the story unfolds. The Bruchacs' use of literary techniques lend to the fun of reading the tale aloud. The dialogue between Bear and Brown Squirrel as they wait through the night to see if the sun will rise uses repeating lines: "The sun will not come up, oomph!" and "The sun is going to rise, oooh!"  The lilting lines add a light feeling to telling the story, while at the same time reveal the personalities of Bear and Brown Squirrel.

The illustrations in the book enhance the forest environment by using earth tone colors of browns and greens in some scenes, with contrasting bright colors of reds and yellows and greens in other scenes. The illustrators create the essence of the story in their illustrations. For example, Bear, a bold black color, is drawn in close-up pictures during his powerful moments. One such illustration shows that his razor sharp teeth are a bright white, a sure contrast with his black fur. During the moments of the story when Bear is at his lowest points, he is seen as almost the same size as the other forest creatures. Brown Squirrel's drawings also follow the same imagery of size in relation to the part of the story that is told. The expressions on both their faces reveal the gruffness of Bear and the playful nature of Brown Squirrel. The pages with drawings of the other forest animals also hold the reader's attention, as one can only pause and look at each animal's face and can see the thoughts going through the animal's mind.

The most memorable scene appears when Brown Squirrel pushes his teasing a little too far, and Bear decides to show Brown Squirrel he may not have stopped the sun from rising, but he certainly can stop a little Brown Squirrel from talking. Brown Squirrel, quick to realize he said to much, tries to run, but Bear's huge claws stop him and rake down the squirrels back in his last, and fortunately successful, attempt to escape. The claw marks become a permanent marking on Brown Squirrel and his future generations to remind us all that there is a time to talk, but there is also a time to be quiet.

How Chipmunk Got His Stripes is a captivating book that takes an old Native American folktale and creates a colorful story with an ageless message about the problems that can occur when confidence leads to bragging.

REVIEWS
"Clever use of perspective emphasizes the difference in size between boastful Bear and his pint-sized trickster opponent. Author's notes precede the story, explaining the history of the tale and each teller's relationship to it. A winner." Kirkus Review

CONNECTIONS
Pourquoi folktale picture book ages 4-8

Rabbit's Snow Dance, James Bruchac

Raccoon's Last Race, Joseph Bruchac

Turtles Race with Beaver, Joseph Bruchac

Enrichment Activities:

*Read How Chipmunk Got His Stripes as an engage activity prior to a science lesson in natural selection.

*Have students create their own pourquoi folktales to explain how things in nature came to be.

* Discuss the themes (bragging, consequences, overconfidence) with students.

PERSONAL RESPONSE:

This story has always been a favorite of mine. I grew up in New York's beautiful Mohawk Valley and am familiar with the positive influence the Iroquois Nation and other Native American tribes of that region had on the colonists when they first came to the North American continent. I am glad to see their memorable folktales portrayed so vibrantly in Joseph and James Bruchac's retellings of ancient Native American folktales. It brought back many happy childhood memories of the learning about the rich culture of New York's Native Americans.