A Caldecott honor book, Arrow
to the Sun is a Pueblo Indian Tale. The story may sound familiar, as it is
about a young boy born to a woman who does not have a partner. When the boy
grows, he sets out on a mission to find his father and discovers he is the son
of the Lord of the Sun. His father sends him back to earth to live among men
and bring them the spirit. The pictures consist of Native American designs and
are primarily black, yellow, and orange. Part way through the book, when the
protagonist flies to the heavens to meet his father, florescent pink, blue,
green, and purple are suddenly introduced. The final page explains
that the artwork is rendered in gouche and ink, and the black line was
pre-separated.
The unique mix of angular edges and long soft arcs of the
Native American designs may be new to your little one, who may want to touch
them and see if they are as textured as they look. You can explain to your
little reader who the Pueblo are and where they came from. It's also a great
opportunity to explain to your child that all cultures have their own set of
stories about how the world was created. Some stories are similar
cross-cultures, but overall consist of unique details that are special to that
tribe or area. Can you think of any tales from your own culture to share with
your child as an example?
My niece Emily was very interested in the pictures.
She had not seen a lot of tribal design before, so it caught her interest. She
particularly liked the second half of the book, when the florescent colors were
introduced. After reading the
book, we tried drawing some tribal
looking designs together, and I explained to her that ever culture has a
history of story telling.
--Audra
