Rabbit Shoots the Sun: A Hopi Folktale

How is it that rabbits became frightened of noise? Why does the sun rise slowly? Before science explained it all, a Hopi legend revealed some reasons. In this delightful retelling of an ancient fable by award-winning author Terri Fields, Rabbit sets out to teach Sun some manners about being too hot, but Sun isn’t really interested in changing. The two engage in a battle that forever changes both the sun and the rabbit. With charming illustrations by Hopi artist Gerald Dawavendewa, young readers will be enchanted by this timeless folktale.

Terri Fields is the author of nearly thirty books for children and young adults. Her titles have won multiple awards, including recognition from the American Library Association, the Georgia Children’s Choice Award, the Recommended Reading List for Chicago Public Schools, and the 100 Top Kid Picks in Children’s Books in Arizona. She is also an educator who has been named Arizona Teacher of the Year, ING Education Innovator for Arizona, and one of the twenty teachers on the All-USA Teacher Team of the nation’s top educators. Terri also presents interactive author workshops to schools throughout the US and abroad. Her books include Tornado Tamer, Burro’s Tortillas, and One Good Deed. She and her husband live in Phoenix, Arizona. Visit her website at www.terrifields.com.

Gerald Dawavendewa grew up in the Hopi village of Munqapi, Arizona and the Cherokee woods of Oklahoma. He has worked with the Arizona State Museum as an exhibit specialist and interned with the National Museum of American Indian, Smithsonian Institute. He is the author and illustrator of The Butterfly Dance and Codex Taawa: Exploring the Cosmos of the Hopi. Gerald’s other work includes a Hopi mural that is part of the permanent collection of the Arizona State Museum, which also accepted a design that is now the official logo for this 124-year-old institution. Through his artwork, Gerald hopes to share his culture, educate the public about the rich heritage of his native tribes, and promote a greater understanding of the native world. He is an enrolled member of the Hopi Tribe and lives in Tucson, Arizona.