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The First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story
A quarrel between the first man and the first woman is reconciled when the Sun causes strawberries to grow out of the earth
Library Binding
First published September 6, 1993
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About the author
Joseph Bruchac
279 books597 followersJoseph Bruchac lives with his wife, Carol, in the Adirondack mountain foothills town of Greenfield Center, New York, in the same house where his maternal grandparents raised him. Much of his writing draws on that land and his Abenaki ancestry. Although his American Indian heritage is only one part of an ethnic background that includes Slovak and English blood, those Native roots are the ones by which he has been most nourished. He, his younger sister Margaret, and his two grown sons, James and Jesse, continue to work extensively in projects involving the preservation of Abenaki culture, language and traditional Native skills, including performing traditional and contemporary Abenaki music with the Dawnland Singers.
He holds a B.A. from Cornell University, an M.A. in Literature and Creative Writing from Syracuse and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the Union Institute of Ohio. His work as a educator includes eight years of directing a college program for Skidmore College inside a maximum security prison. With his wife, Carol, he is the founder and Co-Director of the Greenfield Review Literary Center and The Greenfield Review Press. He has edited a number of highly praised anthologies of contemporary poetry and fiction, including Songs from this Earth on Turtle's Back, Breaking Silence (winner of an American Book Award) and Returning the Gift. His poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from American Poetry Review, Cricket and Aboriginal Voices to National Geographic, Parabola and Smithsonian Magazine. He has authored more than 70 books for adults and children, including The First Strawberries, Keepers of the Earth (co-authored with Michael Caduto), Tell Me a Tale, When the Chenoo Howls (co-authored with his son, James), his autobiography Bowman's Store and such novels as Dawn Land, The Waters Between, Arrow Over the Door and The Heart of a Chief. Forthcoming titles include Squanto's Journey (Harcourt), a picture book, Sacajawea (Harcourt), an historical novel, Crazy Horse's Vision (Lee & Low), a picture book, and Pushing Up The Sky (Dial), a collection of plays for children. His honors include a Rockefeller Humanities fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Writing Fellowship for Poetry, the Cherokee Nation Prose Award, the Knickerbocker Award, the Hope S. Dean Award for Notable Achievement in Children's Literature and both the 1998 Writer of the Year Award and the 1998 Storyteller of the Year Award from the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers. In 1999, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas.
As a professional teller of the traditional tales of the Adirondacks and the Native peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Joe Bruchac has performed widely in Europe and throughout the United States from Florida to Hawaii and has been featured at such events as the British Storytelling Festival and the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, Tennessee. He has been a storyteller-in-residence for Native American organizations and schools throughout the continent, including the Institute of Alaska Native Arts and the Onondaga Nation School. He discusses Native culture and his books and does storytelling programs at dozens of elementary and secondary schools each year as a visiting author.
He holds a B.A. from Cornell University, an M.A. in Literature and Creative Writing from Syracuse and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the Union Institute of Ohio. His work as a educator includes eight years of directing a college program for Skidmore College inside a maximum security prison. With his wife, Carol, he is the founder and Co-Director of the Greenfield Review Literary Center and The Greenfield Review Press. He has edited a number of highly praised anthologies of contemporary poetry and fiction, including Songs from this Earth on Turtle's Back, Breaking Silence (winner of an American Book Award) and Returning the Gift. His poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from American Poetry Review, Cricket and Aboriginal Voices to National Geographic, Parabola and Smithsonian Magazine. He has authored more than 70 books for adults and children, including The First Strawberries, Keepers of the Earth (co-authored with Michael Caduto), Tell Me a Tale, When the Chenoo Howls (co-authored with his son, James), his autobiography Bowman's Store and such novels as Dawn Land, The Waters Between, Arrow Over the Door and The Heart of a Chief. Forthcoming titles include Squanto's Journey (Harcourt), a picture book, Sacajawea (Harcourt), an historical novel, Crazy Horse's Vision (Lee & Low), a picture book, and Pushing Up The Sky (Dial), a collection of plays for children. His honors include a Rockefeller Humanities fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Writing Fellowship for Poetry, the Cherokee Nation Prose Award, the Knickerbocker Award, the Hope S. Dean Award for Notable Achievement in Children's Literature and both the 1998 Writer of the Year Award and the 1998 Storyteller of the Year Award from the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers. In 1999, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas.
