Coyote walks on two legs Book

Gerald Hausman recounts these Coyote stories as they were told to him by his Navajo friend, Bluejay DeGroat, whose father was a Navajo medicine man. In an Author's Note on the title page, Hausman explains how sacred these Native American myths are and points out some of the origins and cultural references found in the tales. In the first story, Coyote causes a great flood by stealing two water-monster babies. The Animal People are forced to escape to a new world where First Man knows what is best for the animal people and gives the Coyote a new name. Then Coyote learns a new trick from Magpie, but doesn't quite get it right, which is how he ends up with yellow, pine-sap eyes. He asks a Deer mother how her fawns got such lovely white spots and loses some fur which he now sheds each year just before winter. Coyote also meets the guardian of the corn one hungry day, and in his greed, discovers just how seriously Horned Toad takes that job.

Hausmans' renditions of these Coyote tales maintain the feel of their oral versions. The text is presented in a free-verse poetry style which helps capture the cadence of the storyteller. There is rhythm and repetition of phrase and the reader is addressed directly. The tales have an obvious lesson, whether Coyote learns it or not, and the plots are quick to unfold and resolve. Coyote and the other characters become known through their actions rather than physical traits and each story is brief and action packed. The illustrations by Floyd Cooper, who is part Creek Indian, are as rich as the language. They are done in saturated earth tones and cover the entire page. The reader is welcomed into the tale and shares various vantage points with Coyote and his friends. The details of the characters are muted with soft edges giving them a dream-like quality that evokes tales told around a campfire that return during sleep.