Poppy or the Snake? (Who's Got Game?)
Gr. 1-4. The series of Aesop's fable adaptations undertaken by this trio continues as Poppy, a bearded Bayou-dwelling African American grandfather, regales a small boy with a tale that illuminates the issues arising when two creatures who are predisposed by culture to distrust one another act antithetically to that inclination. After Poppy accidentally runs over Snake, Snake talks Poppy into making amends by taking him home and then pretends to become Poppy's friend. However, a snake is, after all, a snake, and eventually he acts on his nature and bites Poppy. For his part, Poppy is prepared, as any experienced swamp-dwelling human would be, for this likely possibility. Although Lemaitre's nuanced, full-color illustrations have the appeal of cartoons and much of the text appears within the panels and speech bubbles of the comicslike format, this can be read aloud quite successfully without reference to the images. While this series, by Nobel Prize-winner Morrison and her son, has been uneven, this segment is particularly well done, and it will be a hit with both children and the adults who read to them.Francisca GoldsmithCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved