Coyote's New Suit

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University. She is the author of several books, including The
Mountain Is Moving: Japanese Women’s Lives, Kurlek and Margaret
Laurence: The Long Journey Home.

This hilarious tale of talking animals features a vain coyote and a wise
raven who is fond of playing jokes. Inspired by the rich folklore of
North American Aboriginal cultures, the tale is set in a forest “a
long time ago when animals and human beings still talked to each
other.”

Coyote is convinced that he is the best-dressed creature in the world.
Raven, teasing him, describes his suit as “okay” but “pretty
ordinary.” Egged on by Raven’s insults, Coyote steals Bear’s suit
while she’s swimming. When Bear comes out of the pond and finds that
her suit is gone, Raven “helpfully” tells her about a camp at the
edge of the woods where humans hang clothes that they no longer need on
ropes. Anyone who needs clothes, Raven says sweetly, can help
themselves. When Porcupine, Skunk, Raccoon, Beaver, and Moose finish
playing water polo and begin to search for their clothes, Raven plays
the same trick on them, directing them to the campers’ clothesline.
Confusion abounds, but eventually everything gets sorted out. Johnny
Wales’s exuberant illustrations perfectly partner this comical
trickster tale about wanting more than one needs. Highly recommended.