The
First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story
Bruchac, Joseph, & Votjech, Anna. The First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story. New
York: Puffin Books, 1998. ISBN 9780140564099
Summary:
Long ago, man and woman
were made by the Creator in order to ensure that neither the man nor woman were
ever lonesome. For a long time, the two lived happily together until one day
when the man who was very hungry returned from hunting. Upon his return he
expected that the woman had made something for him to eat, but instead he found
her picking flowers and grew angry with her. After his unkind words, the woman
decides that she could no longer continue to live with the man, so she sets out
quickly towards the Sun.
Shortly after the woman
leaves, the man begins to feel guilty and sets out to catch up with her.
Because she walks so quickly, the man is unable to keep up with her. Watching
from above, the Sun realizes how remorseful the man feels and decides to help
the man find his wife. In order to help the man, the Sun shines down on the
ground in front of the woman.
There on the ground where
the light shines grew beautiful raspberries. The woman pays no attention to the
berries and continues on her journey. Realizing that the woman is not stopping,
the Sun shines down again and this time blueberries grow in the light. Again,
the woman pays no attention. For a third
time, the Sun shines and blackberries grow in the Earth. They were plump and
dark berries, but because the woman was hurt so deeply, she again pays no
attention. As a final attempt, the Sun shines down right in front of the woman
and strawberries appear in front of the woman’s feet. The berries appear like
fire in the grass, and the woman finally stops.
As she knelt down to enjoy
the delicious strawberries, she was reminded of the sweetness and happiness
that she and her husband had together. She decides to gather some berries to take
to her husband. While she is picking and enjoying the berries, her husband
catches up with her. The husband apologizes for his unkind words, and the wife
shares the sweet strawberries with her him. This is the Cherokee story of how
strawberries came to be. Strawberries remind the Cherokee people to be sweet
and kind to others.
Analysis:
Joseph Bruchac’s retelling
and words carry sweetly through this story. The text structure is straightforward
and to the point, just as many folk and traditional tales can be. There isn’t
an overabundance of text, which also allows the reader to use the illustrations
to tell the tale, too. Initially time seems to move quickly, in order to
provide the reader with a quick background about the creation of the man and
woman and allow more development for the creation of the strawberries.
Each page leaves the
reader at a minor turning point allowing the reader time to think and wonder
about what will happen next in the story. As the woman travels toward the Sun
the traditional Native American symbol/use of four is depicted in the four
types of berries – raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries.
The message in this retelling is sweet like the strawberries – we should always
be kind to each other, and friendship and respect are sweet blessings.
Bruchac provides a brief
history of the tale of the first strawberries in the author’s note. He explains
that he had heard the tale sometime ago from Cherokee elders. The first time
the story was put down on paper was in 1900 by James Mooney. He thanks several
Cherokee storytellers for helping him to best “understand the story well enough
to tell it.” This author’s note emulates the beauty of traditional literature
and the important role storytelling has taken in history.
Anna Vojtech provided the
illustrations for The First Strawberries.
Her style and preferred media are a combination of pencils and watercolors. All
of her illustrations appear very soft, which help carry out the theme of
sweetness and delicacy in this tale. The foreground of the illustrations
contains important details that complement the story with vivid images of the
man, woman, and berry plants, while the background provides a soft picturesque
backdrop. The colors of dawn, daylight, dusk, and night vividly carry the
reader through the story and across the pages. Vojtech’s illustrations for the
most part cover the whole page, unless there is a particular element she draws
your focus towards. Those images are set apart and boxed in. The text is
typically placed on top of the background of the illustrations helping make the
text and illustrations cohesive.
Awards and Review Excerpts:
From Booklist: “Celebrates the natural world simplified, softened, and
sunlit. A delectable choice for reading aloud.”
From Publisher’s Weekly: “Bruchac (Keepers
of the Earth; Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back) once again brings
simplicity and lyricism to his interpretation of Native American legend.”
From Publisher’s Weekly: “Vojtech's soft, luminous watercolors conjure
up an unspoiled landscape bathed in sunlight--visual reinforcement of the idea
that the earth and its wonders are indeed gifts.”
From Children’s Literature: “This captivating Cherokee tale explains the
creation of strawberries.” ~ Debra
Briatico
From
Children’s Literature: “Complemented by Vojtech's luminous watercolors,
this is a wonderful tale of friendship and respect.” ~ Marilyn Courtot
Connections:
Conduct a reteller’s study
of Joseph Bruchac and collect and share his other words, such as:
- Thirteen Moon’s on
Turtle’s Back ISBN 9780698115842
- The Earth Under Sky Bear’s
Feet ISBN
9780698116474
- Between Earth and Sky:
Legends of Native American Sacred Places ISBN
9780152020620
- Turtle’s Race with Beaver ISBN 9780142404669
Learn more about Joseph Bruchac through
various biographical sources, including:
Research and invite a Native American
storyteller to share a tale or legend with the class or library.
Find other tales about the creation of
fruits or vegetables. Try the different fruits or vegetables and talk about the
connection between the taste of the food and the teaching from the story. For
example, the strawberry is sweet to remind us to be kind and that friendship is
sweet.
- The
Story of the Pumpkin: A Traditional Tale from Bhutan by Hari Tawari ISBN 9780615653792
Create food creation stories and allow
students to create a story about their favorite fruit or vegetable. Be sure to
include the traditional elements of a Native American tale, include the
symbolism of the number four.
*cover image borrowed from www.amazon.com and strawberries from www.avojtech.com
Another tasty tale to add to your reading
diet!
~ Mandy :)
