A Dream and a Story
” I dreamed all about Brother Fox and Brother Rabbit last night, Uncle Remus,” exclaimed the little boy when the old man came in after supper and took his seat by the side of the trundle-bed; “I dreamed that Brother…
Nights With Uncle Remus
1883 · Harris, Joel Chandler · 71 works in collection
Myths and Legends of the Old Plantation
Meet Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, Brer Terrapin, and a cast of unforgettable characters in this classic collection of witty, adventurous, and timeless folk tales.
Works in collection (alphabetical)
A Ghost Story
The next time the little boy visited Uncle Remus he persuaded ‘Tildy to go with him. Daddy Jack was in his usual place, dozing and talking to himself, while Uncle Remus oiled the carriage-harness. After a while Aunt Tempy came…
African Jack
Usually, the little boy, who regarded himself as Uncle Remus’s partner, was not at all pleased when he found the old man entertaining, in his simple way, any of his colored friends; but he was secretly delighted when he called…
Aunt Tempy’s Story
The little boy observed that Aunt Tempy was very much interested in Daddy Jack’s story. She made no remarks while the old African was telling it, but she was busily engaged in measuring imaginary quilt patterns on her apron with…
Brer Rabbit Gets the Provisions
The next time the little boy called on Uncle Remus a bright fire was blazing on the hearth. He could see the light shining under the door before he went into the cabin, and he knew by that sign that…
Brer Rabbit Lays in His Beef Supply
” I wonder where Daddy Jack is,” said the little boy, one night after he had been waiting for some time for Uncle Remus to get leisure to tell him a story.
Uncle Remus, who was delightfully human in his…
Brother ‘Possum Gets in Trouble
When Uncle Remus began his story of Billy Malone and Miss Janey, Daddy Jack sat perfectly quiet. His eyes were shut, and he seemed to be dozing; but, as the story proceeded, he grew more and more restless. Several times…
Brother Fox and the White Muscadines
Aunty Tempy did not attempt to conceal the pleasure which Uncle Remus’s praise gave her. She laughed somewhat shyly, and said:
“Bless you, Brer Remus! I des bin a-settin’ yer l’arnin’. ‘Sides dat, Chris’mus aint fur off un I ‘speck…
Brother Fox Catches Mr. Horse
There was a pause after the story of old Miss Goose. The culmination was hardly sensational enough to win the hearty applause of the little boy, and this fact appeared to have a depressing influence upon Uncle Remus. As he…
Brother Fox Covets the Quills
” That must have been a mighty funny song,” said the little boy.
“Fun one time aint fun ‘n’er time; some folks fines fun whar yuther folks fines trouble. Pig may laugh w’en he see de rock a-heatin’, but dey…
Brother Fox Figures as an Incendiary
The next night the little boy had been thoughtful enough to save some of his supper for Uncle Remus, and to this “Miss Sally” had added, on her own account, a large piece of fruit-cake. The old man appeared to…
Brother Fox Makes a Narrow Escape
The next time the little boy had an opportunity to visit Uncle Remus the old man was alone, but he appeared to be in good spirits. He was cobbling away upon what the youngster recognized as ‘Tildy’s Sunday shoes, and…
Brother Fox, Brer Rabbit, and King Deer’s Daughter
Notwithstanding Brother Rabbit’s success with the drum, the little boy was still inclined to refer to Mr. Benjamin Ram and his fiddle; but Uncle Remus was not, by any means, willing that such an ancient vagabond as Mr. Ram should…
Brother Fox’s Fish Trap
The little boy wanted Uncle Remus to sing some more; but before the old man could either consent or refuse, the notes of a horn were heard in the distance. Uncle Remus lifted his hand to command silence, and bent…
Brother Rabbit and His Famous Foot
The little boy was very glad, one night shortly after he had heard about Daddy Jack’s ghosts and witches and ‘Tildy’s “ha’nts,” to find Uncle Remus alone in his cabin. The child liked to have his venerable partner all to…
Brother Rabbit and Mr. Wildcat
” Uncle Remus,” said the little boy, after a pause, “where did Brother Rabbit go when he got out of the hollow tree?”
“Well, sir,” exclaimed Uncle Remus, “you aint gwine ter b’leeve me, skacely, but dat owdashus creetur aint…
Brother Rabbit and the Little Girl
” What did Brother Rabbit do after that?” the little boy asked presently.
“Now, den, you don’t wanter push ole Brer Rabbit too close,” replied Uncle Remus significantly. “He mighty tender-footed creetur, en de mo’ w’at you push ‘im, de…
Brother Rabbit and the Mosquitoes
The next night Daddy Jack was still away when the little boy went to see Uncle Remus, and the child asked about him.
“Bless yo’ soul, honey! don’t ax me ’bout Brer Jack. He look lak he mighty ole en…
Brother Rabbit Breaks up a Party
As long as Uncle Remus allowed ‘Tildy to remain in the cabin, the little boy was not particularly interested in preventing the perfunctory abuse which the old man might feel disposed to bestow upon the complacent girl. The truth is,…
Brother Rabbit Gets Brother Fox’s Dinner
After the new-comers had settled themselves in their accustomed places, and ‘Tildy had cast an unusual number of scornful glances at Daddy Jack, who made quite a pantomime of his courtship, Uncle Remus startled them all somewhat by breaking into…
Brother Rabbit Outdoes Mr. Man
The little boy had heard Uncle Remus lamenting that his candle was getting rather short, and he made it his business to go around the house and gather all the pieces he could find. He carried these to the old…
Brother Rabbit Pretends to Be Poisoned
Not many nights after the story of how Mr. Benjamin Ram frightened Brother Wolf and Brother Fox, the little boy found himself in Uncle Remus’s cabin. It had occurred to him that Mr. Ram should have played on his fiddle…
Brother Rabbit Rescues Brother Terrapin
The arrival of the negroes from the River place added greatly to the enthusiasm with which the Christmas holidays were anticipated on the Home place, and the air was filled with laughter day and night. Uncle Remus appeared to be…
Brother Rabbit Secures a Mansion
The rain continued to fall the next day, but the little boy made arrangements to go with ‘Tildy when she carried Uncle Remus his supper. This happened to be a waiter full of things left over from dinner. There was…
Brother Rabbit Submits to a Test
” Uncle Remus,” said the child, “do you reckon Brother Rabbit really married the young lady?”
“Bless yo’ soul, honey,” responded the old man, with a sigh, “hit b’long ter Brer Jack fer ter tell you dat. ‘T aint none…
Brother Rabbit Takes a Walk
” Eve’y time I run over in my min’ ’bout the pranks er Brer Rabbit,” Uncle Remus continued, without giving the little boy time to ask any more embarrassing questions about Mr. Man and his wagon full of money, “hit…
Brother Rabbit Takes Some Exercise
One night while the little boy was sitting in Uncle Remus’s cabin, waiting for the old man to finish his hoe-cake, and refresh his memory as to the further adventures of Brother Rabbit, his friends and his enemies, something dropped…
Brother Rabbit Ties Mr. Lion
There was some comment and some questions were asked by the little boy in regard to Wattle Weasel and the other animals; to all of which Uncle Remus made characteristic response. Aunt Tempy sat with one elbow on her knee,…
Brother Rabbit’s Astonishing Prank
” I ‘speck dat ‘uz de reas’n w’at make ole Brer Rabbit git ‘long so well, kaze he aint copy atter none er de yuther creeturs,” Uncle Remus continued, after a while. “W’en he make his disappearance ‘fo’ um, hit…
Brother Rabbit’s Love-charm
” Dey wuz one time,” said Uncle Remus one night, as they all sat around the wide hearth,—Daddy Jack, Aunt Tempy, and the little boy in their accustomed places,—”dey wuz one time w’en de t’er creeturs push Brer Rabbit so…
Brother Rabbit’s Riddle
” Could Brother Rabbit pat a tune, sure enough, Uncle Remus?” asked the little boy, his thoughts apparently dwelling upon the new accomplishment of Brother Rabbit at which the old man had hinted in his story of Mr. Benjamin Ram.…
Brother Terrapin Deceives Brother Buzzard
There was a pause here, which was finally broken by ‘Tildy, whose remark was in the shape of a very undignified yawn. Uncle Remus regarded her for a moment with an expression of undisguised scorn, which quickly expressed itself in…
Brother Wolf and the Horned Cattle
Daddy Jack appeared to enjoy ‘Tildy’s story as thoroughly as the little boy.
“‘E one fine tale. ‘E mekky me lahff tell tear is come in me y-eye,” the old African said. And somehow or other ‘Tildy seemed to forget…
Brother Wolf Falls a Victim
” Uncle Remus,” said the little boy, one night, when he found the old man sitting alone in his cabin, “did you ever see Mammy-Bammy Big-Money?”
Uncle Remus placed his elbows on his knees, rested his chin in the palms…
Brother Wolf Gets in a Warm Place
The little boy thought that the story of how the wildcat scratched Brother Fox was one of the best stories he had ever heard, and he did n’t hesitate to say so. His hearty endorsement increased Uncle Remus’s good-humor; and…
Brother Wolf Says Grace
‘Tildy, the house-girl, made such a terrible report of the carryings on of Daddy Jack that the little boy’s mother thought it prudent not to allow him to visit Uncle Remus so often. The child amused himself as best he…
Brother Wolf Still in Trouble
” En still we er by ourse’fs,” exclaimed Uncle Remus, as the little boy ran into his cabin, the night after he had heard the story of how Brother Rabbit scalded Brother Wolf. “We er by ourse’fs en time’s a-passin’.…
Cutta Cord-La!
