Brother Rabbit: A Cambodian Tale

by Minfong Ho, Saphan Ros, Jennifer Hewitson (Illustrator)

A crocodile, two elephants, and an old woman are no match for a mischievous rabbit

Genres: Picture Books, Folk Tales, Cultural, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Minfong Ho is an award-winning Chinese-American writer. Her works frequently deal with the lives of people living in poverty in Southeast Asian countries.

Reviews

[Laura Weakland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the illustrations in this book. It was difficult to see the side of the rabbit until I read the authors "note about the story." It's hard to read this one to kids because I always teach them to treat others the way the want to be treated. That's why is important to read the authors note so you understand the background for the folktale. That is why I gave it 4 stars...the author did a good job of explaining the fable. Plus I loved the illustrations.

[Phdrseuss · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a Cambodian folktale that shows how smart a rabbit can be. In this one he meets up with (and outsmarts) a crocodile.

[Themountainbookie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clever rabbit folktale. I didn’t appreciate some of the language like idiot in the story. I’m not reading this to kids that are ready for that word.

[Ember Moto · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story of how a clever rabbit tricked a crocodile into helping him cross a river and not eating him for lunch.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

one of several collaborations between Ho and Ros on Cambodian folk talks. Illustrated by Jennifer Hewitson.
Age Range: 5 and up

From Booklist
Gr. 1-4. When a river separates a hungry rabbit from food, the resourceful creature tricks an enormous crocodile into ferrying him across the swiftly-moving water to his feast. Soon after, Brother Rabbit outsmarts a market woman and an elephant mother and her child. But greater trouble awaits in the form of the angry, revenge-seeking crocodile. Hewitson's bright watercolor-and-ink illustrations cleverly enhance this Cambodian folktale's sense of place and lend suspense and drama to the rabbit's misadventures. A distinctive border frames each page, and Hewitson imbues each illustration with an exceptional sense of texture and movement that pairs with the text to race the story along. Older students may find this a good choice for storytelling or for comparing with other trickster tales or Brother Rabbit stories. No notes are provided, but the authors discuss the place of folklore in Cambodia and relate the story's theme to Cambodian history. Karen Morgan

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mom has been searching for this book ever since she left Cambodia! She told me she read this when she was little and she told me about this tricky rabbit, so i looked for this book online XD. I also think that this author may have heard of the same stories and retold the story because it was published in 1995... and my mom wasn't born that year i was already born!

[Niena Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose the book "Brother Rabbit" by Minfong Ho because it is a folktale. It is important to have a variet of genre books in a book collection. The illustrations in this book were amazing, it showed line, color, and texture. I highly recommend having this book in a 4th-5th grade classroom due to the story and amount of text.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clever story about Brother Rabbit outsmarting a crocodile, a lady and an elephant to get what he wants.

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love reading tales about other cultures. Brother Rabbit...a Cambodian tale.

[Genny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute trickster tale with a history. The sly and small rabbit is supposed to represent the small country of Cambodia which, using only its wits, survives its bigger enemies. The tale is cute and funny, much akin to all trickster tales.