Where the Buffaloes Begin (Picture Puffins) [Paperback]

Olaf Baker (Author), Stephen Gammell (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Picture Puffins

Follow Little Wolf to the fabled lake in the south where the buffaloes begin. Watch the huge beasts surge out of the water and onto the prairie, as Little Wolf leads them to a victory against the enemies of his people. A Caldecott Honor Book. Illustrations in black-and-white.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A Caldecott Honor is among the awards won by the late Baker's story, originally published in St. Nicholas Magazine in 1915. Little Wolf rides on his pony at night to the lake where, legend has it, a buffalo herd arises and thunders across the prairie. The boy guides the buffaloes, and they defeat enemies out to attack his people; thus Little Wolf becomes part of the tale he loves. PW remarked that "Gammell's drawings, full of haunting visions and action, surpass his most admired work."
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (November 6, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140505601
• ISBN-13: 978-0140505603
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 10 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #680,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Story of an Indian boy and how he saves his tribe., May 6, 1999

By 

R. D. Allison ([e-mail]) (Gainesville, Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where the Buffaloes Begin (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)

This book for children is about a young plains Indian boy who hears a folk tale about how buffaloes are formed at the bottom of a lake far to the south of the boy's village. He goes in search of the lake and, in so doing, saves his village from an attack by an enemy tribe. The book was illustrated by Stephen Gammell and it was a 1982 Caldecott Honor book (i.e., a runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustration in a book for children. Any child will love to have the story read to them.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An American-Indian folk tale that stimulates the senses, September 14, 2004

By 

Kara Reuter (Columbus, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where the Buffaloes Begin (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)

Originally published in 1915, this story retells a Blackfoot Indian tale. Curious about Nawa, the wise man's story about the origins of the sacred buffaloes from the center of a lake, fearless young Little Wolf sneaks away in the middle of the night to keep watch over the lake. The text conveys visceral, sensory experiences: "Little Wolf felt the blood run along his body. He clutched at the prairie grass, crushing it in his hot hands." The story unfolds slowly with a few wordless spreads scattered throughout. The story is divided into sections adorned with illustrations of artifacts, such as moccasins, hats, and weapons. The action of the story is conveyed in soft and misty pencil sketches, capturing the dreamlike mood of the story.

According to the author bio, Baker is an English author who spent "a great deal of time" with the Blackfoot Indians. The style of the illustrations is reminiscent of anthropological or archaeological drawings. A note at the conclusion of the story offering contextual details about the Blackfoot and the artifacts presented in the story would be a welcome addition, as well as acknowledgement of the fact that this is no longer the way of life for Native Americans.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful drawings, breath-taking narrative, September 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Where the Buffaloes Begin (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)

My husband and I love this book -- fortunately our son (age 4 yrs) is finally able to listen to the whole story. He has shown great interest in the story and how it relates to his obsession with the transcon railway. (We call our son Train Brain).

He has been moved to draw after we have shared the book and we think that is wonderful, since it doesn't involve trains.

Seriously, it is a wonderful story and very well illustrated. We will probably donate this book to our son's classroom library later this year. We are grateful to have recieved it as gift from the artist in our family.