Arrow to the Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale [Hardcover]

Gerald McDermott (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

An adaptation of the Pueblo Indian myth which explains how the spirit of the Lord of the Sun was brought to the world of men.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gerald McDermott is the internationally known author and illustrator of such works as Tim O'Toole and the Wee Folk and most recently, Creation. Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti and Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest are both Caldecott Honor books. Mr. McDermott is First Fellow of the Joseph Campbell Foundation. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 44 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile; 1st edition (June 10, 1974)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670133698
• ISBN-13: 978-0670133697
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 11.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #624,216 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creation, Quest, and Spreading the Spirit in Fabulous Images, April 17, 2001

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Arrow to the Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale (Paperback)

The story here is a Native American Pueblo tale. It begins when "Long ago the Lord of the Sun sent the spark of life to earth." "It traveled down the rays of the sun, through the heavens, and it came to the Pueblo." "There it entered the home of a young maiden." "In this way, the Boy came into the world of men."

Growing up alone with his mother, the boy is derided by the other boys. "Where is your father?" Finally, the boy could take it no more. He left to find his father. The Corn Planter and the Pot Maker could not help him. But the wise Arrow Maker could. The Arrow Maker made the boy into an arrow and shot him into the sun.

The boy claimed to be the son of the Lord of the Sun, but the Lord of the Sun demanded proof. Tests were involved, but the boy was not afraid. He successfully went through the four kivas of lions, serpents, bees and lightning. After the kiva of lightning, he was transformed and was filled with the "power of the sun." The father and his son rejoiced.

The Lord of the Sun said, "Now you must return to earth, my son, and bring my spirit to the world of men." He was sent back as an arrow. "The people celebrated his return in the Dance of Life."

As you can see, this story is a very conceptual one that deals with spiritual matters involving cultural traditions that are probably unfamiliar to your child. The book will be easier to understand if you explain a little about the religious beliefs of the Pueblo Native Americans before reading this book to your child. You will also need to explain the point about how not having a father present can create a stir. The arrow transfers can be explained as magic, and the search itself can be likened to a quest of the sort that knights often undertook. The spiritual connection can be explained in terms of your own religious beliefs or tradition.

The story is also a metaphor for the planting cycle, as well as the cycle of life and death.

The key reason to read this book is to see some of the most remarkable modern renderings ever created of classic southwestern Native American pictograms. These pictograms are built from stylized geometric components combined into other geometric forms in a palette built mostly from yellow, orange, red, brown, and black. As accents, turquoise and green are added. These images are created with gouache (a thick form of water color) and preseparated black lines. These geometric shapes take literal beings and turn them into spiritual, conceptual ones. If you are like me, the transformation of the boy into the power of the rainbow against a sky of black will take your breath away. Not surprisingly, this book won Mr. McDermott the coveted Caldecott Medal in 1975 as the best illustrated children's book.

After you finish enjoying the story of the book, I suggest that you also help your child understand some of the legends of other peoples in other times about planting and harvesting, as well as the manhood tests. If you are not familiar with any, The Golden Bough can be a good source for you. I remember being impressed as a child by how similar the beliefs are across cultures about common experiences like those related to agriculture. That impression helped me be more open about what appeared to be differences when I met people from other cultures. I was inclined to assume that we had more in common than our different clothes, manners, and languages would have suggested.

Connect to the funamental way the sun serves as the ultimate source of food and power for us all!

64 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This is NOT a good book for teaching about Pueblo people, November 6, 2003

By 

Debbie Reese (Illinois) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Arrow to the Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale (Paperback)

With dismay, I read the customer reviews of this book. There are 19 Pueblos in New Mexico, and more in Arizona. Which Pueblo is this book about? There is great variation from one to the other. Most troubling, however, is McDermott's presentation of the kiva. Our kivas are not places of trial. They are more akin to churches and temples where cultural knowledge is passed on from one generation to the next. Finally, extended families are central to Pueblo culture, and there is no stain of illegitimacy conferred on those who don't know who their father is. This book should NOT be used to teach about Pueblo Indians. These errors are major ones.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Parents:"Sequencing of events"is crucial to comprehension., October 21, 1999

By 

Renee Jones ([e-mail]) (U.S.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arrow to the Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale (Paperback)

Arrow to the sun is a fascinating story of a boy's trials to find the answer to a question. A skill you can emphasize with your reader is to retell the series of trials. Questioning during the telling of a story also reinforces comprehenhsion: What was the boy in search of? Why did the boy become an arrow? What other story can you think of where a character must go through trials to prove him or herself? Who are the Pueblo people? This last question will lead to a study of other Native American cultures and folktales. Teachers: run with this! Use this story as a springboard to the study of the Anasazi,LaKota,Aztec,or Mayan.