Basic Reason of Interest: I like picture books. A friend of mine asked about them for a school a while back, so off I went to buy myself some picture books I could pass on, guilt-free. Being a mythological tale of the Pacific Northwest, it fits my “other cultures” criteria. And just admit it looks pretty.

Full comments here

Book Rereadability: I’m really good at rereading these only around students, aren’t I?
Author Rereadability: Definitely won’t say no to more of McDermott’s books. (Unless someone tells me they’re wholly disrespectful and the author doesn’t know what he’s talking about or something.)
Recommendation: Beginning readers! (Conclusion: I read too many picture books during the Read-a-Thon.) ( )

GRL J,4 copies

GRL J,4 copies

GRL J,4 copies

GRL J,4 copies

This represents a Myth because it contains religious beliefs of past cultures. It expresses a sense of people's religion and philosophy from long ago as it tells of Raven and him going from bird, to boy, to bird. ( )

K-2. This book has longer sentences and 3-4 sentece paragraphs so this is great for younger children. Students will also enjoy the fun, imaginary tale of the Raven. ( )

Raven, a Pacific Northwest trickster, wants to bring light to the world. He sets out to find where the Sky Chief keeps the light. His journey is not an easy one, but Raven will not give up.

This is a great example of a Native American Myth. The plot is very simple, but it is also intriguing. Raven goes on a search for light and shape shifts to be reborn as a human child. He steals the sun from Sky Chief's house and throws it high into the sky to give light to everyone.

Media: Gouache, colored pencil, pastel on heavyweight cold-press watercolor paper

This book is a common myth in many Native American tribes. The raven in this book is a hero because he disguises himself as a boy to steal the sun, and then turns back into a raven and gives the sun to the people. The plot of this book is clearly evident: The people lived in darkness and needed light; the Raven tracked down light; He morphed into other beings to obtain the light; the Raven gave the sun to the people and they had light. So, the problem was evident from the very beginning and the Raven solved it. Media: Gouache, colored pencil, and pastel on watercolor paper.

This is a cute depiction of how the NW Indians describe how light came to the earth. I love the way the author weaves the story, using a ingenous magical raven that transforms himself into a human baby. After endearing himself to the chief as his grandson, the 'baby' begins to seek the source of light. Interestingly enough, the Indians are not bothered by the fact that the baby is really a raven as he transforms and that takes the source of light from them. Perhaps they were ready to share? Light is then given to the whole world, who were before living in darkness. The artwork in this book is very bold and colorful with patterns lending itself to a distinct Native American style. It incorporates gouache, colored pencils,and pastels. I can see why this was a Caldecott Honor book as the pictures are just beautiful and full, using the whole layout on each page.

This was an interesting tale to read. It wasn't my favorite story line, but I did enjoy following the movement within the illustrations. The paintings done in this book were done in gouache, colored pencil, and pastel on heavyweight cold-press watercolor paper. I was impressed with the illustrators ability to change the raven character into other objects, but still hold some of the same coloring/style details. My favorite was boy back to raven. I loved seeing the nose and hair look so similar yet they were two different characters.

This is a cool book based in the Pacific NW around the tribal tells. The story itself is well written. It's the basic and ancient legend of how Raven stole the sun, but done very well, in language that even young kids can understand. It's a fun story to read, too, since you can make the book come alive by adding a few of your own choice sound effects as I saw done at the library near my house. ( )

Age Appropriateness: Middle to late elementary
Review: This book is a great example of a myth. The story about Raven is specific to the particular culture of the Pacific Northwest Native Americans. It explains the unexplained in this case, how the sun came up in the sky. It includes past cultures and religious beliefs that the tribe believes. It combines figures, such as the Native Americans, and adds elements of the supernatural such as Raven changing into a pine needle, being consumed, turning into a baby and then discovering the sun. The events that transpire in the story are beyond reality and are fictional.
Plot: This book creates a wonderful plot and is an example of person against society. Raven risks everything to trick the Native Americans into releasing the sun even though he could be in trouble. The plot starts with a problem, a storyline transpires where the problem is trying to be solved, and ends with a resolution that solves the problem.
Media: Mixed (acrylics and possibly charcoal) ( )

The art in this is a lot of fun, I especially liked the look of the Raven boy. The story is a mish-mash of a many different versions, and there is no acknowledgement of any original cultural setting other than the very vague 'Pacific Northwest in the title. The ending with its emphasis on gratitude seemed a little bit didactic for my taste. ( )