In 1955, seventy-five years after the publication of the first Uncle Remus book, the entire collection of delightful and inimitable stories of Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer B'ar, and Brer Wolf were gathered together in one volume. All of the animal tales from nine books are here, along with the illustrations that originally accompanied them.
After the first book appeared in 1880, Joel Chandler Harris was inundated with letters from readers all over the country asking for more stories of Brer Rabbit and his friends—so for the remaining years of his life, he collected and wrote them. Richard Chase, noted folklorist and author of Jack Tales and Grandfather Tales, compiled and edited the volume after Harris's death, and his occasional footnotes and word definitions enhance these well-loved tales by aiding the reader's understanding of the dialect. Chase's belief in the importance of folktales and Harris's work is summed up in his foreword: "These tales grew up in the soil of our nation. They came from the soul of a people. They endure."
This new edition, with lively jacket art by Barbara McClintock and all the humor and charm of the original collection, will delight fans of all ages. Preserved for generations to come, the spirited antics of the wily Brer Rabbit and his woodland friends come to life in this comprehensive volume—a continuing testament to the lasting power of the folktale within the American literary scene.
We recommend this only as a read-aloud to children from around fourth grade to sixth, due to the challenging old-South dialect. After that, some kids will probably be able to read them on their own, but the stories are still best read aloud. The stories are hilarious, so they are worth the effort! If you prefer an adaptation, an excellent collection by Julius Lester is also available.
Books Included:
- Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings
- Nights With Uncle Remus: Myths and Legends of the Old Plantation
- Daddy Jake, The Runaway: And Short Stories Told After Dark
- Uncle Remus and His Friends: Old Plantation Stories, Songs, and Ballads with Sketches of Negro Character
- Told by Uncle Remus: New Stories of the Old Plantation
- Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit
- Uncle Remus and the Little Boy
- Uncle Remus Returns
- Seven Tales of Uncle Remus
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