Bibliography
Bruchac, Joseph. The First
Strawberries: A Cherokee Story. Ill. by Anna Vojtech. New York: Dial Books
for Young Readers, 1993.
ISBN
0803713320
Plot
Summary
In this Native American folktale, “The
First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story,” spoken by the Cherokee people and retold
by Joseph Bruchac and illustrated by Anna Vojtech, a husband speaks harshly to his wife. The wife feels wounded and decides to leave. Realizing his mistake, the husband goes after
his wife, but to no avail; he can’t catch up to her. The sun, sympathetic to the husband’s plight,
tries to help reunite the couple. Using
his light, the sun attempts to slow the wife down by helping to grow delicious,
tempting berries. Will the husband catch
up in time? Would the wife forgive him
if he did? What will the berries
symbolize in the story when telling it to others?
Critical
Analysis
“The First Strawberries” is a Native
American folktale retold by Joseph Bruchac and illustrated by Anna Vojtech. It is a simple and timeless expression of
relationships meant for sharing the values of apology and forgiveness involving
misinterpreted actions.
The plot is simple yet speaks to
children because life at home may sometimes become tense and strained. Motives and actions can be misconstrued and
result in conflict, either silent or noisy. Since children are sensitive to justice issues,
they will pick up on the misjudgment between the husband and wife, especially
when the wife responds to angry words in kind and turns her back to leave. Children do that, too.
The setting is the simple, rural
environment of the Native American. It
is not a moving force for the plot; it simply provides the context for the
characters. The wife is strong character
who acts upon the perceived injustice, however misguided it is. The husband is strong in his way also in that
he immediately tells the Sun that he was “foolish to speak angry words.” He shows not only strength, but a heart that
doesn’t believe his mouth.
The motif of “threes” is familiar to
children. Bruchac highlights the Sun’s efforts
by citing the raspberries, the blueberries, and the blackberries, none of which
catch the wife’s attention.
Strawberries, the Sun’s “hardest” effort, stops her in her tracks. “They glowed like fire in the grass,” a
phrase used to symbolize the anger which will dissolve into sweetness and
forgiveness when picked and eaten.
The simplicity of the tale hides
profound meaning which can be stirred in children by the watercolors Vojtech
contribute to the tale. The mood of the
soft watercolors invites the reader to anticipate all will go well with the
husband and wife’s relationship. Even as
the wife walks away, she goes toward the soft yellow light of the Sun in the
upper right corner of the page. The Sun,
as a representation of the light of reconciliation, plays the role of solution-provider,
thus the creation of the strawberry and the tale.
The use of jagged line in the softly
executed pictures symbolizes the hurt feelings and strained relationship. The jagged leaf edges, hair, and tunic
fringes remain in almost every illustration and until the couple is shown
together holding the strawberries in their hands. The illustrations are also culturally
authentic in their portrayal of Cherokee appearance.
Vardell mentions that “. . . we look
for thematic value, for meaningfulness, for satisfying closure, and we’re leery
of messages that moralize or over power the story itself” (60). Bruchac has retold this folktale without a
hint of didacticism. He has presented a
values lesson with sensitivity and creativity.
Review
Excerpt(s)
1993 New York Times Outstanding Children's Book of the Year
"Spare
text, an uncomplicated story line and gentle illustrations keep this quiet but
resonant tale accessible to even the youngest child." – PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
“Complete harmony of text and pictures:
altogether lovely.” –KIRKUS REVIEWS
Connections
·
Acts of kindness. Pay It Forward Week. Children try to be kind to a pre-determined
number of people and not be discovered in doing their kindnesses. Example: pick up their rooms or do something
without being asked. At the end of the
week, ask the children to write about their experiences.
·
Read other tales in which forces of
nature, such as the wind or the trees, are main characters. Children are more familiar with animals being
like people, than nature. One that is
especially moving is the traditional folktale retold by Angela Elwell Hunt and
illustrated by Tim Jonke, “The Tale of Three Trees.” It is in the category of religious stories
and tells the Christian salvation story in terms of anthropormorphic trees.
Sources
Vardell, Sylvia M. Children's Literature in
Action: A Librarian's Guide, Second ed. (Santa Barbara: Libraries
Unlimited, 2014). 60.
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