Hausman, Gerald. How Chipmunk Got Tiny Feet: Native American Original Stories. Mexico: HarperCollins Publishers. 1995. Illustrated by Ashley Wolff.

The stories included in this book are How Coyote Got Yellow Eyes, How Bat Learned to Fly, How Lizard Got Flat, How Hawk Stopped the Flood With His Tail Feather, How Horse Got Fast, How Possum Lost His Tail, and of course, How Chipmunk Got Tiny Feet. The final states of the animals usually come about either as a punishment for their foolishness and laziness, or as a reward for their good nature and kindness. Throughout the stories there are namely two characters that reoccur, the foolish trickster coyote, and the resplendent, nurturing Mother Earth. In fact, Mother Earth appears with impeccable timing in every story. She always helps whoever is in need, but does not hesitate to punish those that deserve it. The following introduction appears before the stories: "In these seven original tales, we learn how the animals came to be what they are today, and also the universal message they offer as Native American symbols. Most tribes hold the belief that animals are people who could once walk and talk like human beings. As creatures of origin, they are thought to be godlike, while their counterparts, the animals of today, are simply representatives of those ancient ones, their ancestors. In every tribe, animals are thought of as people and are therefore called animal people. They have the same virtues, the same dilemmas, as humans; as these stories, we hope, demonstrate. In the words of a Santee Sioux storyteller: ‘We tell these stories not to entertain our children, but to educate them in the ways of the world. For this reason the moral of the story does not change- the way of the storyteller does. He may tell the story in different ways to make different points. Always the message is the same: Here is the world. . . . We must live in it together, not apart.’ " (Hausman 1)