As a professional teller of the traditional tales of the Adirondacks and the Native peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Joe Bruchac has performed widely in Europe and throughout the United States from Florida to Hawaii and has been featured at such events as the British Storytelling Festival and the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, Tennessee. He has been a storyteller-in-residence for Native American organizations and schools throughout the continent, including the Institute of Alaska Native Arts and the Onondaga Nation School. He discusses Native culture and his books and does storytelling programs at dozens of elementary and secondary schools each year as a visiting author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 458 reviews
January 24, 2021
"To this day, when the Cherokee people eat strawberries, they are reminded to always be kind to each other; to remember that friendship and respect are as sweet as the taste of ripe, red berries."
This Cherokee legend is so heartwarming and simple for children to understand. Pair it with the absolutely gorgeous illustrations by Anna Vojtech, and it is exactly the kind of children's book every family should have in their collection.
Peace on earth? Be excellent to each other, you guys. It's really that easy.
This Cherokee legend is so heartwarming and simple for children to understand. Pair it with the absolutely gorgeous illustrations by Anna Vojtech, and it is exactly the kind of children's book every family should have in their collection.
Peace on earth? Be excellent to each other, you guys. It's really that easy.
August 6, 2010
“The First Strawberries” is a Cherokee story retold by Joseph Bruchac along with gorgeous illustrations by Anna Vojtech and it is about how a man and a woman got into a fight and the woman ended up leaving the man and it is up to the sun to help get the couple back together. “The First Strawberries” is a truly heartwarming story about true love that children will enjoy for many years!
Joseph Bruchac has done a wonderful job at retelling this Cherokee story about true love. Joseph Bruchac makes both the man and the woman sympathetic characters as they go through the trials of quarreling as a couple and readers will feel sympathy for the couple as they get angry at each other, but they felt sorry for each other for arguing and they try to make things right again. Joseph Bruchac has also done a great job at detailing the power of love and how love can overcome any tough trials that comes from a relationship or from life in general. Anna Vojtech’s illustrations are beautiful and fluid as both the man and the woman have long and shiny black hair and have beautiful looking dark eyes. Also, the images of the field that the man and the woman walk through throughout the book are colorful and beautiful as there are various hills in the background and the ground is covered in grass with various flowers and fruits sticking out of the ground.
“The First Strawberries” is a wonderful tale about the importance of true love and will be a pure enjoyment for children who love romance and Native American folktales. I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book for smaller children.
Joseph Bruchac has done a wonderful job at retelling this Cherokee story about true love. Joseph Bruchac makes both the man and the woman sympathetic characters as they go through the trials of quarreling as a couple and readers will feel sympathy for the couple as they get angry at each other, but they felt sorry for each other for arguing and they try to make things right again. Joseph Bruchac has also done a great job at detailing the power of love and how love can overcome any tough trials that comes from a relationship or from life in general. Anna Vojtech’s illustrations are beautiful and fluid as both the man and the woman have long and shiny black hair and have beautiful looking dark eyes. Also, the images of the field that the man and the woman walk through throughout the book are colorful and beautiful as there are various hills in the background and the ground is covered in grass with various flowers and fruits sticking out of the ground.
“The First Strawberries” is a wonderful tale about the importance of true love and will be a pure enjoyment for children who love romance and Native American folktales. I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book for smaller children.
August 11, 2010
This was a Children's Picture Book Club read and I am so glad to have read it. The First Strawberries was a very enjoyable read. I loved the pictures. I could see nature reaching right out at me and almost felt like I could pick those berries. The story tells the truth about relationships. We don't always live in complete bliss. I think it is important for children to read about that sometimes. I also like that the couple makes up and children can learn that aspect of a relationship. I do not think I personally would have made it past all the berries. I would have stopped at the blueberries! This book definitely made me want a fresh fruit salad.
March 28, 2010
This is a lovely Cherokee folktale; I enjoyed it much more than I’d anticipated, especially since I don’t always appreciate creation stories. I do often like Native American folktales though. (I did just notice another book that appears to tell a version of this story so I would guess that this is a traditional folktale.)
