More funny stories from Uncle Remus for beginning readers.

As the sun began to set, the little boy snuggled close to Uncle Remba on the porch swing and asked, “Uncle Remba, what has Brer Rabbit been up to today?”

Uncle Remba and the boy

“Well, Child, it all started this morning,” Uncle Remba began, “Brer Rabbit found himself in quite the sticky situation. Oh yes, he sure did!”

โ€œOld Brer Rabbit got the notion to pay Brer Bear a visit, and no sooner did the idea strike him than he set off for Brer Bear’s house.”

“But I thought they were always fighting!” the little boy exclaimed.

“Brer Rabbit timed his visit for when Brer Bear and his family were out for a walk” Uncle Remba chuckled. “He sat by the road and watched them pass old Brer Bear and old Miss Bear and their two twin cubs, Kubs and Klibs.”

Brer Bear family out for a walk

The little boy giggled, but Uncle Remba continued with a serious air that would have impressed even a portrait painter.

“Old Brer Bear and Miss Bear walked on ahead, and Kubs and Klibs came shuffling and scrambling along behind. When Brer Rabbit saw this, that rascal hopped into their cozy house to look around. 

โ€œNow, Brer Rabbit is a curious fellow, always poking his nose where it doesn’t belong. It wasn’t long before he was rummaging through the house like a real inspector. While he was snooping around, peeking here and poking there, he started messing with the shelves, and a bucket of honey that Brer Bear had hidden in the cupboard fell down and spilled all over him. Brer Rabbit was nearly drowned in honey! From head to toe, that creature was covered, not just dabbled, but completely coated.โ€

Brer Rabbit covered in honey in our stories from Uncle Remus

โ€œHe had to sit there and let the sticky sweetness drip out of his eyes before he could see his own paw in front of him, and then, after looking around a bit, he said to himself: ‘Well, now! What am I going to do? If I go out in the sunshine, the bumblebees and flies will swarm me, and if I stay here, Brer Bear will come back and catch me, and I don’t know what in the world I’m going to do.โ€

“Anyhow,” Uncle Remba continued, “an idea struck Brer Rabbit, and he tiptoed along until he got in the woods. And when he got out there, what did he do but roll around in the leaves and dirt, trying to rub the honey off that way. He rolled and rolled, and the leaves stuck; Brer Rabbit rolled, and the leaves stuck, and he kept on rolling, and the leaves kept on sticking, until after a while, Brer Rabbit was the most outlandish-looking creature you ever set eyes on. By the time he was done, he didn’t even look like a rabbit anymore. He looked like some kind of walking, talking bush!”

Brer Rabbit covered with leaves

If Miss Meadows and the girls could have seen him then and there, there wouldn’t have been any more Brer Rabbit calls at their house; no, indeed, there wouldn’t.

โ€œBrer Rabbit jumped around and tried to shake the leaves off, but the leaves weren’t going to be shaken off. Brer Rabbit shook and shivered, but the leaves stuck; and the antics that creature carried on out there in the woods by himself were scandalousโ€”they were indeed; they were scandalous.โ€

Brer Rabbit saw this wasn’t going to work, and he figured he’d better be getting on home, so off he went. 

Brer Rabbit paced along, and with every motion he made, the leaves went swishy-swashy, splashy-splashy. 

The first person Brer Rabbit came across was old Sis Cow, and no sooner did she lay eyes on him than she hoisted her tail in the air and took off like a pack of dogs was chasing her. This made Brer Rabbit laugh because he knew that when a settled old woman like Sis Cow ran off in broad daylight, there must be something mighty strange about those leaves and honey. 

‘Course, this made Brer Rabbit feel mighty proud, and he decided he’d better drop by and scout around Brer Bear’s neighborhood. And while he was standing there, turning this over in his mind, here came old Brer Bear and his whole family. Brer Rabbit crossed the road and sidled towards them. Old Brer Bear stopped and stared, but Brer Rabbit kept sidling closer.

Old Miss Bear stood it as long as she could, and then she threw down her parasol and climbed a tree. Brer Bear looked like he would stand his ground, but Brer Rabbit jumped straight up in the air and shook himself, and bless your soul, honey! Old Brer Bear took off running, and they tell me he tore down a whole section of fence getting away from there. As for Kubs and Klibs, they grabbed their hats and scrambled through the bushes like a herd of horses.โ€

Brer Bear runs through a fence

“And then what?” the little boy asked.

“It was then,” Uncle Remba said, his voice turning mischievous, “that Brer Rabbit had a playful idea. He hid in the bushes, waiting for Brer Fox and Brer Wolf to stroll by.”

Leaning close, Uncle Remba whispered, “When they did, Brer Rabbit jumped out, shouting, ‘I’m the Wull-er-de-Wust! I’m the Wull-er-de-Wust, and you’re the ones I’m after!’ Brer Fox and Brer Wolf had never seen anything like it. They were so surprised they ran off faster than you can say โ€˜jackrabbit’!”

Brer Rabbit scares Brer Fox

“Brer Rabbit sure knows how to have fun!” the little boy exclaimed. โ€œEven the littlest critters in the forest can play clever tricks.โ€ 

“That’s right, child,” Uncle Remba said, his voice gentle and proud. “And you know, in the end, Brer Rabbit washed off all that honey and those leaves in a cool, sparkling stream. He hopped out clean as a whistle, looking like his old self again.”

As Uncle Remba finished the story, he chuckled softly and added, “So, you see, Brer Rabbit always gets into trouble but always finds a way out. But remember, there’s always a lesson to be learned.โ€

The little boy nodded, his expression thoughtful as he considered these words. “What do you think, Uncle Remba?” he asked. “Did Brer Rabbit ever learn that lesson?”

The end of the story with Uncle Remba

Uncle Remba smiled. “I believe he did, child, in his own way. So, the next time you find yourself in a sticky situation, a little laughter can go a long way.โ€

This story is based on the story โ€œBrer Rabbitโ€™s Astonishing Prankโ€ found inย  โ€œNights with Uncle Remusโ€ by Joel Chandler Harris

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