5. The Legend of the Bluebonnet by Tomie DePaola

 The Legend of the Bluebonnet by Tomie DePaola



DePaola, T. (1983). The legend of the bluebonnet. New York: Scholastic Inc.

This is an old Comanche legend about a young girl, She-Who-Is-Alone.  She lost her family to famine and the village is raising her.  Her most prize possession is a doll.  Her parents made it for her before they died.  The shaman hears the Great Spirits say the people have been selfish.  They must make a sacrifice before the drought and famine ends.  She-Who-Is-Alone sacrifices her doll for the wellbeing of the village.  After burning it and scattering the ashes, she wakes to find bluebonnets growing where the ashes landed as a sign of forgiveness. Then the rains came to the village.

The story is a legend. To be considered a legend, the story must have something important to the people of the region (rain and food).  It must have happened in the past (long ago in Texas). It must have a hero or heroine (She-Who-Is-Alone). It must be handed down through generations (the Comanche of Texas). It must solve a problem (she gives up the doll to save her people).  This stories’ heroin, She -Who-Is-Alone, has strong character traits.  She shows strength and selflessness to help her people.  She sacrifices her only memento of her parents to the Great Spirits so life will return to her village.

The book has beautiful artwork.  A discussion on it could lead to making a doll in an art class.  This would also be a wonderful story to teach legends, especially legends of American Indians.  The heroine is such a strong character that a discussion on character traits could center around the story.  I found two web sites with resources on teaching legends and character traits.

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plans/teaching-content/legend-bluebonnet-discussion-guide/

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/LEGEND-OF-THE-BLUEBONNET-Character-Traits-2449128


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

58. The Pot That Juan Built, by Nancy Andrews-Goebel

Image
 5 8. The Pot That Juan Built, by Nancy Andrews-Goebel Andrews-Goebel, N. (2002).  The pot that Juan built . NY: Lee & Low Books.  This is a biography about Juan Quezada of Mata Ortiz, Chihuahua, Mexico.  As a child, he was fascinated by ancient potsherds he would find.  He set out to rediscover the process and materials used by the long-vanished Casas Grandes Indians to create the beautiful pottery.  Juan knew the pottery would have been made using only natural materials found in the area.  He began to experiment until he was able to create pottery like the ancient fragments.  After many years of perfecting his craft, he began to teach his family and friends the method to re-create the pottery. The result has been the transformation of his impoverished village into a thriving community of craftspeople.  Their pottery is now found in museums and art galleries around the world. The book is structured differently than most picture books...
Read more

83. I Am Neil Armstrong, by Brad Meltzer

Image
 8 3. I Am Neil Armstrong, by Brad Meltzer Meltzer, B. (2018).  I am Neil Armstrong. NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. Brad Meltzer has written an excellent biography series for younger readers called Ordinary People Change the World.  This volume tells the story of Neil Armstrong from his childhood on a farm in Ohio to a career as an engineer and pilot in the Navy and through his trials at becoming one of America’s first astronauts and how he eventually became the first person on the moon.  This series not only tells about their successes, but also their failures and how they never give up on their dreams.  They always include the hero’s childhood influences.  The series focuses on the traits that made our heroes great—the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves.  At the back are an excellent timeline and photos.  As a former elementary social studies teacher, I have to say these books are excellent for y...
Read more

73. Mirette On the High Wire, by Emily Arnold McCully

Image
  73.     Mirette On the High Wire, by Emily Arnold McCully McCully, E.A. (1992).  Mirette on the high wire . NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons.    Mirette was a young girl whose mother owned a boarding house in Paris in the late 1800s.   Famous acrobats, jugglers, actors, and mimes stayed at their boarding house.   One evening a sad-faced stranger, Monsieur Bellini arrived at the boarding house wanting a room.   The next day, Mirette found Monsieur Bellini walking across a tight rope in the courtyard.   She wanted to learn, and finally Monsieur Bellini said he would teach her.   With practice, she became very good. One night, Mariette found out that Monsieur Bellini was famous for his high wire stunts.   She asked him why he didn’t tell her about his adventures, he said he had become afraid. He didn’t want to disappoint Mirette, so he faced his fears and performed a show at the boarding house.   He froze on the wire but Mirette ra...
Read more