Russ on Reading: Read Aloud Winners: The Trickster Tales of Gerald McDermott

Russ on Reading: Read Aloud Winners: The Trickster Tales of Gerald McDermott

Read Aloud Winners: The Trickster Tales of Gerald McDermott

Everyday is a good day for a read aloud, of course, but some books make better read alouds than others. Among my favorites are the trickster tales as winningly told and exquisitely illustrated by Gerald McDermott. McDermott was not only a world class artist, his illustrations just literally jump off the page at you, but also an expert in folklore. Trickster tales come to us from many different cultures and McDermott mined these rich resources for these entertaining stories.

Perhaps the most familiar of McDermott's books, this Caldecott Honor Book established McDermott's distinctive style.  Anansi is a  troublemaker whose six sons try to save him from all the problems he causes. A West African Folktale.

In this tale from the American Southwest, the animals of the desert teach the troublesome Coyote a lesson.

In this tale from India, a hungry, clever Monkey must find a way to get the tasty mangoes from the island in the river with Crocodile's help, without becoming Crocodile's lunch. CONTINUE READING: Russ on Reading: Read Aloud Winners: The Trickster Tales of Gerald McDermott