Verna Aardema

Left alone to graze, Borreguita outsmarts the fierce coyote who thinks the small lamb would be a tasty lunch. This tale from Ayutla, Mexico, is retold with sly humor and illustrated with dramatic, full color illustrations.

The tale of herdsman Ki-pat is set on a dry African plain and is told in the familiar cadence of “The House that Jack Built”. Animals are introduced, tension builds and the resolution pours forth as the rhyme builds. Stylized illustrations create place and mood in this engaging verse.

Rabbit cannot go into her own house for fear of the ferocious-sounding animal inside. Told as a play with masked actors, this cumulative tale gradually unfolds to a surprising and very satisfying conclusion.