Free How The Stars Fell Into The Sky: A Navajo Legend (Sandpiper Houghton Mifflin Books) Ebooks Online
This retelling of a Navajo folktale explains how First Woman tried to write the laws of the land using stars in the sky, only to be thwarted by the trickster Coyote.
Lexile Measure: 780L (What's this?)
Series: Sandpiper Houghton Mifflin Books
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers; Sandpiper Houghton Mifflin Books edition (March 3, 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0395779383
ISBN-13: 978-0395779385
Product Dimensions: 0.2 x 8 x 10 inches
Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #48,617 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #39 in Books > Children's Books > Geography & Cultures > Multicultural Stories > Native North & South Americans #54 in Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Multicultural
Age Range: 4 - 7 years
Grade Level: Preschool - 3
I actually purchased this book because I loved the cover art, and the title, "How the Stars Fell into the Sky," intrigued me. The image of the Navajo woman, star in hand, gazing up thoughtfully into the dark, "new" sky really captured and held my attention. I wanted to read this book! :) I also felt that it would be worth sharing and discussing with my students.The illustrations are amazing; they feel warm, soft, and alive--not harsh or garish at all. Each image underscores the emotions and actions of this story of First Woman who wants to communicate laws to her people---present and future--in such away as the laws would always be accessible and always be remembered. She carefully places stars in certain patterns until the impatient, meddling Coyote offers to help--which eventually brings the woman grief and human beings confusion.What's interesting about this story is the dynamic comparison / contrast that occurs with the main characters: First Man, First Woman, and Coyote. The First Man and the Coyote (Man and animal) are both extremely impatient to be getting onto other here and now "Life" activities while the First Woman considers the future, believing that writing the laws is necessary. Writing the laws requires time and careful efforts. It is a sacred duty she takes seriously. Thus, in this tale, the woman is the respectable, responsible, beyond-the-moment person and the dedicated law giver. (Some world legends and myths tend to place women in subservient roles and / or vilify them.) Her only mistake is trusting the Coyote to help her. [Perhaps, this is the warning embedded in the story: beware of "animal instincts," "urges," and haste because they can cause unhappiness, discord, and disorder.
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