To all appearances Daddy Jack had taken no interest in Uncle Remus’s story of the horses’ tails, and yet, as soon as the little boy and Aunt Tempy were through laughing at a somewhat familiar climax, the old African began…
How Brother Fox Failed to Get His Grapes
One night the little boy failed to make his appearance at the accustomed hour, and the next morning the intelligence that the child was sick went forth from the “big house.” Uncle Remus was told that it had been necessary…
How Brother Fox Was Too Smart
Uncle Remus chuckled a moment over the escape of Brother Rabbit, and then turned his gaze upward toward the cobwebbed gloom that seemed to lie just beyond the rafters. He sat thus silent and serious a little while, but finally…
How Brother Fox Was Too Smart
” Uncle Remus,” said the little boy, one night when he found the old man alone, “I don’t like these stories where somebody has to stand at the door and sing, do you? They don’t sound funny to me.”
Uncle…
How Brother Rabbit Frightened His Neighbors
When Uncle Remus was in a good humor he turned the most trifling incidents into excuses for amusing the little boy with his stories. One night while he was hunting for a piece of candle on the shelf that took…
How Brother Rabbit Got the Meat
When the little boy next visited Uncle Remus the cabin was dark and empty and the door shut. The old man was gone. He was absent for several nights, but at last one night the little boy saw a welcome…
How Mr. Rooster Lost His Dinner
It seemed that the rainy season had set in in earnest, but the little boy went down to Uncle Remus’s cabin before dark. In some mysterious way, it appeared to the child, the gloom of twilight fastened itself upon the…
How the Bear Nursed the Little Alligators
While the negroes were talking of matters which the little boy took little or no interest in, he climbed into Uncle Remus’s lap, as he had done a thousand times before. Presently the old man groaned, and said:
“I be…
How Wattle Weasel Was Caught
Uncle Remus chipped the tobacco from the end of a plug, rubbed it between the palms of his hands, placed it in his pipe, dipped the pipe in the glowing embers, and leaned back in his chair, and seemed to…
In Some Lady’s Garden
When the little boy next visited Uncle Remus the old man was engaged in the somewhat tedious operation of making shoe-pegs. Daddy Jack was assorting a bundle of sassafras roots, and Aunt Tempy was transforming a meal-sack into shirts for…
More Trouble for Brother Wolf
The next night the little boy hardly waited to eat his supper before going to Uncle Remus’s house; and when Aunt Tempy failed to put in an appearance as early as he thought necessary, he did not hesitate to go…
Mr. Benjamin Ram and His Wonderful Fiddle
” I ‘speck you done year tell er ole man Benjermun Ram,” said Uncle Remus, with a great affectation of indifference, after a pause.
“Old man who?” asked the little boy.
“Ole man Benjermun Ram. I ‘speck you done year…
Mr. Benjamin Ram Defends Himself
” I ‘speck we all dun gone en fergot ole Mr. Benjermun Ram off’n our min’,” said Uncle Remus, one night, as the little boy went into the cabin with a large ram’s horn hanging on his arm.
“About his…
Mr. Fox and Miss Goose
It had been raining all day so that Uncle Remus found it impossible to go out. The storm had begun, the old man declared, just as the chickens were crowing for day, and it had continued almost without intermission. The…
Mr. Hawk and Brother Buzzard
One night the little boy ran into Uncle Remus’s cabin singing:
" T-u Turkey, t-u Ti, T-u Turkey Buzzard's eye! "
Uncle Remus, Daddy Jack, Aunt Tempy, and ‘Tildy were all sitting around the fire, for the Christmas weather was…
Mr. Hawk and Brother Rabbit
” I year tell er one time,” said ‘Tildy, “w’en ole Mr. Hawk tuck’n kotch Brer Rabbit, but ‘t aint no tale like dem you all bin tellin’.”
“Tell it, anyhow, ‘Tildy,” said the little boy.
“Well, ‘t aint no…
Mr. Lion Hunts for Mr. Man
Uncle Remus sighed heavily as he lifted the trivet on the head of his walking-cane, and hung it carefully by the side of the griddle in the cavernous fireplace.
