Trick or Treat: Coyote in Children's Picture Books

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Ruth Stotter

Abstract

Coyote, legendary mediator between the sacred and profane in Native American mythology, has increasingly become a mediator between ethnic populations in children's picture books. Seemingly simple but culturally complex, Trickster figures such as Coyote appear in publications written by both American Indians and non-Native Americans. But just as folktales change when they cross geographical and cultural boundaries, so does Trickster transform. Do non-Native authors alter the character rashly, failing to understand and appreciate the complex role of Trickster? Or do these books provide a valuable bridge between cultures?

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