Hazel Rochman (Booklist, Oct. 15, 2003 (Vol. 100, No. 4))
As demonstrated in her African American story collections The People Could Fly (1985) and Her Stories (1995), the late Hamilton's research into history and folklore has always been rigorous, but she has never allowed it to get in the way of her telling. In this version of the beloved Tar Baby trickster story, she drew on Gullah folklore from the Sea Islands of South Carolina. Her rhythmic, immediate version is well matched by Ransome's paintings, both cozy and exciting, which extend the fun with beautiful farmland scenes at "dayclean" (dawn) and "daylean" (evening) picturing the wily rabbit thief in human clothes repeatedly outwitting the wolf. The hilarious climax of the story is unforgettable as Rabbit first talks to Tar Baby ("'Girl, why won't you speak to me? What you doing out here?'"), then sticks to her, each part of his body in turn. Although things look bleak, Rabbit still wins in the end, and Hamilton's source note, which points to Bruh Rabbit as a favorite character among African American slave storytellers, who always seemed helpless but was traditionally really tricky and clever. A perfect choice for reading aloud. Category: Books for the Young--Nonfiction. 2003, Scholastic/Blue Sky, $16.95. PreS-Gr. 2.

Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature)
In a down-home fashion, from a version recorded in heavy Gullah speech in the Sea Islands of South Carolina, Hamilton tells of "a far time ago" when Bruh Rabbit is taking advantage of Bruh Wolf so often that the angry wolf determines to "show him a thing or two." He makes a tar baby girl; the rabbit gets really stuck on it. But Bruh Rabbit has the last laugh, as he tricks the wolf into throwing him into the briar patch so he can run away. The traditional story is told briskly here, with a touch of fun. Ransome's paintings create anthropomorphic characters set in a naturalistic rural homestead with neat rows of fenced-in crops and a clapboard house. There is a looseness to the brushstrokes that animate the scenes to illuminate the rabbit's sneaky behavior and the wolf's angry resolve. The visual narrative lacks some of the folksy feeling of the text but interprets the tale with equal effectiveness. A note fills in the background of the tale. 2003, Blue Sky Press/Scholastic Inc, $16.95. Ages 4 to 8.

Meredith Moore (Children's Literature)
Lazy Bruh Rabbit is always stealing from Bruh Wolf's garden instead of planting his own crops. One day Bruh Wolf decides to make a scarecrow, hoping to trick Bruh Rabbit. Bruh Rabbit, too smart to be scared by a scarecrow, sneaks into the garden and steals more peanuts anyway. When Bruh Wolf discovers that Bruh Rabbit is not fooled by the scarecrow, he makes a tar baby girl. The next time Bruh Rabbit tries to steal peanuts, he gets into a fight with the "girl" in the garden, who will not speak to him. Bruh Rabbit becomes entangled in the gooey mess, unable to get free, but he manages to outsmart Wolf again. Readers who don't know the tar baby story will have to read this book to discover how Bruh Rabbit manages to trick Wolf once again. Virginia Hamilton's version of the tar baby story is one of many retellings. Hers was collected from the islands of South Carolina and maintains the nuances of the Gullah language. Ransome's paintings use rich, vibrant color to illustrate the animals' clothing, Wolf's beautiful garden, and the glow of the sunset. Ransome's interpretation of the animals may be different than others, as the animals look somewhat like humans. Their faces are clearly that of a wolf and a rabbit, but their postures and their clothing are human-like. 2003, Blue Sky Press/Scholastic, $16.95. Ages 4 to 8.

Susie Wilde (Children's Literature)
Hamilton's last book, Bruh Rabbit is a classic Brer Rabbit tale rendered with Gullah-inflections. It is a book made to be read aloud, full of rhythms and cadences that make the story sing as Bruh Wolf sets up a raggedy tar girl to capture Bruh Rabbit because, "Rabbit, him is trick-some-about to fool a body and not do a lick of work himself." Lyrically it rolls along as Rabbit "creeping low-down, slow-down, and he sees the scarey-crow-Whom!-standing still and very white in the shine of the moon." Finally, Rabbit is caught in the tar and the story satisfyingly reaches the traditional folklore ending of the briar patch escape. 2003, Scholastic, $16.95. Ages 5 to 9.

CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2004)
The late Virginia Hamilton excelled at many types of storytelling, including retelling traditional African American tales in dialects that reflect specific aspects of the African American oral tradition. This newly published Brer Rabbit story was written by Hamilton in the Gullah dialect of the South Carolina Sea Islands. In the story, crafty Bruh Rabbit has been eating Bruh Wolf's crops-it's much easier than planting and tending his own. Bruh Wolf's "scarey-crow" doesn't scare Bruh Rabbit, so Wolf makes a Tar Baby Girl-a rabbit image coated in tar-to catch that wily rabbit once and for all. As usual, Bruh Wolf's comeuppance is shortlived in this richly written, comical story that reads well silently or aloud. Information about the significance of Brer Rabbit stories in African American history is provided along with a brief description of some of the Gullah terms that enliven the superbly told tale. James Ransome's lively paintings are in perfect step with the lighthearted spirit of the story. CCBC categories: Folklore, Mythology, and Traditional Literature; Picture Books for School-Aged Children. 2003, Blue Sky Press / Scholastic, 32 pages, $16.95. Ages 6-9.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2003 (Vol. 71, No. 18))
Hamilton posthumously revives this archetypal Brer Rabbit tale with a Gullah-inflected rendition, to which Ransome supplies Jerry Pinkney-influenced watercolor scenes of clothed, but naturalistically rendered animals. Finding evidence that lazy Bruh Rabbit's been helping himself to his hard-won crops, Bruh Wolf sets up a rag scarecrow, which fools Bruh Rabbit not a bit, then a tarry, long-eared doe whose silence irritates Rabbit into attacking: "Missy Girl, keeping her mouth shut. Bruh Rabbit took a bite. GUNK! His nose stuck! He sure was one rabbit stuck on somebody!" Young readers may wonder how Bruh Wolf can be canny enough to construct the trap, yet foolish enough to think that chucking his cagey captive into a briar patch would be a punishment-but, that's how the story goes, and the wolf seems only mildly peeved in the final scene. A note on the tale, and on Bruh Rabbit as a character, caps this handsome edition, seemingly destined to become the standard one in libraries. 2003, Blue Sky/Scholastic, $16.95. Category: Picture book/folk tale. Ages 7 to 9. Starred Review. © 2003 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2004)
The late Virginia Hamilton's funny, satisfying version of the old trickster tale uses the phrasings and rhythm of Gullah speech: "Rabbit, him, is tricky-some--about to fool a body and not do a lick of work himself." Her retelling is zesty and conversational, making a great read-aloud. Ransome uses watercolors to depict the green farm and countryside. Though wearing human clothing, the animal characters are otherwise realistically depicted. Category: Nonfiction-Folktales and Nursery Rhymes. 2003, Scholastic/Blue Sky, 40pp, $16.95. Ages 5 to 9. Rating: 1: Outstanding, noteworthy in style, content, and/or illustration.

Ginny Hoskins (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 16, No. 4))
A retelling of a very old tale from America’s southern plantations, this version was collected and recorded in the Gullah speech of the Sea Islands of South Carolina. The story is as engaging as ever, but what makes this book really stand out are the wonderful paintings by Ransome. Children (of all ages!) will want to look and look at these beautifully detailed pictures. A bonus at the end, “About This Story,” tells some of the history of the tale and explains some of the unfamiliar terms like “croker sack.” This book is wonderful for reading aloud, and the second and third graders can enjoy it on their own. Nonfiction (398.2), Highly Recommended. Grades K-3. 2003, Blue Sky, Unpaged., $16.95. Ages 5 to 9.