"Raccoon's Last Race" as told by Joseph Bruchac & James Bruchac, Pictures by Jose Aruego & Ariane Dewey

Bruchac, Joseph and James Bruchac. (2004). Raccoon's Last Race. Ill. by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0803729774

Raccoon's Last Race is a folktale of Abenaki (northeastern United States/southeastern Canada) origin that is a mixture of the pour quoi, trickster, and beast tale sub-genres of folktales (Vardell 2008).  It recounts the Abenaki tale of how raccoons came to look they way they do.

Photo by: L. Propes

A long time ago, Azban the Raccoon looked very different than his descendants do today.  He was lithe, long-legged runner who could outrun every other animal around.  Azban wins so often, he becomes cocky and teases the other animals as he zooms past them.  As you can probably guess, all the other animals eventually refuse to have anything to do with him.  Bored, Azban notices a large someone on top of a hill and zips off to challenge them to a race.  He finds a large boulder, who is quite happy to stay on his hilltop, thank you.  Not to be deterred, Azban pushes the rock down the hill.  Azban does manage to outrun the rock, until he lets his ego get the better of himself.  The rock flattens him.  None of the other animals respond to Azban's pleas for help except the ants, who agree to help reshape him back to his former glory.  Azban is less than grateful and brushes off the ants before they can finish without so much as a thank you.  It isn't until after he's unceremoniously ditched the ants that Azban realizes he's now short, squat, and can no longer run like he used to.

Photo by: L. Propes

The story flows smoothly, and the Bruchacs keep the story moving briskly, and doesn't linger unnecessarily over certain sections of the plot line; and as such, lends itself very well to a read-aloud. The moral of the story is handled gently with a touch of humor, never letting the audience forget that Azban is in a situation of his own making.  Children will appreciate that Azban finally receives a comeuppance in that he is never able to outrun the other animals, his favorite thing to do.  In an author's note before the story begins, Joseph Bruchac says, "Be careful what you do.  It may end up bringing trouble to you" (Bruchac and Bruchac 2004).

The text is sprinkled with onomatopoeia, verbally illustrating Azban's swift running, the sound of boulder rolling down the hill, and finally the sound of the boulder squishing Azban into a rather thinner version of himself.

Photo by: L. Propes

As good as the story is, the illustrations almost steal the show.  A combination of pen-and-ink, pastel, and gouache, Aruego and Dewey give the animals expression and movement.  A two-page spread at the beginning of the book displays Azban's running prowess over a bear, fox, and rabbit, literally leaving them in his dust.  Azban's facial expressions up until the moment the boulder flattens him are appropriately sly, giving more than a passing resemblance to Wile E. Coyote in the midst of a planning stage.  The look of utter dismay and dejection as Azban realizes he's stuck in his current form can almost make an audience think it's an entirely different character.  Anyone who can give a large, jagged boulder a look of utter glee and satisfaction as it comes down square onto Azban should win an award.  It is priceless.  A drawing in the latter part of the story parallels the beginning when Azban outruns other animals.  It has the same three animals -- the bear, fox, and rabbit -- leaving Azban in their dust.  Backgrounds are in soft focus, allowing the characters of the story to take a starring role.

This story is listed as appropriate for ages K-4.  While it's not terribly long, it might be just a smidge too long for some children.

Photo by: L. Propes

Students could find other pour quoi or trickster stories and compare and contrast the elements in them with Raccoon's Last Race.  They could look up other Native American/First Nations origin stories and try to find out if different tribes have other versions of the same story with different animals.  Teachers could use these stories as an entrance into studies of Native American/First Nations cultures or to introduce a unit involving animals with younger students.  Drama/theatre arts and speech classes could use this book in a unit about storytelling, as the text just begs to be read aloud.

Joseph Brachac has written/retold other origin stories: The First Strawberries and How Chipmunk Got His Stripes.  He also has written/compiled collections of Native American stories and poetry in Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back, The Earth Under Sky Bear's Feet, Between Earth & Sky: Legends of Native American Sacred Places, and Keepers of the Night: Native American Stories and Nocturnal Activities for Children.

Teachers and students can visit his webpage to find clips of Joseph Brachac telling stories.

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"A solid retelling of an Abenaki legend...  The text reads aloud smoothly and keeps the action moving quickly...  A strong addition to picture-book collections." -- Catherine Threadgill, School Library Journal

"The Bruchacs' well-paced retelling is alive with sound... making the story well suited to reading aloud.  Aruego and Dewey's distinctive  illustrations humorously convey the animals' irritation and Azban's arrogance; even Big Rock manages to be expressive.  The authors' notes discuss sources and Azban's place in Abenaki folklore as well as the tale's clear lesson about the consequences of one's actions... this trickster tale packs a wallop." -- Kitty Flynn, Horn Book Magazine

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Works Cited:

Bruchac, Joseph, and James Bruchac. 2004. Raccoon's last race. Ills. by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.

Flynn, Kitty. 2005. Raccoon's last race: A traditional Abenaki story. Horn Book Magazine. 81(1): 102-3.

Threadgill, Catherine. 2004. Raccoon's last race. School Library Journal. 50(12). 

Vardell, Sylvia M. 2008. Children's literature in action: A librarian's guide. Westport: Libraries 
      Unlimited.