Deep in Choctaw country, trickster Chukfi Rabbit is always figuring out some way to avoid work at all costs. The way the Choctaws tell it, Chukfi Rabbit is the laziest -- and hungriest -- trickster rabbit there is. When Bear, Turtle, Fox, and Beaver agree on an everybody-work-together day to build Ms. Possum a new house, Chukfi Rabbit says he's too busy to help -- until he hears there will be a big feast after the work is done: cornbread biscuits, grape dumplings, tanchi labona (a Choctaw kind of corn stew), and best of all, lots of fresh, homemade butter! While everyone else helps build the house, Chukfi helps himself to all that yummy butter. What a furry fiend! Greedy Chukfi soon learns that being lazy and disappointing your friends leads to one really, really big, bad bellyache! A classic trickster tale in the Choctaw tradition. * "Choctaw storyteller Rodgers invests the tale, found in the archives of the Oklahoma History Center, with plenty of humor and oral flair.... Both text and illustrations positively exude good humor. Chukfi is a trickster worthy of the name, and this fresh, funny tale makes an excellent addition to the genre." -- Kirkus Reviews , starred review "When this Chukfi rabbit story shuffled through time and forgetfulness to find the ideal storyteller, it came to the right person. Greg Rodgers is one of the best young storytellers of his generation. Each of the animal characters charms thanks to Rodgers and to Leslie Stall Widener who provided the dynamic illustrations. This book belongs in every child's library and the libraries of some of us older story-lovers." -- Joy Harjo, internationally renowned performer and writer of the Muscogee Nation "The story is delightful to read, and the illustrations by Leslie Stall Widener are terrific. They provide the visual clues that this is a Choctaw story. The clothes the characters wear accurately depict the sorts of items Choctaw's wear, from tops like the one Chukfi wears to the baseball cap that Kinta wears." -- Debbie Reese, for American Indians in Children's Literature "The Choctaws around home are singing Greg Rodgers' praises for bringing us another story about Chukfi, our beloved trickster rabbit. A marvelous read for children of all ages--adults too!" -- LeAnne Howe, Choctaw author and poet "The folksy cadence and easygoing humor of Rodgers's narration make the story fly by. Dressed in ballcaps, sashes, and aprons, Widener's animal cast is a friendly bunch." -- Publishers Weekly "Rodgers adds originality to the classic trickster structure through his onomatopoeic sounds of the animals working and dining, as well as Choctaw names for the characters, while Widener's expressions on the animals convey their camaraderie--as well as Chukfi's mischievous ways. A charming Choctaw trickster tale that delivers a life lesson with a large helping of humor." -- Shelf Awareness Greg Rodgers (1968-2014) was a storyteller and writer. He was a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and often told traditional and contemporary Choctaw stories at schools, libraries, festivals, and tribal events throughout the United States. The Choctaw Nation paid tribute to Rodgers, saying the Nation "is proud of his work and the legacy he has left for the children of the Nation." Leslie Stall Widener is the creator of picture books, educational materials, and magazine stories. A member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, she grew up in Tulsa, where she often explored the area around her grandparents' farm, an allotment her grandmother received for her Choctaw ancestry. Widener lives in McKinney, Texas, with her husband. Visit her online at lesliestallwidener.com by Greg Rodgers Illustrated by Leslie Stall Widener Paperback