Rabbit and the Moon

by Douglas Wood

In this adaptation of a Native American folktale, Douglas Wood’s storyteller flair and Leslie Baker’s watercolor paintings animate the tale of how Rabbit made it to the moon.

Rabbit has always dreamed of going to the moon, but try as he might, he simply cannot jump high enough. But one day, all of Rabbit’s hopes come true when his friend Crane offers to fly him there. On their journey up, Rabbit holds on so tight to Crane’s legs that by the time they reach the moon, Rabbit’s paws are bloody and Crane’s legs have stretched! After their journey, when Rabbit pats Crane on the head in thanks, he stains Crane’s feathers.

To this day, Crane still walks on long legs and wears a red headdress. And if you look carefully at the full moon, you can still see Rabbit up there, riding across the night sky.

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Composer, recording artist, wilderness guide, and self-taught naturalist-Douglas Wood is perhaps most widely known as the highly acclaimed author of OLD TURTLE, a 1993 ABBY Award winner and an International Reading Association Book of the Year. Author of several books for readers of all ages, Douglas says he is always seeking themes that are universally significant to both children and adults. His first book for Candlewick Press, GRANDAD'S PRAYERS OF THE EARTH-winner of the Christopher Medal for "affirming the highest value of the human spirit"-quietly explores the theme of grief and healing while celebrating a human connection to the natural world and the enduring spirit of love. Douglas Wood kept in mind someone very special to his own life when writing GRANDAD'S PRAYERS OF THE EARTH. "I feel I've been getting ready to write this book all my life, for it is about my wise and gentle hero, my Grandad. It's a prayer and a thank you, a walk in the woods, and a remembering smile; and it is for anyone who has ever had a woods to walk, a prayer to whisper, a hero to love."


Douglas Wood lives with his family in a log cabin on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minnesota.

Reviews

[Teneka Howland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grades 1st - 3rd

Douglas Wood tells a story of rabbit who never gave up on his dreams. After having a dream of reaching the moon, rabbit sought to find a friend who would take him there. After being rejected many times, he perservered until he found crane, who agreed to take him there. Children will be delighted in the simple, yet detailed watercolor paintings that the illustrator uses tell the story. Although the text is small, there is a lot of white space which makes the story less intimidating. Students should be able to read this book independently by the 3rd grade. This story is different from the typical fairy tales and folktales, which will appeal to children.

Related Content Areas:
Science, Social Studies

Lesson Idea:
This story is an adaptation from Cree legend (Native American) and, therefore, would be a great introductory into Native American people and culture. The students could learn about the Cree Native Americans and the class could create posters with information about these people.

[Seth Lebaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love folktales. They share the history of peoples beliefs and how they thought the world worked. I would use this book to share with the students stories that Native Americans would tell oral and pass the stories down from generation to generation. I would like to have the students write to me stories of how they think things got there or happen, like the moon, the stars, mountains etc.

[Kailyn Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Rabbit and the Moon because it feels like a story that has been shared for generations. The simple language and gentle pacing make it easy to imagine this tale being told aloud, which reflects its roots in Cree oral tradition. I appreciated how the story explains natural features, such as the markings on the moon and the crane’s appearance, in a meaningful way.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

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