Reading Diary B: Great Plains

Reading Diary B: Great Plains

This is a continuation of my Great Plains reading diary. I enjoyed the first part of this unit and I'm looking forward to the second part. I'm already interested in Why The Possum Plays Dead.

Why The Possum Plays Dead: I thought this was a clever story, explaining why possums play dead. I like stories that try to give an explanation for the way things work. I also liked that the story gave each of the animals personalities. Poor possum didn't get a wife in the end, but he did pick up a helpful survival instinct.

Possum
Source: Wikipedia Commons

Coyote and Snake: It was cool to see two animals who are usually depicted at tricksters go up against one another. In this story the snake triumphs. I like that snakes attack was subtle. I could see myself using this idea for my storytelling post this week. Pitting two clever people against each other is more interesting than a fool against someone clever. My only question is why did coyote get fatter? I assume it was swelling from the snake's venom.

Rabbit and Deer: I liked this series of stories, especially the How The Deer Got His Horns story. I like the concept of animals earning their particular physical features. It also gave a funny explanation why rabbits gnaw on bushes.