The Story of Blue Elk [Hardcover]

Gerald Hausman (Author), Kristina Rodanas (Illustrator)

Book Description

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

In this traditional Native American tale, a mute boy is spiritually linked to a magnificent elk from the day of the boy's birth. The two are companions until the elk is killed, leaving the boy a precious bequest: its antlers, around which a cedar tree grows. From that wood the boy, now a young man, makes a beautiful flute, on which he plays to woo his true love. Luminous illustrations accompany the moving story of a boy whose animal spirit brother helps him find his voice and fulfill his destiny.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5?The appearance of an elk that casts a blue shadow in a pueblo village marks the birth of a boy who is unable to speak. Several years later, he falls in love with a girl but is unable to tell her. He encounters the great elk, his "name giver," again and they share idyllic times together. When the animal dies, a cedar tree grows where his antlers lay. Years later, Blue Elk creates a flute from the wood. With it he is able to enchant animals and people and eventually win the girl he loved as a youth. Hausman deftly weaves together several versions of this tale, which he describes in an author's note. With beautiful, vivid language, he conveys the interconnectedness between Native Americans and the natural world and the gifts each gives. Rodanas's realistic paintings, done in oil-based colored pencil on watercolor wash, show respect for the individuals and the setting. A lyrical tale from a gifted and experienced storyteller.?Judith Gloyer, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 5^-9. A baby of the Pueblo people is born destined not to utter a word. However, he is blessed by the visit of an elk on his birthday. The boy, named Blue Elk, grows up to establish a friendship with his elk, and when the elk dies, its antlers are planted in the ground and become one with a cedar tree. This wood and horn union yields a flute that becomes the boy's voice and allows him to "speak" musically to the woman he loves. Hausman says in the author's note that there are many versions of the Blue Elk story; this one employs elements from two fellow storytellers. The watercolor-and-colored-pencil artwork is bold and very effective when depicting settings, though less so when it comes to people, who sometimes appear stiff. Libraries looking for legends of the Pueblo Indians will find this a useful version. Ilene Cooper

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books (April 20, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395845122
• ISBN-13: 978-0395845127
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #939,784 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #82 in Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > United States

More About the Author

I am an inveterate storyteller, which is to say: I love to do it, am helpless not to do it, and I do it all the time, even when I am by myself there is an inner monologue going on in my head. This habit of privately roving around in the land of legends is something I've done for as long as I can remember. My mom worried about me when she saw that I spent too much time by myself. I would creep into a closet and close the door and in the silence of the darkness I would spin tales of all kinds. I was never lonely as a kid because I had the imagination of a wild thing, and I was content to play in the fields and valleys and secret caves of that imaginary world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Story of Blue Elk, May 4, 2010

By 

Joella Robinette (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Story of Blue Elk (Hardcover)

Reading this book, brought me to tears. I was so overwhelmed with sadness at the Elk's passing, I felt so connected, it so reminded me of when my cocker spanial passed. But after reading on I felt such joy in knowing that Blue Elk lived on in the magic of the flute and the voiceless boy found his voice through the red cedar flute, and thus the elk lived through the boy. I found this story so beautiful and touching. I highly recommend this book to children but also to adults. It taught me to appreciate what and who I have when I have it. I also loved the illustrations. Now I must go wipe my tears away.