The Raccoon and the Bee Tree (1909)

For myself and my three children (4 1/2, 2 year old twins), this was a cute story but is not destined to become a household favorite. The illustrations were well done and we spent more time discussing the animals & their habitats portrayed in the art work than we did focusing on the story as that was somewhat dry and not very engaging in this incarnation. I'm curious about the other books in the series but this one leaves me a little cautious about doing so. ( )

Written 100 years ago, The Raccoon and the Bee Tree is a combination traditional American Indian tale and European fable. The Raccoon and the Bee Tree is a swet humourous picture book about a young curious raccoon exploring the woods. His adventures include tripping into a family of sleeping skunks as well as attempts to befriend a couple of angry red Squirrels. The illustrations are particularly delightful. Priceless expressions add humour to the story as the character finds himself covered in honey and leaves. As expected there is a useful moral to the story. Probably meant for early readers as there is a word list at the end of the book. Also includes an introduction and bibliography. (review based on an advanced readers copy). ( )

Bloomsbury Review (Vol. 29, no. 4), review of Raccoon and the Bee Tree.

Prairie Tale Series #4
The Raccoon and the Bee Tree
A Prairie Tale
CHARLES A. EASTMAN &
ELAINE GOODALE EASTMAN
Illustrated by SUSAN TURNBULL
South Dakota State Historical Society,
$14.95 cloth, ISBN 978-0-9798940-8-4
The latest entry in a series about animals
narive to Dakota prairies and
woods, this is a variation on a tradi~
tional Native American tale. Here,
Raccoon awakens at dusk and ventures
out from his home in a dead stump, on
the hunt for food. Along the way, he
encounters Swan, Crane, . Loon, the
Skunk family, and other animal neigh~
bors, who are nervous about his presence.
He runs into trouble when he
dines on the honey in a bees' nest.
Stung by the honey's protectors and
covered in honey, he falls from a tree
and ends up covered with a layer of
dead leaves glued to his body. With his
unnatural appearance, he alarms other
animals, including Fox and Bear, before
resolving his dilemma in the s~ory's con~
clusion. It's a simple story delivering a
traditional moral,in a charming format
that will please young readers .
-Heidi Yaw1kin • ( )

The Raccoon and the Bee Tree has beautiful illustrations with a lovely, whimsical nature. The writing is somewhat clunky, but I still think that a four- or five-year-old child might enjoy the story if it is read out loud with a lot of emotion and excitement in one's voice. I found the moral at the end to be a bit heavy-handed, but I suppose that is the nature of such formats. ( )

A charming young children's story, with a moral lesson very similar to Aesop's fables, this oral story was first printed in 1909. It is the tale of an evening's adventure with a young and rambunctious raccoon, who learns his lesson by story's end. The illustrations seem to be very soft-focused and very appealing for young children. ( )

The Raccoon and the Bee Tree is a Native American story first published in 1909, newly illustrated and published by the South Dakota State Historical Society Press as part of their Prairie Tales.

The story follows a hungry raccoon one night as he searches for food and meets many fellow woodlanders. Water fowl, skunks, squirrels, a fox and a bear round out the cast of character the raccoon encounters. Bees, of course, play a pivotal role as the raccoon learns a lesson about the risks of stealing honey.

The story kept the interest of my kindergartener. He liked the illustrations by Susan Turnbull, although I found them a bit too whimsical for my taste. They have a golden glow about them which is appealing. Gold and green form a pleasant base to Ms. Turnbull's palette. ( )

This tale is 100 years old and is an American Indian tale. Traditionally told only verbally Charles Eastman decided to put the story into print at his wife’s suggestion.. The story follows a raccoon as he wakes and goes hunting for food. He soon gets into a sticky situation as he tangles with a bees’ nest and its honey. This is a delightful tale and is in the form of a fable with a moral at the ending.

Eastman worked as a doctor on an Indian reservation in the 18oos before turning to writing. He published several other books about Sioux legends and customs.

Susan Turnball has illustrated this edition with charming artwork. ( )

A picture book with words based on an American Indian tale adapted to the format of an Aesop-style fable by Charles Eastman in 1909. Eastman's writing is terribly dry, and he squeezes the life out of the story by forcing it into a format that was already archaic when it was originally published 100 years ago. The illustrations help a lot, and give some personality to the characters, but while they're cute and fun, there's nothing really special there. ( )

Very charming story with outstanding artwork. I will be looking to get my hands on all of the books in this series. ( )