Elaine Goodale Eastman (1863–1953)

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.

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 show more 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). show less

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.