“Folks kin come ‘long wid der watchermaycollums,” he said presently, turning…
Mr. Lion’s Sad Predicament
The discussion over Aunt Tempy’s fragmentary story having exhausted itself, Daddy Jack turned up his coat collar until it was as high as the top of his head, and then tried to button it under his chin. If this attempt…
Mr. Man Has Some Meat
The little boy sat watching Uncle Remus sharpen his shoe-knife. The old man’s head moved in sympathy with his hands, and he mumbled fragments of a song. Occasionally he would feel of the edge of the blade with his thumb,…
Old Brother Terrapin Gets Some Fish
” Dat tale,” said Uncle Remus, “puts me in min’ er de time w’en ole Brer Tarrypin had a tussel wid Brer Mink. Hit seem lak,” he went on, in response to inquiries from the little boy, “dat dey bofe…
Old Grinny-Granny Wolf
At last Daddy Jack returned, and the fact that the little boy had missed him and inquired about him, seemed to give the old African particular pleasure. It was probably a new experience to Daddy Jack, and it vaguely stirred…
Spirits, Seen and Unseen
It was not many nights before the same company was gathered in Uncle Remus’s cabin,—Daddy Jack, Aunt Tempy, and the little boy. The conversation took a turn that thrilled the child with mingled fear and curiosity. Uncle Remus had inquired…
The Cunning Snake
Daddy Jack, thus appealed to, turned half round in his seat, winked his bright little eyes very rapidly, and said, with great animation:
“Hoo! me bin yeddy one sing-tale; me yeddy um so long tam ‘go. One tam dere bin…
The Fire-Test
” We er sorter bin a-waitin’ fer Sis Tempy,” Uncle Remus remarked when the little boy made his appearance the next night; “but somehow er n’er look lak she fear’d she hatter up en tell some mo’ tales. En yit…
The Moon in the Mill-Pond
One night when the little boy made his usual visit to Uncle Remus, he found the old man sitting up in his chair fast asleep. The child said nothing. He was prepared to exercise a good deal of patience upon…
The Night Before Christmas
The day and the night before Christmas were full of pleasure for the little boy. There was pleasure in the big house, and pleasure in the humble cabins in the quarters. The peculiar manner in which the negroes celebrated the…
The Origin of the Ocean
” Uncle Remus,” said the little boy, one night shortly after Daddy Jack’s story of the lion’s sad predicament, “mamma says there are no lions in Georgia, nor anywhere in the whole country.”
“Tooby sho’ly not, honey; tooby sho’ly not!”…
The Pimmerly Plum
One night, when the little boy had grown tired of waiting for a story, he looked at Uncle Remus and said:
“I wonder what ever became of old Brother Tarrypin.”
Uncle Remus gave a sudden start, glanced all around the…
The Story of the Pigs
Uncle Remus relapsed into silence again, and the little boy, with nothing better to do, turned his attention to the bench upon which the old man kept his shoemaker’s tools. Prosecuting his investigations in this direction, the youngster finally suggested…
The Wise Bird and the Foolish Bird
All this talk about Hawks and Buzzards evidently reminded Daddy Jack of another story. He began to shake his head and mumble to himself; and, finally, when he looked around and found that he had attracted the attention of the…
Why Brother Bear Has No Tail
” I ‘clar’ ter gracious, honey,” Uncle Remus exclaimed one night, as the little boy ran in, “you sholy aint chaw’d yo’ vittles. Hit aint bin no time, skacely, sence de supper-bell rung, en ef you go on dis a-way,…
Why Mr. Dog Runs Brother Rabbit
The little boy was not particularly pleased at the summary manner in which the young Alligators were disposed of; but he was very much amused at the somewhat novel method employed by the Bear to deceive the old Alligator. The…
Why the Alligator’s Back Is Rough
The night after the violent flirtation between Daddy Jack and ‘Tildy, the latter coaxed and bribed the little boy to wait until she had finished her work about the house. After she had set things to rights in the dining-room…
Why the Guinea-fowls Are Speckled
One night, while the little boy was watching Uncle Remus broil a piece of bacon on the coals, he heard a great commotion among the guinea-fowls. The squawking and pot-racking went on at such a rate that the geese awoke…
Nights with Uncle Remus (1883) is a celebrated collection of 71 classic folk tales by Joel Chandler Harris. Set against the backdrop of the American South and framed as nighttime stories told by Uncle Remus to a young boy, this volume brings to life the legendary adventures of Brer Rabbit and his animal rivals.
Rich in humor, clever tricks, and narrow escapes, these stories rooted in African American oral traditions offer a fascinating look at classic folklore.
Note for modern readers: This edition preserves the original nineteenth-century dialect and historical storytelling style. As a product of its time, it contains language and cultural depictions that reflect the attitudes and conventions of the 1880s.