How the Stars Fell into the Sky: A Navajo Legend

This folktale comes from the mythology of the Navajo people. Vibrant and intense illustrations tell the story of First Woman - and the trickster Coyote - and how the stars were scattered into the sky. Powerful phrases create the feelings of this primordial world, like "pulse of the first day," and "the rim of night." A beautiful creation story in any collection.
As she places the stars, First Woman explains to Coyote the wisdom and comfort the stars will bring to the people, gently incorporating the values and culture of the Navajo people into the legend. The illustrations depict traditional dwellings, dress and activities without making the lives of the people the center of the story, instead leaving the power of the story to rest in show more the connection between the people and the universe through their relationship to the night sky. show less

Oughton brings us the Navajo legend of how the stars appeared into the sky. It is about the first man and woman. The woman wants to write the laws of the people because she is concerned for the future. First man is more concerned about right now and doesn't pay much attention to her idea. She begins placing the stars into the sky and creating her laws. A coyote asked her if he could help and she agreed. At first the coyote was helpful however he became very impatient and without her knowing just threw all the stars into the sky. This is a good story to use in the classroom because it can teach that hastiness can cause discord. The illustrations were warm and beautiful. I would recommend for grades 2-4.

Beautiful pictures by Lisa Desimini of the desert at night. First Woman is carefully placing her jewels in the sky to be stars, to show the people the laws they are to live by. Coyote impatiently throws all the remaining stars up into the sky at random, so the message is lost, and our world is a place of confusion. Interesting story, and it provokes a lot of "why?" questions from our preschoolers.

Reading Level: Primary
Genre: Traditional Literature
Summary: The retelling of a Navajo legend that explains why the stars are arranged the way they are in the sky.
Evaluation: This is an entertaining legend that will hopefully get students interested in the Native American culture. Instead of simply reading about the Navajos in a textbook; the student will be able to understand the legends and culture of the people. The content of this book is age appropriate and provides a simple story for students. I think this book would be great in the classroom.

How the Stars Fell into the Sky: A Navajo Legend is a story of how the First Woman tries to write the laws of the land by putting them in the sky with the stars. She lays out her blanket with the stars on the ground and then slowly spends her time placing them in the sky. Coyote was observing First Woman and offered to help her; however, he was extremely impatient and takes the blanket and throws all the stars into the sky causing the world confusion as to what the laws are. I would love to use this book in a science unit to start into a unit about constellations which then can be lead into a fun activity of using string games to make some constellations.

I really enjoyed this story, an attempt to explain the mysteries of the Earth at the very beginning of time. The story is short and simple and the illustrations fit the tale nicely.

This is a Navajo Legend about how stars came to be, and what they stand for. This story has the First Woman placing stars in specific places that stand for rules. Everyone would see them if they're in the sky. But an anxious coyote decides it's taking too long and flings all the stars up, in no particular order. It explains why we have so many problems today. This is a fun legend that can be compared to others that describe other reasons stars are in our sky.