Souci, Robert, & Daily, Don. (2000). Callie Ann and mistah bear. New York: Dial.
Callie Ann's widowed mother starts looking for a new husband who is different from all the others she's met. Mistah Bear tries to trick her into thinking he's refined and gentlemanly. Callie Ann can tell something's not right and uncovers his disguise. She devises a plan to get rid of Mistah Bear and encourage her mother to marry the man who plows their fields.
This tale is written in the dialect of the South and in a conversational tone. The author states that this tale is actually a composite of two other tales found in Louisiana Folktales and Daddy Jake, the Runaway and Other Stories by Uncle Remus. It follows the story patterns of Africa, the Caribbean and the American South. The author found 14 Caribbean variants as well as 50 other versions of this tale from Africa to South Americs. Children will like the life-like illustrations and humorous way Callie Ann deals with Mistah Bear.