Ten Tales of Coyote

By Lynne Garner

Coyote is a lovable character who has many faces including creator, problem solver, teacher and trickster. He uses his cunning to teach his friends valuable lessons, his brains to resolve problems and gets himself out of a sticky situation by fooling an unlucky foe.

This entertaining collection of short stories is a must-read for adults and children who love to read something that will amuse.

Adults will love reading these tales to younger members of the family whilst older children will delight in discovering Coyote and his friends for themselves. This book contains the following tales:

Coyote, Bear and the Four Seasons
Coyote Places the Stars
Coyote, the Dancing Mice and the Old Elk Skull
Coyote, Mouse and Elk
Coyote Helps Mouse Fool Owl
Coyote, Fox and the Fishing Hole
Coyote and Turtle Outwit Beaver
Coyote and the Stranger
Coyote and Tip Beetle
Coyote and the Small Ray of Sunshine

To immerse yourself in the wonderful world of Coyote and his friends press the buy now button and get ready to enjoy the adventure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lynne Garner
• Release date: Apr 30, 2018

Lynne Garner

Lynne started writing professionally in 1997; mainly for UK-based magazines. Since that time, she has had over 25 books and more than 300 features published. Her books have been published in UK, USA, Canada, Holland, Australia, Korea and Indonesia. Her first picture book, A Book For Bramble, has been translated into five languages, whilst her second book, The Best Jumper, was recorded and aired on the BBC’s CBeeBies radio channel. To learn more about Lynne and her work visit: www.lynnegarner.com

Book preview

Ten Tales of Coyote

Copyright © Lynne Garner 2017

Published by Mad Moment Media

www.madmomentmedia.com

Lynne Garner has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any means, graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording in audio or video form, taping or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express, written permission of the author and Nyrex Ltd. This permission must be granted beforehand. This includes any and all reproductions intended for non-commercial and/or non-profit use.

Mad Moment Media is a trading name of Nyrex Limited

Cover illustration and design by Debbie Knight

CONTENTS

Introduction

Coyote, Bear and the Four Seasons

Coyote Places the Stars

Coyote, the Dancing Mice and the Old Elk Skull

Coyote, Mouse and Elk

Coyote Helps Mouse Fool Owl

Coyote, Fox and the Fishing Hole

Coyote and Turtle Outwit Beaver

Coyote and the Stranger

Coyote and Tip Beetle

Coyote and the Small Ray of Sunshine

Bibliography

About the author

INTRODUCTION

I remember watching Wile E. Coyote cartoons as a child and believing he was a character created by Looney Toons. At the time I had no idea they were drawing on a long tradition of trickster stories enjoyed for generations by the first peoples of America. I stumbled on the ‘real’ Coyote stories whilst researching for my first collection of Anansi the Trickster Spider stories and knew then I had to retell them.

In the original stories he’s not the Wile E. Coyote who invents elaborate traps that always fail to catch his archenemy, the Road Runner. He is a character with many ‘faces.’ In some he is a creator and a problem solver. In others, he is a teacher who highlights the dangers of bad behavior such as greed, lust and deceit. In some he is a trickster who uses his cunning and quick wits to trick others or get himself out of a sticky situation, whilst in some stories he is a mixture of all these different ‘faces.’

Traditionally Coyote appears as a male and is generally anthropomorphic. If the storyteller describes him then he is described with coyote-like features such as a pointed face, a tail, claws and fur. In some stories the storyteller doesn’t give a description and allows the reader to create their own image of him.

The original Coyote tales were an oral tradition, so had never been written down. Thankfully this changed when it was realized this long oral tradition was being lost due to the influence of the vast numbers of Europeans who were immigrating to America. Folklorists, many supported by the American Folklore Society and other institutions such as the Smithsonian, were given grants to enable them to undertake ‘field trips’. During these trips they documented not only the myths and legends of the native population but also their traditional beliefs and way of life.

As they talked to the elders of tribes and those who still remembered life before the ‘white man’ the folklorists discovered Coyote was more than just a character in a story. George Amos Dorsey noted in his book The Mythology of The Wichita (published 1904) that an elder and many of his generation believed the myths without question. It didn’t matter how puerile or ribald they might seem. He respected the lessons they gave and identified them with the stories told by the ‘whites’ about Christ, for both he and Coyote lived many generations ago, and appeared in this world to better the lot of mankind.

George Amos Dorsey also noted that parents who belonged to the Wichita tribe used the Coyote stories as a way of teaching their children. They would invite an old man, who they believed had led a good life, to tell Coyote stories to their children, so they could learn important life lessons.

Traditionally Coyote tales were only told during the winter months. It was customary (and still is for