Raweno, Master of all Spirits and Everything-Maker, made the world and everything in it, but nothing gave him quite so much trouble as Owl. This retelling of a traditional Kanienkehaka (Mohawk) creation legend will have readers laughing at the irrepressible but indecisive bird. Full color.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Gates visits her Kanienkehaka (Mohawk) heritage for this pourquoi story about the habits and appearance of the owl. Raweno, "master of all spirits and everything-maker," molds prototypes of all the creatures of the woodlands, then tells each bird or beast to decide on its colors "and however else you wish to be." As Fox, Sparrow, Squirrel et al. take turns declaring their choices, Owl keeps up a steady barrage of suggestions ("Fox should be yellow like the sun"). Raweno is aggravated, but the reader will likely be amused, especially as Miyake supplies thought balloons that show Owl's envisionings (e.g., Fox as lemon-yellow, with a short, stocky torso). The effect is all the more comic given the sobriety of Miyake's full-spread illustrations, which demonstrate a clear reverence for nature. In the end, Raweno silences Owl: "Because I work only by day, you will be awake only at night." He further punishes intrusive Owl by making his neck short, saying, "You will watch only what is in front of you"-and thus strikes the only false note here. Owls, including the long-eared owl depicted, can rotate their heads through 180 degrees or more, a fact undoubtedly known by Kanienkehaka storytellers. Ages 4-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4-In Kanienkehaka (Mohawk) legend, the creator, Raweno, gives each animal its basic shape, then adds fur, feathers, coloring, and other finishing details according to the animal's wishes. In this retelling, Raweno can't finish any work without meddling dissent from owl, who wants fox to have yellow fur, wolf to have smaller feet, sparrow a bigger beak, and so on. Raweno, irritated, finally asks owl what he himself wants. Owl wants red feathers-then blue feathers instead-then fur- then...Raweno loses patience with the bird's impudence and interference, and gives him a neckless body so he'll watch only what is before him, big ears to hear what he is told, and a nocturnal life-to keep him out of the way. Miyake's richly representational paintings focus on the handsome, long-haired Raweno, but the animals and forest setting are given careful attention, too. Details stand out against the leafy green background. Raweno is noble and individualized, more a fine human figure than a divine one. It's his appealing presence that is likely to get this pourquoi tale off the shelf.
Patricia (Dooley) Lothrop Green, St. George's School, Newport, RI
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Patricia (Dooley) Lothrop Green, St. George's School, Newport, RI
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
please just sit still!,
This review is from: Owl Eyes (Library Binding)
This story sort of fell in our laps... I picked it out from the library since I was looking for stories about owls but this tale turns out to be more a story about minding your own business. I read it to my daughter a few times on days when she had been getting in trouble for being nosy; I thought it would be a gentle humourous story that lets her know that everyone is nosy sometimes, so it's not just her being singled out. Of course, the story also sends the message that you don't want to take your interrupting and rudeness too far! She was almost 4 at the time and always got very serious and sober after the story. After the third time, she asked me not to read it anymore. I suppose this is because she felt it was speaking directly to her and it made her uncomfortable. I personally thought the book was humorous and beautifully illustrated. It would make a nice addition to a unit on Native American studies for older children.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Why the owl has big round eyes...........,
By Elizabeth J Jones (Bethesda, MD) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Owl Eyes (Hardcover)
I read this book aloud to a group of 14 four-year-old children who were enchanted by the tale of the creator Spirit Rawena and the pesky little owl who couldn't make up his mind, and who couldn't mind his own business. The beautiful illustrations enhance the tale and are dramatic enough to catch the attention of a very squirmy group of kids! Some may find the narrative a little cruel by the bland standards of most modern stories for kids; this is true of many myths and folk tales, however, and the humor used in the telling of this story, and the justice dealt out by the creator, will appeal to children four years old and older.
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