Tops and Bottoms

Tops & Bottoms
A Caldecott Honor Book
Adapted and illustrated by Janet Stevens
Hardcover

Bear is wealthy and has a lot of land, but he's lazy. Hare has only a hungry family, but he's smart. Hare thinks there must be a way to convince Bear to share his wealth and so he and Mrs. Hare create a plan. Hare proposes that Bear donate land, Hare takes care of the labor, and then they can split the harvest in half. Bear simply has to choose which half he wants - tops or bottoms. Bear, still sleep from one of his many naps, choose tops. When the harvest is in he realizes he's been tricked by clever Hare!

Rooted in European folktales and slave stories of the American south, Tops & Bottoms celebrates the trickster tradition of overcoming hardships by using one's wits.