Im from Shropshire UK and loved Brer' Rabbit stories. I had a set of pictures from a magazine and made a scrap book for my pupils when I taught infants. They loved the stories as did my own kids.
My favourite is Mr Dog's New Shoes.
I dont think we should be too iffy about books that were written in another era. Books, like other things go out of fashion. I read books in my childhood that my own children found old fashioned. Then, lo and behold they come back into vogue again.