The focus of this analysis will be Gerald McDermott’s picture book Zomo The Rabbit: A Trickster Tale from West Africa (1992). It is a tale of a clever rabbit and how far he is willing to go in his quest for wisdom.
This picture book is highly recommended by the New York Public Library as one of 100 picture books everyone should know. The evaluation will use Betsy Hearne’s standards and criteria to examine if this book is authentic and true to its cultural background.The goal is to evaluate the picture book and determine if it meets those criteria and should the book be considered among the 100 best picture books for children. Picture Book Background The story begins by describing the main character Zomo, a rabbit.
He is described as being neither big nor strong but clever. Zomo wanted wisdom so he went to the Sky God and asked to be given wisdom. The Sky God explains that he must earn the wisdom and gives him “three impossible things. ” He needs to bring the Sky God three things: the scales of Big Fish, the milk of Wild Cow and the tooth of Leopard.Zomo as the title of the book says is a trickster and is a very clever rabbit. He manages to trick Big Fish and gets his scales, then he tricks Wild Cow and gets the milk and finally using both some of the milk and the scales plus a rock he devises a plan to make Leopard slip and bang his head against the rock popping out a tooth.
He takes all three items back to the Sky God to receive his wisdom. The Sky God explains that “Three things in this world are worth having: courage, good sense, and caution. Zomo had lots of courage, some sense and no caution. So Sky God’s advice was next time he sees Big Fish, Wild Cow or Leopard that he “better run fast! ” Gerald McDermott has published many books and films for children.
He is not only an author but an illustrator also. He has received the Caldecott Medal for his work on Arrow of the Sun and was a Caldecott honor recipient for Anansi the Spider. McDermott’s art for storytelling is not in question. The prose in the book is tight, very simple and easy to understand.
His artwork is also meticulous and inspiring. His use of reds, oranges and green colors also help to attract and retain children’s attention. The question is not whether this book is captivating, funny or interesting for children but to understand where this particular piece of work by McDermott falls within the standards set forth by Betsy Hearne for folklore. Analysis and Literature Review Multiculturalism and the idea that children should be exposed to other cultures and ways of life has gained momentum in the last decade, including in the classroom.Mendoza and Reese (2001) suggest that multicultural picture books allow young children a glimpse into another culture furthering their understanding of others while affirming other children’s diverse backgrounds. In essence, these picture books are the early foundation on which children will learn and develop their concept of other races and cultures as well as their own and should be examined closely.
According to Smith & Wiese (2006), “The use of folktales in the classroom, usually in the form of picture-storybook adaptations, can help children understand the world and identify with universal human struggles” (p. 70). Multicultural literature provides “characters and events with which children can identify and through which they can consider their own actions, beliefs, and emotions. The characters and situations in books introduce children to what the world may look like through others’ eyes…” (Mendoza and Reese, 2001).
Furthermore, they caution that while “good multicultural literature can benefit all children in an early childhood classroom,” that some pitfalls do exist.Mendoza and Reese (2001) also point out that one common misconception is that a multicultural book is representative of an entire culture. Additionally, works by European Americans dominate the market and eclipse multicultural literature. They suggest that the lack of recognition of good quality multicultural authors/illustrators hampers the ability of professionals who select the works to be aware they exist. Mendoza and Reese (2001) argue that many awards and committees overlook the historical accuracy and authenticity of the books they are judging.
This same argument is detailed within Betsy Hearne’s article Cite the Source (1993). She contends that the authors and illustrators have a responsibility to the folktales and thus the cultures from which they are being borrowed and adapted. She suggests that one of the main objectives that needs to be required of these authors is that they cite the source and provide or place the story in context for the readers. She recognizes that legally most folktales have probably entered the public domain and anyone who uses them can receive credit for them without any legal responsibility for citing the source.
Additionally, she has categorized the forms of source acknowledgments into a five-tier hierarchy (starting with the worst): 5) the nonexistent source note; 4) the background-as- source-note; 3) the fine-print source note; 2) the well-made source note; and 1) the model source note. Starting with last place the nonexistent source note needs no further explanation. Then we move on to the background-as-source-note. Hearne (1993) explains that this is better than nothing but still “close to useless.
” This note gives some general information on the culture from which the folktale was drawn.She explains that this type of note is deceptive because it gives the appearance of a note but should be looked at as a “highly suspicious maneuver” (1993). At the middle of the range is the fine-print source note. Here the author/publisher places a note with information about the source but is in very fine print. One step up on the ladder is the well-made source note.
This is a well-cited source in respectable size and it might even include some information on how the story might have been told or the way it fits into the culture.The model source note, aside from providing everything its predecessor did, also explains how the author modified or changed the story in the book and explains why. In Respecting the Source, Hearne (1993) explains that it is natural to borrow from the old and add to it but cautions that we need to respect the old because soon the new will be the old. Additionally, the tales should be judged by “two traditions: the one from which it is drawn and the one that it is entering. ” In order to be able to judge or evaluate a multicultural picture book Hearne explains it “depends less on biology than on knowledge and experience” (1993).Hearne (1993) ultimately suggests that if we accept and lower our ethical standards to include books that are not in their cultural context and do not cite their sources then we are setting a poor example for the children who are reading those books.
It is the responsibility of the professionals/librarians to digest these materials and make sure their selections are within the context of that particular culture. In other words, the librarian as the gatekeeper needs to be informed and make the correct decision with respect to what the general public will view.Conclusion How does Gerald McDermott’s picture book Zomo The Rabbit: A Trickster Tale from West Africa stack-up? Does the author provide good or adequate source notes? Is there any explanation about the context or culture from which it was taken? The answer to these questions is NO. McDermott does a poor attempt at creating source notes.
It must be classified as Hearne’s (1993) number four in her hierarchy (the background-as-source-note). The title of the story suggests that the tale is derived form West Africa.McDermott provides some very general background, that Zomo the trickster rabbit populates many West African tales and that these stories tend to be humorous and about mischief. He explains that they are used for instruction as well as to entertain. Then he ties it in to tales in the New World and gives examples such as Cunny Rabbit or Compere Lapin in the Caribbean and Brer Rabbit in the United States.
McDermott provided no sources, did not place the story in any cultural context and failed to explain how he modified the story. Based on Perini (2002), this book is not an authentic multicultural book.This lack of information leaves its audience with a feeling of being deceived by the author. Furthermore, the author as the Primary Education Program Director for the Joseph Campbell Foundation on mythology in education (dust jacket) should know better and should hold himself at a higher standard. He should give more dignity to the story he is telling and have a little higher regard for the audience to which he is selling the materials he publishes. It seems he is only concerned with making a cute and marketable book that his publishers can peddle to librarians.
Should the New York Public Library have this book as one of the 100 picture books everyone should know? The answer is simply No. Was the story entertaining? Yes, it was but that is not enough. Sadly, I was one of those librarians who was also duped by the author prior to taking this course. I enjoyed the storyline and the pictures and have used this book on several occasions for story time in the library. Hearne is correct that as the buyers and advocates of these books the librarians have to have a higher standard and be well informed.
