When the animals of the south-eastern woodlands challenge the Birds to a game of stickball, two of the smallest animals are not allowed to play. The Bear, the Deer, and the other big animals think they are too small to compete. In this ancient Cherokee story the little animals find a way to play in the Great Ball Game. This is a story about courage in the face of adversity, the thrill of the game, and the joy of victory. Teaching the virtues of creativity and determination, it takes us to a magical time when the animals talked and wonderful things happened in our world. Murv Jacob's beautiful drawings bring the characters of Cherokee legend to life, and Deborah Duvall's dialogue explains the ceremonial preparations and the rules of stickball, a game integral to Cherokee culture that is played enthusiastically to this day.

 

This book was recognised in the Illustration category by the Oklahoma Book Award.

This book is part of a book series called Grandmother Stories .

There are 32 pages in this book. This book was published 2002 by University of New Mexico Press .

Deborah L Duvall is an author of books and short stories on Cherokee history and tradition, a singer-songwriter, and a professional in financial management. She was born and continues to live in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, capital of the Cherokee Nation. Deborah L. Duvall and Murv Jacob live and work in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the center of Cherokee tradition and culture. In 2005 Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers honored Duvall as Children's Writer of the Year for Rabbit and the Bears and Jacob as Illustrator of the Year for Rabbit Goes Duck Hunting.