Product Description

In love with a beautiful girl, but too shy to tell her, a young man leaves his camp in frustration. One night he receives mystical visitors who offer him a special gift -- a love flute. A gift from the birds and animals, its tells the girl of his love where words have failed.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #565070 in Books
• Published on: 1997-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Traditionally, the Native American man would use a "love flute" to woo the woman he loved, to speak to her of things that words alone could never express. In this lyrical tale, a young man too timid to profess his love is presented with such a flute by two mysterious Elk men. Goble writes with a poetic energy, a graceful enthusiasm of "love songs carried by the breezes into the tipi circle from the surrounding pine-covered ridges and grassy hills." Striking illustrations in bold blocks of color are set against flowers alive with birds and butterflies. There is a pleasing simplicity to the artwork, an inherent sense of order in the pristine images. Imbued with warmth and spirit, each page seems to dance with movement and color, as if to the flute's beguiling music. Intricate black-and-white sketches of various love flutes on each page enhance this prepossessing work. All ages.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 6-- ``This is the story of a shy young man who was given the very first love flute, long ago, by the birds and animals.'' When he plays the instrument, the music speaks to the heart of the special girl and tells her more plainly than words that he loves her. Goble's measured prose brings this Santee Dakota myth to life. The lyricism of the romantic story is highlighted by the restraint and dignity of his writing. His familiar painting style is both rich and formal as befits the telling of a myth. The drawings of the flutes introduce a new stylistic element. Drawn in careful detail with pencil and placed vertically on the page, they give a feeling of solid reality, yet since they are different in style and scale, they retain an element of mystery. Page design and layout are admirable. Each double-page spread seems designed as a unit. There is a great deal of white space, yet bits of the landscape or design escape across the center to link the pages. As with his other books, this title celebrates the beauty and richness of Native American legend. A note on sources and historical information on courtship rituals is a welcome plus. --Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KY
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

In love with a beautiful girl, but too shy to tell her, a young man leaves his camp in frustration. One night he receives mystical visitors who offer him a special gift -- a love flute. A gift from the birds and animals, its tells the girl of his love where words have failed.

Customer Reviews

Paul Goble retells the Plains Indian legend of the first courting flute
It has been a while since I have come across a "new" Paul Goble book (meaning one that I have not seen). Usually in one of his illustrated stories taken from the Plains Indian culture you find out the origins of the story and the sources for Goble's attention to detail in his paintings in the back of the book. But for "Love Flute," the explanation comes up front, before the story. This is where we learn that the titular object was the courting flute, used only by men to play love songs, not just when they were courting but to serenade their wives. When a man died, his flute was wrapped with his body. Goble goes into detail regarding the courtship practices (e.g., the young man brings a large blanket so he can wrap himself and the girl he is wooing underneath it and have some relative privacy in the middle of the camp in plain view of everybody).

However, the focus of "Love Flute" is not on such rich details, but rather on telling the story of the first courting flute. As Goble wryly observed, "men have always needed supernatural help to attract, and to keep, the women they love." This particular version of the story of how the love flute was given to the people is based on various myths, but most specifically one from the Santee Dakota. The story is of a shy young man who would rather face enemy warriors in battle or lead the dangerous buffalo hunt than speak to the girl he loved. He knew in his heart that he could never ever tell the young girl all he wanted to say. In despair the young man left the camp one morning and shot an arrow into the air without thinking about what he was doing. To his surprise the air stayed up in the air, pointing in a direction and leading him on at a walking pace. The young man knew that he was being guided by unseen powers and that something wonderful was going to happen (this particular legend is going to make more of an impression on adolescent students rather than the younger ones who would usually be enthralled by a Paul Goble book).

The love flute is the gift of all of the birds and animals, and one of the things Goble does in telling and illustrating this story is to emphasize how the men of the Plains tribes woo women just like the birds and animals. A young man who was courting would be dressed up in his finest clothing, scenting and painting himself, copying the birds and animals. I have always been impressed by Goble's commitment to depicting the clothing and homes of these people, and items such as their flutes, and the fact that he always details his references. At the front of this book he lists the places around the (mostly) Plains states where he found the fifteen different flutes shown (these are pencil and ink drawings that run from the top to the bottom of a page, accompanying the text and colored illustrations, which continue to demonstrate Goble's wonderful stylized interpretation of the artwork of the Plains Indians. Even if you have not seen examples of such historic artwork, you are going to be hooked on what Goble does, which is why it is good that there are so many of his books out there to be enjoyed.

A Tale that Walks in Beauty
An enchanting tale of wonder and love. It is a beautiful story combining the magic of folklore with the magic of alternate forms of communication. Children love it for the magical content. Adults will love it for the sensitive introduction to Native American myth and legend.

Beautiful story
I fell in love with this sweet story the first time I read it for a college project. I said, at the time, I would like to have this story to share with my children one day (once I was married with kids). Well, that day has come and I recently purchased the book to share with my children. My daughter loves the beautiful illustrations and I love the way the story lends itself to a kid-friendly dramatic reading. Plus, we all have learned about a touching Native American legend and shared in their culture. I would certainly recommend this book for children of all ages (possibly starting at age five and older).