Yudonsi: A Tale From the Canyons

by Robert J. Blake

Marking things as his territory by writing his name on everything he sees, Wild Yusi, known as Yudonsi, feels the wrath of nature when he declares that the canyon belongs to him.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 13, 1999

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd be interested in finding out about the author and his connection to this tale. This tells a story of a young boy coming to terms with the earth and his surroundings, and the importance that they play in giving him what he needs, or they need. He was stubborn and cocky, believing that everyone should know who he is, by tagging his name on all the land. But then he sees that nature responds to his actions. This is a tale of canyon natives.
So eventhough this doesn't look at local native Americans, it does look at another culture which you could use in your class. Or it is also just a cool tale about earth and nature that you could share for the main idea and lesson to be learned.

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm often impressed by authors who illustrate their own books. Robert Blake is no exception. He traveled to the Canyonlands to write this story. I've been there and I think he captured the essence well.

The book reflects timeless Native American traditions and beliefs about how everything is connected. I think the Yusi/Yudonsi was a clever play on words, while expressing a message at the same time.

I also think Yusi's tagging provides a message to a broader audience, even city kids can connect it to their tagging and grafitti.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Native American boy who likes to spray paint his name all over his village doesn't believe the villagers when they tell him that the canyon doesn't like this defacement. The story didn't have an emotional impact on me, though I did very much like the little twist at the end. I think it could have been told better.

[Talbot Hook · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book for teaching predictions, ethics, and connections. Also, the artwork is lovely.