The Tar-Baby and Other Rhymes of Uncle Remus

by Joel Chandler Harris, A.B. Frost (Illustrator), E.W. Kemble (Illustrator)

The Tar-Baby And Other Rhymes Of Uncle Remus is a collection of poems written by Joel Chandler Harris and published in 1904. The book features a selection of rhymes and songs that were originally featured in the Uncle Remus stories, a series of African American folktales that Harris had collected and adapted for children. The poems in the book are written in a dialect that mimics the speech patterns of Southern African Americans, and are accompanied by illustrations by A.B. Frost. The collection includes popular rhymes such as ""The Tar-Baby"" and ""De Ole Brer Rabbit"", as well as lesser-known songs and poems. The Tar-Baby And Other Rhymes Of Uncle Remus is a charming and nostalgic look back at a time when storytelling was a cherished tradition in African American culture. It is a celebration of the oral tradition and the power of language to bring people together and create a sense of community.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

220 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1904

About the author

Joel Chandler Harris was an American journalist born in Eatonton, Georgia who wrote the Uncle Remus stories, including Uncle Remus; His Songs and His Sayings, The Folk-Lore of the Old Plantation, (1880), Nights with Uncle Remus (1881 & 1882), Uncle Remus and His Friends (1892), and Uncle Remus and the Little Boy (1905).

The stories, based on the African-American oral storytelling tradition, were revolutionary in their use of dialect and in featuring a trickster hero called Br'er ("Brother") Rabbit, who uses his wits against adversity, though his efforts do not always succeed. The frog is the trickster character in traditional tales in Central and Southern Africa. The stories, which began appearing in the Atlanta Constitution in 1879, were popular among both Black and White readers in the North and South, not least because they presented an idealized view of race relations soon after the Civil War. The first published Brer Rabbit stories were written by President Theodore Roosevelt's uncle, Robert Roosevelt.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was/is an interesting book. It’s the basis for Disney’s Song of the South. (Whatever we think of that movie, I have to give Disney credit for making a movie out of African American folktales from the 1940’s.) I have been wanting to read the book/set of tales that the movie is based on.

Not exactly thrilled with wording & that has nothing to do w. the use of vernacular. (I actually appreciate vernacular was kept.) There are certain words in 2024 that make me twitch. I had to keep reminding myself that what I had an issue w. wasn’t being used in that way.