IKTOMI AND THE COYOTE

Iktomi (Iktomi and the Buzzard, 1994, etc.), with a buzz cut and full ceremonial dress, is up to his antics again, which this time involve tricking prairie dogs to settle down in hot coals so he can gobble them up for dinner. Goble, who apparently finds in Iktomi his own personal nemesis, integrates traditional folklore with contemporary references, and shows the trickster toting some of Goble’s previous books around. Similar in plot to Iktomi and the Ducks (1990, not reviewed), Ikto convinces prairie dogs to cook themselves by playing a game in the coals. Only one of them escapes while the others become a succulent treat (the grilled corpses are stylized but unmistakable); the scent of grilled meat attracts Coyote. Cunningly, the four-legged trickster outsmarts the two-legged one and Iktomi goes away hungry, dreaming of cheeseburgers and fries. Goble’s illustrations shine, while the endless interruptions of the main story with narrator asides, as well as with the comments of Iktomi and others, return the story to its oral roots. (Picture book/folklore. 4-9)