Last Tales of Uncle Remus [Hardcover]

Julius Lester (Author), Jerry Pinkney (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1994 | Age Level: 7 and up

With his boisterous friends and rowdy enemies, Brer Rabbit is on the road to adventure. He gets a job and figures out how to get paid--twice a day! Times may change, but Brer Rabbit is forever! 32 illustrations, 8 in full color.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8-This is the fourth volume of retellings of African-American folktales that were first collected by Joel Chandler Harris in the late 19th-century Reconstruction South. As before, Lesteruses Uncle Remus as narrator and, as before, he is a forceful, witty, and cunning storyteller rather than the subservient character of Harris's creation. Many of these 39 selections are pourquoi tales, such as "Why the Cricket Has Elbows on His Legs" and "Why Brer Possum Has No Hair on His Tail." Several stories feature that hero of heroes, Brer Rabbit, but he does not dominate the tales as in the earlier books. These tales are darker in tone than the stories usually associated with Harris's characters. They show capricious and violent tricks of fate that surely mirrored closely the lives of the slaves who told them. As in the previous books, Lester has done a stellar job in the retelling. Pinkney's watercolor illustrations have the same verve and interest as before. Storytellers will find this book a rich find of rare and unusual materials.
Kay McPherson, Central Atlanta-Fulton Public Library, GA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4 and up. Thirty-nine selections--from tall tales and ghost stories to trickster tales--drawn from the African American tradition are reclaimed and retold in this fourth and apparently final volume in Lester's Uncle Remus series. Lester's ability to communicate the oral rhythm of the stories is compelling, and his storyteller's voice offers commentary and asides in a nearly perfect combination of traditional and modern vernacular. Humor bubbles from the characterizations, plot, and language in the tales, which offer themselves for reading aloud or storytelling with an almost audible shout. With 8 color and 26 black-and-white illustrations by Pinkney, this roundup is as refreshing and down-to-earth as was the first book in the series; and it deserves its place as the crowning conclusion to a historic collection of tales. Janice Del Negro

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Dial; 1st edition (January 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803713037
• ISBN-13: 978-0803713031
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,184,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in 1939, Julius Lester spent his youth in the Midwest and the South and received a B.A. in English from Fisk University in 1960.Since 1968 he has published 25 books of fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and poetry. Among the awards these books have received are the Newbery Honor Medal, American Library Association Notable Book, National Jewish Book Award Finalist, The New York Times Outstanding Book, National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist, Caldecott Honor Book, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, and a National Book Award Finalist. His books have been translated into eight languages.He has published more than one hundred essays and reviews in such publications The New York Times Book Review, The New York Times Op-Ed Page, The Boston Globe, The Village Voice, The New Republic, Katallagete, Moment, Forward, and Dissent.He has recorded two albums of original songs, hosted and produced a radio show on WBAI-FM in New York City for eight years, and hosted a live television show on WNET in New York for two years. A veteran of the Civil Rights Movement, his photographs of that movement are included in an exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution and are part of the permanent photographic collection at Howard University.After teaching at the New School for Social Research for two years, Mr. Lester joined the faculty of the University of Massachusetts/Amherst in 1971 where he is presently a full professor in the Judaic and Near Eastern Studies Department, and adjunct professor in the English and History departments. He also serves as lay religious leader of Beth El Synagogue in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.He has been awarded all four of the university's most prestigious faculty awards: The Distinguished Teacher's Award; the Faculty Fellowship Award for Distinguished Research and Scholarship; Distinguished Faculty Lecturer; and recipient of the Chancellor's Medal, the University's highest honor. In 1986 the Council for Advancement and Support of Education selected him as the Massachusetts State Professor of the Year.Mr. Lester's biography has appeared in Who's Who In America since 1970. He has given lectures and papers at more than 100 colleges and universities.His most recent books are John Henry, And All Our Wounds Forgiven, a novel about the civil rights movement, and Othello, a novel based on the Shakespeare play.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect, except for the bit with the blood, July 20, 2000

By 

Miles Carter - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last Tales of Uncle Remus (Hardcover)

A wonderful little childrens book - if you don't mind a blood drenched last chapter. My little boy woke up screaming for a solid week. Stay away from that, is my advice. Otherwise, a light-hearted romp through a pumpkin patch of delights.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Last Tales of Uncle Remus, June 22, 2011

By 

Liz - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Last Tales of Uncle Remus (Audio Cassette)

These cassette tapes narrated by Julius Lester were purchased for my son who has become legally blind and can no longer read. He discovered these tapes about 3 years ago and listens to them 24/7. I can't praise them highly enough. Mr Lester does a wonderful job of "modern" translation of these classic stories. We enjoy them thoroughly.