The First Strawberries, A Cherokee Story by Joseph Bruchac (Genre : Traditional Literature)

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bruchac, Joseph. 1993. THE FIRST STRAWBERRIES, A CHEROKEE STORY. Ill. by Anna Vojtech. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0803713312

PLOT SUMMARY
Renowned Native American author Joseph Bruchac is retelling a Cherokee pour quoi tale which is also a legend of how strawberries came into the world. The Creator made man and woman who lived happily together. One day the man comes home from hunting and finds his wife picking flowers instead of cooking. The wife feels hurt at his harsh words and walks away in anger. The husband feels sorry for being so harsh but is unable to catch up to his wife. The sun takes pity on the man and shines itself on various berries to stop his wife but she was too angry to see them. So, the sun makes strawberries on the ground to unite the couple. The wife sees the strawberries and stops to pick them up so that she could share them with her husband. The husband catch’s up to her and they lived happily forever.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This is a beautifully illustrated lyrical book which tells a simple pour quoi tale. The story starts with a couple who are happily married until they get into an argument. The wife leaves when she gets hurt by the husband’s harsh words. The sun has been shown to unite them by sending love in the form of strawberries to earth. The story teaches the children about the nature and also has a message about respect and forgiveness.
Anna Vojtech’s watercolor illustrations capture the beauty of the landscape. The grass looks beautiful with the yellow flowers and the red berries. The children can see the close connection between Native Americans and the nature through the illustrations.
The story ends on a happy note. The couple gets reunited and they lived happily ever after.

AWARDS WON/ REVIEW EXCERPT
Publishers Weekly: "Spare text, an uncomplicated story line and gentle illustrations keep this quiet but resonant tale accessible to even the youngest child.”

CONNECTIONS
*Children could be encouraged to talk about anger and forgiveness and how to deal with feelings.
*Children could learn about similarities and differences in cultures by discussing about different cultures.
*A discussion could be initiated with children to find out what they learnt from the story.
*Children could make Cherokee crafts such as a dream-catcher , a necklace or a headdress.
*Related Book : Oughton, Jerrie .1996. HOW THE STARS FELL INTO THE SKY: A NAVAJO LEGEND .Ill. by Lisa Desimini. ISBN 9780395779385