Product Description

Raven, the trickster, wants to give people the gift of light. But can he find out where Sky Chief keeps it? And if he does, will he be able to escape without being discovered? His dream seems impossible, but if anyone can find a way to bring light to the world, wise and clever Raven can!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39490 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In a starred review, PW called McDermott's retelling of a Native American tale describing the birth of the sun "crisply elegant. McDermott adds to the folktale bookshelf a work in the grand tradition." Ages 4-8.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 1 Up-- All the world is in darkness at the beginning of this traditional tale from the Indian cultures of the Pacific Northwest. Raven feels sorry for the people living in the gloomy cold, so he flies to the house of the Sky Chief in search of light and warmth. To get inside, Raven pulls a shape-shifting trick that allows him to be born to the god's daughter. As a spoiled and comic infant, Raven demands and gets the shiny ball that the gods have hidden away. The art and text capture the spirit of the Native American trickster hero; benevolent, clever, magical, unscrupulous, and ultimately triumphant, Raven acts out human virtues and foibles on a cosmic scale. The mixed-media illustrations contrast the foggy cold of the Northwest Coast with the cozy interior of a native plank house. Traditional dress, furnishings, and house construction are clearly depicted, as are the tender and indulgent emotions of the Sky Chief and his family. As Raven shape-shifts through the story, visual and verbal clues let children see that his essential nature remains intact. The book invites comparisons with other trickster heroes like Africa's Anansi and the Native American Coyote, as well as with stories of fire bringers like Prometheus. The physical environment, oral literature, and traditional life of the Pacific Coast Indians come alive in this amusing and well-conceived picture book. --Carolyn Polese, Gateway Community School, Arcata, CA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Hero and mischief-maker Raven is central to Native American myths of the Pacific Northwest, as McDermott explains in a gracefully written note. Here, he's a cunning trickster who brings the marvelous gift of light to the world. Turning himself into a pine needle, Raven is swallowed by the Sky Chief's daughter and reborn as her son. He finds the sun hidden away in a box, resumes the shape of Raven, seizes the sun in his beak, and throws it into the sky. Retelling the tale with elegant simplicity, Caldecott Medalist McDermott illustrates it with handsome mixed-media art. Raven, a bold pattern of red, blue, and green on black, refers directly to the familiar totem pole figure; the landscape is a lovely, understated expanse of watercolor; the stylized sky people, in gentle earth tones, are at once decorative, warmly benevolent, and sculpturally heroic. A splendid setting for an important myth. (Folklore/Picture book. 4-10) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

They ask to listen to it again and again!
The children in my Pre-K class cannot get enough of this book. The magic of the illustrations and the text has them mesmerized. Many times, when we have finished reading the story, they want to here it again!

Fantastic book for children, and a wonderful story!
I bought this book on a whim for my daughter, as I am a great fan of Native American mythology and beliefs. I got it after a short wait, and looked through it.
The artwork is simply amazing; beatiful, detailed pictures accompany each portion of the story.. Even the surprised looks on the faces of people as Raven plays his trickster games is done magnificently!
The story itself is well written. It's the basic and ancient legend of how Raven stole the sun, but done very well, in language that even young kids can understand. It's a fun story to read, too, since you can make the book come alive by adding a few of your own choice sound effects, and just watch the look on your son or daughter's face...

But, best of all, children love it. When I first read it to my four-year-old, her eyes lit up, she became completely drawn into the story, and laughed and giggled as Raven did his thing. She even demanded that I read it over again - a rarity for my daughter, since she has a huge library of her own now!
I'll buy anything else I can find from this author. He won a Caldecott for this book, and small wonder; his work is absolutely magnificent, and I recommend getting it in hardcover because you'll wear the covers off a softcover version! Enjoy it!

glorious, sumptuous and respectful
I get antsy when Native American themes and stories appear in children's books. Too often they reek of cultural misappropriation.

But this beautiful book--gorgeous watercolor backgrounds to the Northwest Native American-style imagery--feels respectful, and does a great telling of a favorite Tlingit Haida tale of how light came into the world.

The illustration of the morphing of the Sky Chief's spoiled grandson back into Raven is particularly effective.And when Raven fills the sky with the sun in his beak, it's very easy to buy into this story as a valid creation myth.

I've now bought three copies of this book for various pre-schoolers I know, and all my grown-up friensd who've seen this book have fallen in love with it, too. This is a definite winner, bound to become as classic in its own way as Robert McCloskey's ``Blueberries for Sal.''