Brer Rabbit and the
Tar Baby

A Georgia Folktale

retold by

S.E. Schlosser

Well now, that
rascal Brer Fox
hated Brer Rabbit
on account of he
was always cutting
capers and bossing
everyone around. So
Brer Fox decided to
capture and kill
Brer Rabbit if it
was the last thing
he ever did! He
thought and he
thought until he
came up with a
plan. He would make
a tar baby! Brer
Fox went and got
some tar and he
mixed it with some
turpentine and he
sculpted it into
the figure of a
cute little baby.
Then he stuck a hat
on the Tar Baby and
sat her in the
middle of the road.

Brer Fox hid
himself in the
bushes near the
road and he waited
and waited for Brer
Rabbit to come
along. At long
last, he heard
someone whistling
and chuckling to
himself, and he
knew that Brer
Rabbit was coming
up over the hill.
As he reached the
top, Brer Rabbit
spotted the cute
little Tar Baby.
Brer Rabbit was
surprised. He
stopped and stared
at this strange
creature. He had
never seen anything
like it before!

"Good Morning,"
said Brer Rabbit,
doffing his hat.
"Nice weather we're
having."

The Tar Baby said
nothing. Brer Fox
laid low and
grinned an evil
grin.

Brer Rabbit tried
again. "And how are
you feeling this
fine day?"

The Tar Baby, she
said nothing. Brer
Fox grinned an evil
grin and lay low in
the bushes.

Brer Rabbit
frowned. This
strange creature
was not very
polite. It was
beginning to make
him mad.

"Ahem!" said Brer
Rabbit loudly,
wondering if the
Tar Baby were deaf.
"I said 'HOW ARE
YOU THIS MORNING?"

The Tar Baby said
nothing. Brer Fox
curled up into a
ball to hide his
laugher. His plan
was working
perfectly!

"Are you deaf or
just rude?"
demanded Brer
Rabbit, losing his
temper. "I can't
stand folks that
are stuck up! You
take off that hat
and say 'Howdy-do'
or I'm going to
give you such a
lickin'!"

The Tar Baby just
sat in the middle
of the road looking
as cute as a button
and saying nothing
at all. Brer Fox
rolled over and
over under the
bushes, fit to bust
because he didn't
dare laugh out
loud.

"I'll learn ya!"
Brer Rabbit yelled.
He took a swing at
the cute little Tar
Baby and his paw
got stuck in the
tar.

"Lemme go or I'll
hit you again,"
shouted Brer
Rabbit. The Tar
Baby, she said
nothing.

"Fine! Be that
way," said Brer
Rabbit, swinging at
the Tar Baby with
his free paw. Now
both his paws were
stuck in the tar,
and Brer Fox danced
with glee behind
the bushes.

"I'm gonna kick the
stuffin' out of
you," Brer Rabbit
said and pounced on
the Tar Baby with
both feet. They
sank deep into the
Tar Baby. Brer
Rabbit was so
furious he
head-butted the
cute little
creature until he
was completely
covered with tar
and unable to move.

Brer Fox leapt out
of the bushes and
strolled over to
Brer Rabbit. "Well,
well, what have we
here?" he asked,
grinning an evil
grin.

Brer Rabbit gulped.
He was stuck fast.
He did some fast
thinking while Brer
Fox rolled about on
the road, laughing
himself sick over
Brer Rabbit's
dilemma.

"I've got you this
time, Brer Rabbit,"
said Brer Fox,
jumping up and
shaking off the
dust. "You've
sassed me for the
very last time. Now
I wonder what I
should do with
you?"

Brer Rabbit's eyes
got very large. "Oh
please Brer Fox,
whatever you do,
please don't throw
me into the briar
patch."

"Maybe I should
roast you over a
fire and eat you,"
mused Brer Fox.
"No, that's too
much trouble. Maybe
I'll hang you
instead."

"Roast me! Hang me!
Do whatever you
please," said Brer
Rabbit. "Only
please, Brer Fox,
please don't throw
me into the briar
patch."

"If I'm going to
hang you, I'll need
some string," said
Brer Fox. "And I
don't have any
string handy. But
the stream's not
far away, so maybe
I'll drown you
instead."

"Drown me! Roast
me! Hang me! Do
whatever you
please," said Brer
Rabbit. "Only
please, Brer Fox,
please don't throw
me into the briar
patch."

"The briar patch,
eh?" said Brer Fox.
"What a wonderful
idea! You'll be
torn into little
pieces!"

Grabbing up the
tar-covered rabbit,
Brer Fox swung him
around and around
and then flung him
head over heels
into the briar
patch. Brer Rabbit
let out such a
scream as he fell
that all of Brer
Fox's fur stood
straight up. Brer
Rabbit fell into
the briar bushes
with a crash and a
mighty thump. Then
there was silence.

Brer Fox cocked one
ear toward the
briar patch,
listening for
whimpers of pain.
But he heard
nothing. Brer Fox
cocked the other
ear toward the
briar patch,
listening for Brer
Rabbit's death
rattle. He heard
nothing.

Then Brer Fox heard
someone calling his
name. He turned
around and looked
up the hill. Brer
Rabbit was sitting
on a log combing
the tar out of his
fur with a wood
chip and looking
smug.

"I was bred and
born in the briar
patch, Brer Fox,"
he called. "Born
and bred in the
briar patch."

And Brer Rabbit
skipped away as
merry as a cricket
while Brer Fox
ground his teeth in
rage and went home.