A Coyote Solstice Tale [Hardcover]

Thomas King (Author), Gary Clement (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 25, 2009 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Wily trickster Coyote is having his friends over for a little solstice get-together in the woods when a little girl comes by unexpectedly. She leads the friends through the snowy woods to the mall — a place they had never seen before. The trickster goes crazy with glee as he shops with abandon, only to discover that filling a shopping cart with goodies is not quite the same thing as actually paying for them. The trickster is tricked and goes back to his cabin in the woods — somewhat subdued — though nothing can keep Coyote down for long. Thomas King is known for his fiction featuring Canada's Native people, while Gary Clement's artwork has appeared in several popular children's books. A Coyote Solstice Tale blends King's brilliant deadpan humor and Clement's evocative watercolors in this witty critique of consumerism and consumption aimed at all ages.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3–Coyote is expecting Beaver, Bear, Otter, and Moose for a solstice dinner at his small house in the woods but a little girl in a reindeer costume shows up first. When the friends follow her tracks to discover where she came from, they discover a huge and frenzied mall just beyond the woods, where Coyote goes wild shopping until he discovers that he has to pay for the stuff. The humor is dry and affectionate, the rhyming text delights with sly turns of phrase, the watercolor cartoons are whimsical, and the small size of the book (a bit bigger than a DVD case) adds to the charm. This holiday treat will leave readers with no doubt that an evening spent at home with your buds is priceless.–Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library END

From Booklist

While Coyote prepares for a winter feast with friends, a young girl knocks on his door, explaining that she wants “to find friendship and goodwill and peace.” When his animal friends arrive, they all set off to find the girl’s parents and come to a brightly lit shopping mall, crammed with frantic shoppers. After Coyote’s wild, hilarious shopping spree, which fizzles when he has no money, the girl rejoins her parents, and the animals return to Coyote’s cozy cabin where they share a meal, stories, and songs, and pray for clean water and air. Told in rhymed verse and published in an appropriately smaller format, this wry, anti-consumerism story will resonate in the current economy. Expressive cartoon-style pictures add humor and attitude to a refreshing, unconventional “holiday” story. Grades 1-4. --Linda Perkins

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Groundwood Books (August 25, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0888999291
• ISBN-13: 978-0888999290
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #906,768 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read This Book!, January 24, 2010

By 

Bruce K. Alexander (Vancouver, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Coyote Solstice Tale (Hardcover)

At age 70, I am too old for children's books, but this one captured me heart and soul. Coyote learns about how mall-based Christmas differs from Solstice as he, the animals, and the people have always celebrated it. He is devastated, but not to devastated to make a joke about it in the end. I have addressed the same topic in my own writing The Globalisation of Addiction but Coyote is far more succinct.

5.0 out of 5 stars a Christmas perspective most of us have all but forgotten about..., December 23, 2009

A Kid's Review

This review is from: A Coyote Solstice Tale (Hardcover)

An awesome book to share with your entire family regardless of age. Thank you Thomas King for the subtle yet effective reminder that Christmas should be so much more than an annual buying frenzy for merchandise we probably can't afford and didn't really need in the first place. Terrific story with wonderful illustrations. Highly recommended.