Coyote Steals the Blanket

by Stevens, Janet

• ISBN13: 9780823409969
• ISBN10: 0823409961
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1993-03-01
• Publisher: Holiday House

Summary

In vivid browns, tans and blues befitting its desert setting, Stevens's latest retelling stars a rapscallion bent on pilfering a blanket. After all, Coyote reasons, the blankets are merely covering some big boulders--who would notice? The wise Hummingbird warns the crafty critter that he will upset the balance of things by taking what doesn't belong to him. But Coyote steals the blanket ("I would look fine dressed up in this. I could wear it as a new coat") and a mad race ensues as the offended boulder rolls after the thief, who refuses to give up his booty. Frenetic drawings with a kid-like sensibility propel the story at breakneck pace from one vigorous scene to the next--Mule Deer tries to block the boulder and gets his antlers snapped off; Big Horn Sheep is flattened by the marauding rock. No excessive violence here, however, as the overall tone is reminiscent of a Roadrunner cartoon--and the subtle lesson about respecting the possessions of others may just seep into little ones' consciousness.