The Girl Who Helped Thunder and Other Native American Folktales (Folktales of the World)
Starred Review. Grade 3–6—The Bruchacs retell Native North American folktales in a clear yet bold voice. The anthology is arranged geographically, a logical organization that reveals the diversity of Native peoples, from the corn planters of the East to the buffalo hunters of the plains to the gatherers of California. Descriptions of each region introduce the original inhabitants of those places, as the authors provide succinct yet enriching historical and cultural context for the stories that follow; unifying themes are also discussed. And every tale, in turn, begins with a brief background and credit to the Nation from which it is derived. The individual stories are concise, spanning only a few pages, allowing them to be read in a single sitting, while the many animal personalities found within-some mischievous, some heroic-will capture the imagination of storytime audiences. A current of subtle profundity runs through these stories. Vitale's stylized oil-on-wood illustrations vividly reveal the colorful spirit of the tales, as bright blues and reds complement the earth tones found throughout. An annotated bibliography provides source notes and comparative analyses to other folktales from around the world. Similar to Margaret Mayo'sWhen the World Was Young(S & S, 1996),Girlis effective in the amount of cultural background it provides, the simplicity of the text, and the beauty of the paintings.—Jeff Meyer, Slater Public Library, IACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.