BOOK REVIEW – TRADITIONAL LITERATURE – BETWEEN EARTH & SKY

BOOK REVIEW – TRADITIONAL LITERATURE –

BETWEEN EARTH & SKY: LEGENDS OF NATIVE AMERICAN SACRED PLACES

 (This review is for a class assingment:  LS5603 @ TWU)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bruchac, Joseph.  BETWEEN EARTH & SKY: LEGENDS OF NATIVE AMERICAN SACRED PLACES.  Ill. by Thomas Locker.  San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Company. ISBN 0152000429

PLOT SUMMARY

Uncle Old Bear and Little Turtle are on a journey to a pow-wow of Delaware Indian ancestors. On the way, Old Bear shares with Little Turtle ten legends about different Native American sacred places in the United States and within us.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Bruchac weaves imagery, symbolism, personification, simile, and metaphor into his verse-written legends. These tales are from ten different Indian tribes and each describes one of the Seven Directions and other sacred places. A sprinkling of native words from some of the tribes is thrown in and a pronunciation guide is available at the end.  He also provides a map of North America with the location of these ten nations represented by symbols and many other tribe sites noted. 

There is one full page illustration for each page of text.  Locker’s oil paintings capture many of the places with a wispy aspect that reminds the reader they are looking at the land through eyes of the past.  He also uses a combination of muted and bright colors for different geographical regions to bring out the feelings of heat, wet, cold, refreshing, day and night,

This book, with its combination of words and pictures, makes me want to go visit each of these places and experience for myself the beauty and wonder of this nation and its rich history.

AWARDS

Notable Books for a Global Society, 1997

REVIEW EXCERPTS

APPLESEEDS (Mar 2002): “offers legends and dramatic paintings of sacred places such as Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon”

READING TEACHER (Dec 97/Jan 98): “this book will raise thoughtful discussions about what we each see "through the eyes of our hearts."

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (July 96): “these selections point to the richness possible in looking at the Earth in a spiritual way”

HORN (May/Jun 96): “all places are sacred if ‘we always carry the teachings with us,’ thus emphasizing the importance of the place Within”

CONNECTIONS

Other books to read:

De Paola, Tomie. THE LEGEND OF THE BLUEBONNET.  ISBN-10: 9780698113596

ISBN-13: 978-0698113596

McDermott, Gerlad.  COYOTE: A TRICKSTER TALE FROM THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST.  ISBN-10: 9780152019587.  ISBN-13: 978-0152019587

Oughton, Jerrie.  HOW THE STARS FELL INTO THE SKY: A NAVAJO LEGEND. 

ISBN-10: 0395779383.  ISBN-13: 978-0395779385

Ecology lessons on pollution of our rivers and lakes, and oceans. 

Discuss human encroachment which leads to the dwindling of the wildlife/nature habitat (for example deer, possums, and armadillos seen in neighborhoods).

Animal science lessons on extension, habitat, adaptations, wildlife/nature preserves. What animals are threatened in Texas, in other regions of the U.S.?  How have animals adaptated to neighborhoods.  Which animals are kept in zoos?  Which animals thrive on nature preserves?

Plan a trip to the zoo, bird watching area, or other natural areas.

Lessons on different religions and cultures, such as some cultures have sacred animals and some do not.