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Sure as Sunrise: Stories of Bruh Rabbit and His Walkin' Talkin' Friends
With the humor and wisdom of her North Carolina roots, Alice McGill shares the stories she remembers from her father, mother, grandmother, and neighbors. Her telling is as fresh as “a loaf of bread still warm from the ashes” as she brings to life the creatures that so fascinated her as a child: Bruh Rabbit, Sis Possum, Bruh Bear, and Bruh Fox. Illustrated with zest and warmth, these stories were passed on for generations and are, ultimately, a celebration of the human spirit. For as sure as sunrise, the cleverness of the small but sassy Bruh Rabbit shines through as he outwits the more powerful, again and again.
- GenresPicture Books
48 pages, Hardcover
First published April 22, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 31, 2022
This was actually a really great compilation of stories as well as one that also has a bit of historical attachment to it as the author includes notes from her life growing up as a sharecropper's daughter picking cotton. She introduces and ends each story whether with meanings to words, explanations as to how she was told this story by her parents or neighbors, the lessons she learned and so much more while it is so refreshing to hear her present her side of growing up where there was actual racism although she doesn't state it right aloud.
There are five stories in this compilation while I believe that everyone has at least heard one version of the Please Don't Fling Me In the Briar Patch in their life but most of the other ones were rather new to me. And I will acknowledge I have heard the Ancient Green/Aesop version of Bruh Possum & the Snake without possum and sometimes with the snake being replaced with a fox, which just goes to show these stories are timeless no matter which way they are spun.
Although a bit long and lacking in the full dialect that some other authors provide for these stories it was still clear enough to make these great stories that you would want to share with your own little ones. And the fact that other characters were included besides the ever-present Bruh Rabbit was a real winner for me on this book.
The illustrations were also brightly colored and rather detailed although a bit cartoonish/animated at times so the critters looked like they were bobble-heads. One thing that makes me a bit uneasy, though, especially with the times we are living in, is the fact that the majority of these characters were dressed in what is now considered racial stereotypes like the blackbird with her hair stuck standing up with numerous bows although the illustrator in this case is black. Were these meant to be actual representations of styles when the stories were meant to take place or are the something more?
All in all this is definitely one book that I would most definitely buy for my own shelves and would want to share with other readers who have never been introduced to Bruh Rabbit before.
There are five stories in this compilation while I believe that everyone has at least heard one version of the Please Don't Fling Me In the Briar Patch in their life but most of the other ones were rather new to me. And I will acknowledge I have heard the Ancient Green/Aesop version of Bruh Possum & the Snake without possum and sometimes with the snake being replaced with a fox, which just goes to show these stories are timeless no matter which way they are spun.
Although a bit long and lacking in the full dialect that some other authors provide for these stories it was still clear enough to make these great stories that you would want to share with your own little ones. And the fact that other characters were included besides the ever-present Bruh Rabbit was a real winner for me on this book.
The illustrations were also brightly colored and rather detailed although a bit cartoonish/animated at times so the critters looked like they were bobble-heads. One thing that makes me a bit uneasy, though, especially with the times we are living in, is the fact that the majority of these characters were dressed in what is now considered racial stereotypes like the blackbird with her hair stuck standing up with numerous bows although the illustrator in this case is black. Were these meant to be actual representations of styles when the stories were meant to take place or are the something more?
All in all this is definitely one book that I would most definitely buy for my own shelves and would want to share with other readers who have never been introduced to Bruh Rabbit before.
July 12, 2022
Sure as Sunrise: Stories of Bruh Rabbit and His Walkin' Talkin' Friends Alice McGill
My elementary school library had a loft called the Eagle’s Nest, where a librarian or teacher would read aloud to us. One day the superintendent came and read us Brer Rabbit stories as told by Joel Chandler Harris in his 1880 bestseller "Uncle Remus: His Songs and Sayings." It was my first introduction to the timeless trickster rabbit.
Harris, a reporter, worked for a publisher in Georgia and learned these stories from the enslaved men and women at his employer’s plantation. These stories have been told by many authors. Even Margaret Wise Brown wrote them with her slant in 1941. This version collects five stories written by Alice McGill and illustrated by Don Tate, who are both Black. I think it makes a difference.
There are five Bruh Rabbit stories in Sure As Sunrise: “Please Don’t Fling Me in the Briar Patch,” “Bruh Possum & the Snake,” “How the Critters Got Groceries,” “Bruh Rabbit’s Mystery Bag,” and “Looking to Get Married.”
The introduction alone is worth the price of the book. McGill says she first heard these stories from her neighbor, Neptune Clark, known as Mister Nep. It was not until she was an adult that she learned about the tales’ origins:
"I learned later that during and after the middle passage of enslaved Africans, Bruh Rabbit became a spokesperson for these oppressed people. Hailing from Africa as Waikama, a hare, he dared to defy the king under his new title, ‘Bruh Rabbit.’ This little character adapted to new surroundings, and the enslaved could express their hopes and disappointments through his wit and trickery.”
