Coyote and the Laughing Butterflies [Hardcover]

Harriet Peck Taylor (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

In a whimsical retelling of a Native American folktale from the Southwest, Coyote the trickster has the tables turned on him when he is bamboozled by a swarm of mischievous butterflies. Jr Lib Guild.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3?A delightful retelling of a Tewa legend. Lovable, lazy coyote is sent by his wife to the big salty lake to bring back salt for cooking. When he is caught napping on the shore by butterflies, they decide to fool him and carry him home without the salt. This trick is thrice repeated until at last coyote awakes at home with the bag of salt beside him. This so pleases his wife that she cooks a feast for all of their friends, including the laughing butterflies who to this day cannot fly in a straight line but flutter to and fro chortling over their successful joke. The book concludes with a helpful author's note on the character of coyote himself and the origin of the tale. The softly textured batik illustrations add feeling and depth to this simple legend. Dusty oranges, blues, tans, and greens capture the New Mexican landscape and bring to life the vibrant scenes of the mesa and the animals' expressions and antics. A satisfying selection, creatively designed, with beautiful pictures and striking imagery.?Beth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NY
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 6^-8. Arriving at the great salty lake to fetch salt for his wife, Coyote rewards himself with a nap. While sleeping, he is carried through the air by mischievous butterflies, who take him back home--without the salt. After the confused Coyote tries several times to complete his errand, the butterflies take pity on him and return him to his home with a bag full of salt. This gently humorous tale ends with a great feast attended by all Coyote's animal friends, including the butterflies. To this day, the butterflies remember the trick they played on Coyote and "flutter high and low, to and fro, laughing too hard to fly straight." Cactus sitting in a verdant meadow may give some readers pause, but the large pictures, in bright, appealing colors, make the book suitable for reading aloud to groups and for storytelling. An author's note gives the source for the tale, which is based on a Tewa legend, as well as references to other versions. Janice Del Negro

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; 1st edition (April 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0027888460
• ISBN-13: 978-0027888461
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,085,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #98 in Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > United States

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Coyote tale a good laugh, August 22, 2001

By 

MJ Haertel (Southwest Harbor, ME USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coyote and the Laughing Butterflies (Hardcover)

As a children's librarian, I am always tooking for folk tales from around the world to read or tell to children in the 4-8 year old group. This tale is fun to tell, but reading it and showing the colorful illustrations of the Southwestern United States is a good way to show children in Maine a different region of our country. The listeners loved having the coyote outwitted by butterflies, and many were able to re-tell the tale to parents. I used a coyote puppet to tell the tale, and the children did a butterfly color page after story time. I would highly recommend it to children's librarians and to parents.

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling book!!!!!, May 18, 2006

By 

Animal Freak "Animal Lover" (Pulaski, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coyote and the Laughing Butterflies (Hardcover)

Coyote and the laughing Butterflies is a magical book about a coyote adn his duty to bring salt to his wife from a huge salt lake. It hooked my attention right away and I didn't want to put it down until I was done. The illustrations in this book are grogeous and since I'm an animal lover teh cover and title attracted me right away.
In the book because of teh vivid word choice i could imagine everything the author was telling me in my mind. It was wonderfully written and was very descriptive during parts of the story. i loved the way the author described the beautiful butterflies and teh huge salt lake. Even at times were i couldn't picture sections of teh book in my head the illustrations definately helped me. i highly recommend this book to young kids who liek animals and adventures. Don't pass this wonderful book up!

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Native American folk tale, May 17, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Coyote and the Laughing Butterflies (Hardcover)

Coyote and the Laughing Butterflies is a very amusing bit ofNative American folklore that can be enjoyed by all ages. It is abeautifully illustrated work in vivid color, written in explanation of why butterflies always fly in an erratic, fluttering way. It is funny, interesting, and compassionate. It is delightful light reading to be lovingly shared with your children to introduce them to Native American folk stories.