The Wonderful Sky Boat: And Other Native Americans Tales from the Southeast (Hardcover)

~ (Author), James Watts (Illustrator) "In the beginning, this world below the great dome of the sky was nothing but water..." (more)
Key Phrases: Lightning Bolt, Littlest Brother, Lodge Boy (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 3-7. Curry retells 28 stories from a variety of American Indian tribes from the southeastern U.S. Creation legends from the Caddo, Yuchi, and Catawba peoples set the stage for pourquoi stories and trickster tales from the Cherokee, Choctaw, Natchez, and Koasati oral traditions. Although the stories are relatively short and the language simple, middle-grade readers unfamiliar with the characters and the conventions of American Indian tales will benefit most from having these stories read or told to them. James Watts' full-page black-and-white drawings show scenes from some of the tales, and Curry includes information about the tribes represented in the collection as well as source notes for most of the stories. A good resource for accessible stories to use in folktale units or American Indian studies. Karen Hutt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

In this collection of twenty-seven delightful stories, there are trickster tales full of sly humor and tales of magic and the supernatural, of adventure and derring-do. "How and Why" stories explain why the buzzard is bald and how the alligator's nose was broken. We laugh along with Rabbit when, to impress the pretty girl he wants to marry, he tricks Wolf into letting him ride him like a horse.

Tales from familiar peoples such as the Cherokee, Choctaw, Seminole, and Cree are here, as well as from less well-known tribes. Jane Curry has also provided helpful notes "About the Southeastern Tribes," "About the Storytellers," and "About the Stories."

There is a happy variety in these stories, retold with great skill by a gifted writer, whose earlier book of Native American tales, Back in the Beforetime, has been a favorite for years. Storytellers and young readers alike will welcome The Wonderful Sky Boat.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689835957
• ISBN-13: 978-0689835957
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,314,933 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)