Reading these tales, both the familiar and the new-to-me, I was reminded how funny they are. In the introduction to “Bruh Rabbit’s Mystery Bag,” McGill writes, “When I was a child Bruh Rabbit made me think a good trick was the same as a good laugh.” The story “How the Critters Got Groceries” made me laugh out loud, with its repetitions of “HERE HE COME AGAIN, Y’ALL!” and “IS IT DEEP ENOUGH?”
When I was a child listening to these stories in the library, I did not appreciate that Bruh Rabbit’s world is fundamentally unjust, filled with fickle kings and snakes with deadly fangs and snarling hounds hot on his trail. Trickery is all he has.
Reading these stories as an adult, I couldn’t help but think of another tricky hero, Odysseus. Extraordinary situations — Sirens, systemic racism — call for a little misdirection.
Bruh Rabbit’s adventures are portrayed in all their wily glory with Don Tate’s illustrations. Each one looks like a still from an animated movie, and each animal’s character shows on his or her face or in the way they appear to move, even in a static illustration. That vibrancy may stem from Tate’s technique of first making clay models of his characters, then painting them using oil and acrylic.
Bruh Rabbit & His Walkin’ Talkin’ Friends never get a break — only the ones they make for themselves. Whatever challenge they face, they are always victorious. Sure as sunrise.
My elementary school library had a loft called the Eagle’s Nest, where a librarian or teacher would read aloud to us. One day the superintendent came and read us Brer Rabbit stories as told by Joel Chandler Harris in his 1880 bestseller "Uncle Remus: His Songs and Sayings." It was my first introduction to the timeless trickster rabbit.
Harris, a reporter, worked for a publisher in Georgia and learned these stories from the enslaved men and women at his employer’s plantation. These stories have been told by many authors. Even Margaret Wise Brown wrote them with her slant in 1941. This version collects five stories written by Alice McGill and illustrated by Don Tate, who are both Black. I think it makes a difference.
There are five Bruh Rabbit stories in Sure As Sunrise: “Please Don’t Fling Me in the Briar Patch,” “Bruh Possum & the Snake,” “How the Critters Got Groceries,” “Bruh Rabbit’s Mystery Bag,” and “Looking to Get Married.”
The introduction alone is worth the price of the book. McGill says she first heard these stories from her neighbor, Neptune Clark, known as Mister Nep. It was not until she was an adult that she learned about the tales’ origins:
"I learned later that during and after the middle passage of enslaved Africans, Bruh Rabbit became a spokesperson for these oppressed people. Hailing from Africa as Waikama, a hare, he dared to defy the king under his new title, ‘Bruh Rabbit.’ This little character adapted to new surroundings, and the enslaved could express their hopes and disappointments through his wit and trickery.”
Reading these tales, both the familiar and the new-to-me, I was reminded how funny they are. In the introduction to “Bruh Rabbit’s Mystery Bag,” McGill writes, “When I was a child Bruh Rabbit made me think a good trick was the same as a good laugh.” The story “How the Critters Got Groceries” made me laugh out loud, with its repetitions of “HERE HE COME AGAIN, Y’ALL!” and “IS IT DEEP ENOUGH?”
When I was a child listening to these stories in the library, I did not appreciate that Bruh Rabbit’s world is fundamentally unjust, filled with fickle kings and snakes with deadly fangs and snarling hounds hot on his trail. Trickery is all he has.
Reading these stories as an adult, I couldn’t help but think of another tricky hero, Odysseus. Extraordinary situations — Sirens, systemic racism — call for a little misdirection.
Bruh Rabbit’s adventures are portrayed in all their wily glory with Don Tate’s illustrations. Each one looks like a still from an animated movie, and each animal’s character shows on his or her face or in the way they appear to move, even in a static illustration. That vibrancy may stem from Tate’s technique of first making clay models of his characters, then painting them using oil and acrylic.
Bruh Rabbit & His Walkin’ Talkin’ Friends never get a break — only the ones they make for themselves. Whatever challenge they face, they are always victorious. Sure as sunrise.
December 18, 2020
This collection of five traditional African American trickster tales starring Bruh Rabbit is humorously written by Alice McGill and illustrated by Don Tate. This great read-aloud with its beautiful but somewhat sparse illustrations is best for children in first grade or higher with better attention spans.
September 6, 2017
The stories in this book are all very cute, as they are considered fairytales but I personally did not enjoy them. They seem mock-like to the ones that I had already discovered as a young child. The illustrations are very detailed though which may be a captivator to students.
January 19, 2021
Love this collection of 5 Brer Rabbit tales, complete with glossy paintings, background and morals to the tales. I first read this book many years ago when it was a Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee. Pair it with upcoming TBA nominee Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky.
November 18, 2025
My toddler sat still for a story!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews