Is My Friend at Home? : Pueblo Fireside Tales [Hardcover]

John Bierhorst (Author), Wendy Watson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Pueblo Fireside Tales
Tales to be read in one cozy sitting.

Here are seven interconnected stories about making and keeping friends, jewel-like tales originally told to the youngest listeners at Native American firesides in the Hopi country of northern Arizona. In John Bierhorst's authentic re-creation of a Pueblo storytelling session, readers and listeners will find out how Coyote got his short ears, why Mouse walks softly, and how Bee learned to fly.

Snake, Mole, Badger, Beetle, and Dove also have roles clever and foolish, friendly and not so friendly, and all are depicted with humor and finesse by illustrator Wendy Watson.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The creators of Doctor Coyote: A Native American Aesop's Fables and In the Trail of the Wind: American Indian Poems and Ritual Orations offer a third collection, Is My Friend At Home?: Pueblo Fireside Tales retold by John Bierhorst, illus. by Wendy Watson. These seven friendship-themed stories, originally told around Hopi firesides in northern Arizona, are reminiscent of fables, though many more strongly resemble pourquoi tales. Watson's animated renderings of the wide-eyed animal characters add zip to the pages.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-Readers are invited to join by the fireside in the Native American tradition and enjoy this collection of pourquoi/trickster tales from the Hopi culture. These brief and relatively benevolent stories are enacted by anthropomorphized wildlife indigenous to the Southwest. Seven tellings relate the reasons why certain aspects of the natural world exist as they do. The audience learns how Coyote came to have short ears, why Mouse walks softly, and how Bee learned to fly. Although the harsh realities of survival are somewhat minimized by the playful chicanery of some of the episodes, most of the narratives convey important truths about coexistence, cooperation, and making good choices. Watson's child-centered, humorous illustrations enliven the text and lend a great deal of personality to these archetypal characters from Native American folklore. These compact stories would work well with primary-grade children who are just being introduced to the world of folklore. Source notes are included for those wishing to further explore Native American storytelling.

Rosalyn Pierini, San Luis Obispo City-County Library, CA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1 edition (September 12, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374335508
• ISBN-13: 978-0374335502
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,172,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful language, January 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Is My Friend at Home? : Pueblo Fireside Tales (Hardcover)

We got this book out of the library and ended up buying a copy as the tales are worth many repeat visits. The stores about different kinds of friendship are charming but what really catches our attention is the language. It is clear for young children to understand but is ever so slightly different -- as if spoken by someone translating into English or someone using a different 'flavor' of English. It really adds to the sense that these are Native American tales.

The illustrations are detailed and very attractive with lots of things for listner to explore while letting the words soak in.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tell Me A Story....., March 21, 2002

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Is My Friend at Home? : Pueblo Fireside Tales (Hardcover)

"In the evening the Sun touches the ocean in the west and climbs down the long ladder to the underworld. Then he sets out on his underground journey to the sunrise place in the east. Up above, now that the world is dark, the time has come for people to light fires and tell stories." Join John Bierhorst at the crackling campfire as he retells seven Pueblo fireside tales. These are stories that just beg to be read aloud. Each short and engaging tale centers around the theme of friendship, and is rich in Native American insight, wisdom, and humor. Wendy Watson's charming and expressive cartoon-like artwork, in quiet, subdued desert earth-tones, complement each story beautifully, and bring the endearing cast of animal characters to life. Find out why Coyote has short ears, how Snake lost his only friend, why peaches are sweet, and how Bee learned to fly... Perfect for youngsters 5-10, Is My Friend At Home? is a marvelous collection the entire family can read and share together. "The Sun has come to the end of his underground journey. As he climbs up the ladder to the sunrise place, he puts on the skin of a gray fox, and white dawn comes up. "Ha!" he cries and he puts on the skin of a yellow fox, and yellow dawn comes up. He steps out of the underworld. It becomes morning. No more storytelling until nightfall."