IKTOMI AND THE BOULDER

Another well-documented indian story from the illustrator of The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses (Caldecott Medal, 1979). Goble explains that there are many comic stories about Iktomi, who is clever enough to make mischief but also stupid enough to be fooled—as well as being an incurable liar: "we can see ourselves in him." Here, Iktomi discards his blanket on a hot day, unctuously giving it to a boulder to keep the sun off; when the weather changes, he takes the blanket back—and the boulder revenges itself by chasing and capturing him. Lured by Iktomi's lies, bats fly at the boulder in a rage, breaking it up and freeing the trickster. There is extra dialogue, printed adjacent to the illustrations, that Goble recommends be skipped when using the story with a group; italicized interpolations ("He wasn't really generous at all, was he?") are traditional, designed to invite audience participation—like hissing a melodrama's villain. An amusing addition to Native American folklore collections, illustrated in Goble's usual colorful, clean style.