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The Mud Family
For the Anasazi, life depends on precious rainfall. But after weeks without rain, the land is drying up and the corn is dying. Soon Sosi's family will have to find a new place to live. Her mother and father are cross and tired as they pack; no one has time for Sosi.
So she runs away, down to the bank of the small pool, and makes a family of mud dolls that dry in the hot sun. Here there is no crying or arguing. The mud father tells his mud daughter, "You are my lark, my lizard. I will weave robes for you and never scold." Sosi makes the mud girl dance for rain.
And the rain does come, bringing Sosi back to the family that needs her most of all.
So she runs away, down to the bank of the small pool, and makes a family of mud dolls that dry in the hot sun. Here there is no crying or arguing. The mud father tells his mud daughter, "You are my lark, my lizard. I will weave robes for you and never scold." Sosi makes the mud girl dance for rain.
And the rain does come, bringing Sosi back to the family that needs her most of all.
- GenresPicture BooksChildrens
Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
12 people want to read
About the author
Betsy James
57 books27 followersAward-winning author-illustrator Betsy James has written and/or illustrated more than a dozen books for children and young adults. She lives in New Mexico where she hikes, grows corn, and shares the shade of a cottonwood tree with one small ground squirrel and several toads.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 25, 2012
The Native American culture is one that has always sparked my interest and that is why I have always loved to hear and read about it. This story about a little girl who gets angry with her family and attempts to replace them with a mud made family is one that kids like her can relate to even today. It shows how similar people now and be then are. Its a great lesson on why family is important and how we should cherish them. When the girl almost drowned she realized that her mud family wasn't her real family because her father saved her as the mud was washed away.
November 17, 2018
Damn. I so wanted to like this book but I just can’t. Moron is an award winning artist and James has written an interesting story but neither of these creators have Pueblo or Anasazi ancestry. I don’t care that Oxford University Press published it. These books need indigenous voices.
February 25, 2010
Like a number of these historical fiction picture books, this story is somewhat vague on some details. For instance it is set in the southwest, but it isn't specified who or where the people depicted live. They are rather generic Pueblo/Anasazi/Hopi people who are suffering through a drought, and the little girl who is pushed aside while the adults worry about it. Personally that last aspect was the most troublesome for me, because it seemed to be projecting a cultural idea onto another culture. The idea that children are too young to do anything is not universal, many cultures have specific roles that children play, and they are involved in distinct ways from the time they are very small.
October 15, 2013
I picked this as my historical fiction book because it not only represents the native american culture but it also emphasizes the value of family. When a drought puts the little girl's family in danger, the parents have no time for her because they're too busy handling the issue. The little girls sees this and gets really upset, she wants to replace them. She ends up running away and making her own, new mud family. Her beliefs are questioned when she's in trouble and her real father is the one that saves her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2012
Add this one to the "You think you have it hard, kid?!?" collection. Sosi is a great character who kids can identify with... in lean times, she gets annoyed with her grumpy family and retreats to her own private play world. But, when push comes to shove, she has been paying attention to traditional ceremonies and does what she can to help bring the much needed rains.
March 8, 2013
* Read when learning about the Native American culture
Discuss the importance of family
-Introduces reality
*Have students write a story about a time they cherished their family
Teach: cause and effect!
- Have students create a cause and effect chart and fill it out with the story of their life
Discuss the importance of family
-Introduces reality
*Have students write a story about a time they cherished their family
Teach: cause and effect!
- Have students create a cause and effect chart and fill it out with the story of their life
October 4, 2008
This is a multicultural book that I found sad at first but it does get better. It provides a peek into the lives of an ancient culture. Children are resilient and have such imagination. Many activities can be develop. Ages: 1st grade-
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews