The Story of the Milky Way: A Cherokee Tale1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bruchac, Joseph and Gayle Ross. 1995. Illustrated by Virginia A. Stroud. The Story of the Milky Way: A Cherokee Tale. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0-8037-1738-5
2. PLOT SUMMARY
The creation of the Milky Way is shared in this written version of a Cherokee folktale. When an elderly couple discovers their cornmeal is disappearing, their grandson is determined to find the culprit. His discovery of a light source shaped like a great spirit dog prompts the people in the village to gather the drums so the spirit dog will be chased away. The noise frightens the spirit and he jumps into the sky and scatters the cornmeal, which turns into the stars of the Milky Way.
The creation of the Milky Way is shared in this written version of a Cherokee folktale. When an elderly couple discovers their cornmeal is disappearing, their grandson is determined to find the culprit. His discovery of a light source shaped like a great spirit dog prompts the people in the village to gather the drums so the spirit dog will be chased away. The noise frightens the spirit and he jumps into the sky and scatters the cornmeal, which turns into the stars of the Milky Way.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
The prolific author, Joseph
Bruchac, and Gayle Ross pen a Cherokee folktale that has many versions published in different collections. The words flow in a manner that is easy to read out loud
to young preschool listeners. These
younger readers can also relate to the brave young grandson who wants to help
his grandparents.
One of the strengths of this
folktale is the leadership provided by the Beloved Woman and her ability to
prompt the cooperation of the entire village in scaring the spirit away. In
addition, the mention of culturally significant artifacts such as drums and
turtleshell rattles augments the authenticity of the tale told from the
Cherokee cultural perspective.
Virginia A. Stroud utilizes
acrylic paint on Museum Rag paper to depict the Cherokee village in a manner
consistent with the early 1800’s. While
it is difficult to determine if such brightly colored fabric would have been
available during this time period, Stroud may have chosen this color scheme to
attract the attention of young readers. One
of the greatest shortcomings of the painted illustrations is the skin tone of
the Cherokee villagers; all of the villagers exhibited a pale pink skin tone
that clearly mismatches the racial background of the Cherokee people. This obvious oversight detracts from the
story and unfortunately dissociates the story from its Cherokee heritage.
While the story itself is
well written and loyal to the Cherokee folktale, the illustrations are
distracting and diminish the cultural legitimacy of the picture book. Bruchac
has many other books that contain more culturally relevant illustrations. Readers
wanting to read a Cherokee folktale may want to choose his book, The First
Strawberries, to obtain a book that fully represents the Cherokee culture.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
- Scientific American Children's Book Award
Review from Kirkus: "A charming look at the time when the world was new...A simple, well-phrased text introduces ideas of respect for elders, cooperation, and reverance for the spirit world, without ever veering from the storyline."
Review from Booklist: "Beautifully illustrated in Cherokee-Creek artist Stroud's signature style, this charming retelling of a traditional Cherokee legend will appeal to listeners young and old."
Review from Publishers Weekly: "With lyric simplicity this retelling of a Cherokee folktale posits an explanation for the origin of the Milky Way, at the same time stressing the merits of communal labor.."
Review from School Library Journal: "The acrylic illustrations depict stylized figures and resemble fabric art...the colors and textures heighten the applique effect, especially the sprigged calicoes worn by the women. The text and illustrations work well together, and the layout makes the book an especially good choice for story time."
5. CONNECTIONS
5. CONNECTIONS
*Other books by Joseph Bruchac
Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back. ISBN 978-0698115842
Squanto's Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving. ISBN 978-0152060442
The First Strawberries. ISBN 978-0140564099
*Other books by Gayle Ross
The Girl Who Married the Moon: Tales from Native North America. ISBN 978-1555915667
How Rabbit Tricker Otter: And Other Cherokee Trickster Stories. ISBN 978-0060212858
The Legend of Windigo: A Tale from Native North America. ISBN 978-0803718975
*Other books written and illustrated by Virginia A. Stroud
Don't Fall Off His Horse. ISBN 978-1936495016Squanto's Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving. ISBN 978-0152060442
The First Strawberries. ISBN 978-0140564099
*Other books by Gayle Ross
The Girl Who Married the Moon: Tales from Native North America. ISBN 978-1555915667
How Rabbit Tricker Otter: And Other Cherokee Trickster Stories. ISBN 978-0060212858
The Legend of Windigo: A Tale from Native North America. ISBN 978-0803718975
*Other books written and illustrated by Virginia A. Stroud
A Walk to the Great Mystery: A Cherokee Tale. ISBN 978-0803716360
*Website for Joseph Bruchac