Picture 1 of 1

Stock photo

Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest - Picture 1 of 1

Raven : A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest by Gerald McDermott (1993, Hardcover)

5.01 product rating

Banana Books 24 (42)

97.7% positive Feedback

Price:

US $24.11

Approximately£18.00

+ $18.64 postage

Estimated delivery Tue, 3 Jun - Mon, 16 Jun

Returns:

30 days return. Buyer pays for return postage. If you use an eBay delivery label, it will be deducted from your refund amount.

Condition:

New

A 1994 Caldecott Honor Book Raven, the Native American trickster, feels sorry for those who must live in darkness, and he decides to help. He flies over mountains, valleys, and lakes and discovers that light is being kept hidden inside the house of the Sky Chief. Using his cleverness, Raven finds a way to bring light to the world. “The physical environment, oral literature, and traditional life of the Pacific Coast Indians come alive in this amusing and well-conceived picture book.”--School Library Journal

About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherHoughton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

ISBN-100152656618

ISBN-139780152656614

eBay Product ID (ePID)54608

Product Key Features

Book TitleRaven : a Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest

Number of Pages32 Pages

LanguageEnglish

TopicFairy Tales & Folklore / Country & Ethnic, Folklore & Mythology

Publication Year1993

IllustratorYes

GenreJuvenile Fiction, Social Science

AuthorGerald Mcdermott

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height0.3 in

Item Weight15.2 Oz

Item Length9 in

Item Width11 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceJuvenile Audience

LCCN91-014563

Dewey Edition20

Reviews"A fast-paced, heartwarming adventure." Kirkus Reviews "Those who look to fantasy for well-imagined situations and settings will find an ample supply in this one." Booklist, ALA, star Amusing and well-conceived.- School Library Journal (starred review) star Elegant...masterfully executed.- Publishers Weekly (starred review) Mr. McDermott is not only a picture-book artist of the first rank, but also one of our most gifted retellers of myth and folk tale.- The New York Times Book Review, McDermott's crisply elegant version of a traditional Native American tale resounds with lyrical prose and the stylization of myth. The illustrations, in striking contrasts, echo the central theme of the birth of the sun by visually leading readers from darkness into light--McDermott adroitly juxtaposes a blurred backdrop of mist-drenched landscape against the sharp, bright colors of Raven himself and the glowing interior of the Sky Chief's domicile. Raven's sadness at seeing men and women living "in the dark and cold," without the warmth of the sun leads him to search out light. The trickster sets his plan in motion by being reborn as son to the Sky Chief's daughter. The doting grandfather, wanting the boy to be happy, commands that Raven-child be given an effulgent ball that he discovers in a shimmering box. With this orb--the sun--firmly in his grasp, the cunning creature changes back into a bird and soars off; whereupon "Raven threw the sun high in the sky, and it stayed there." With this masterfully executed reworking, McDermott adds to the folktale bookshelf a work in the grand tradition. Ages 4-8., 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

Grade FromPreschool

Dewey Decimal398.2/089970795

Grade ToThird Grade

SynopsisA 1994 Caldecott Honor Book Raven, the Native American trickster, feels sorry for those who must live in darkness, and he decides to help. He flies over mountains, valleys, and lakes and discovers that light is being kept hidden inside the house of the Sky Chief. Using his cleverness, Raven finds a way to bring light to the world. "The physical environment, oral literature, and traditional life of the Pacific Coast Indians come alive in this amusing and well-conceived picture book."-- School Library Journal, Raven, the Native American trickster, feels sorry for those who must live in darkness, and he decides to help. He flies over mountains, valleys, and lakes and discovers that light is being kept hidden inside the house of the Sky Chief. Using his cleverness, Raven finds a way to bring light to the world. "The physical environment, oral literature, and traditional life of the Pacific Coast Indians come alive in this amusing and well-conceived picture book."-- School Library Journal

LC Classification NumberE99.N77M33 1993