The illustrations are lush and beautiful, and the berries, especially the strawberries, look delicious. These are perfect watercolor paintings because without them the story wouldn’t have been all that interesting to me; they really enhanced the experience of the story!
The tale is one I liked more & more as I read on. By the end, I felt great appreciation for its message, which is “to always be kind to each other; to remember that friendship and respect are as sweet as the taste of ripe, red berries.” I could imagine this being told in the oral tradition and enjoying being part of a group, either as a listener or storyteller.
While, unlike the woman of the story, I doubt I’d have passed by on the first three varieties of berries created, strawberries are my favorite of the four berries mentioned, so as a strawberry lover I found it fun to read a folktale version about how they were first created.
The illustrations are lush and beautiful, and the berries, especially the strawberries, look delicious. These are perfect watercolor paintings because without them the story wouldn’t have been all that interesting to me; they really enhanced the experience of the story!
The tale is one I liked more & more as I read on. By the end, I felt great appreciation for its message, which is “to always be kind to each other; to remember that friendship and respect are as sweet as the taste of ripe, red berries.” I could imagine this being told in the oral tradition and enjoying being part of a group, either as a listener or storyteller.
While, unlike the woman of the story, I doubt I’d have passed by on the first three varieties of berries created, strawberries are my favorite of the four berries mentioned, so as a strawberry lover I found it fun to read a folktale version about how they were first created.
May 18, 2019
If you've ever wondered just how strawberries first came into the world, then look no further. In this gentle retelling of a Cherokee folktale, the sun resolves a quarrel between husband and wife by creating a series of delicious berries, culminating with a lovely fruit that looks like red fire in the grass. Bruchac's narrative, when paired with Anna Vojtech's serene watercolors, should please folktale enthusiasts young and old, even the ones (like me) who secretly prefer raspberries...
September 8, 2010
If it had been up to me it would have been "First Raspberries" because raspberries are my favorite and more "rare" than strawberries. :) But this was a very nice Native American folk tale with beautiful illustrations.
March 28, 2016
The First Strawberries was a dull story my eyes. The story is about a man and a women. The man goes and hunts and when he gets back he expects his women to be preparing their meal. Except for this time when he gets back from he sees her picking flowers. He approaches her angrily and he can not eat these flowers. The women was picking the flowers for her man and after hearing his words she decides to leave him. The man chases the women but the women is angry and much faster then him. The husband does not want to lose her but can not catch up. The sun talks to the man and tries to help him.
Towards the end of the book they talk about the native americans are always reminded when they see strawberries that relationships are so sweet and that we should cherish them. I could not tell if this was the main theme because of the way the story was set up. I originally thought it was that he should have been more thankful for the women's thoughtfulness or that a women is very hard to reach when they are angry. As for the setting it appears that they are in a meadow type land where it is grassy and many plants can thrive. I thought the main characters were boring. The man said one sentence to the women and she was prepared to leave him forever. The only conversations there were was two short conversations between the man and women as well as one short conversation between the man and the sun.
Towards the end of the book they talk about the native americans are always reminded when they see strawberries that relationships are so sweet and that we should cherish them. I could not tell if this was the main theme because of the way the story was set up. I originally thought it was that he should have been more thankful for the women's thoughtfulness or that a women is very hard to reach when they are angry. As for the setting it appears that they are in a meadow type land where it is grassy and many plants can thrive. I thought the main characters were boring. The man said one sentence to the women and she was prepared to leave him forever. The only conversations there were was two short conversations between the man and women as well as one short conversation between the man and the sun.
October 24, 2016
The First Strawberries by Joseph Bruchac is an interesting tale of a man and his wife. Children will find this book extremely entertaining and easy to read. The story begins with a man and a woman, alone in the world and married. One day, the husband finds his wife picking flowers instead of cooking their meal. He becomes angry to which she does as well. She leaves him behind, to quick for him to follow. The sun decides to help the man reunite with his wife by shining a light on different fruit.
Bruchac begins the story with the phrase, "long ago..." This story is from the past, before more people were created. This ties into the end of the story when the tale of the husband and wife lives on through the Cherokee people who cherish kindness as they would berries. The setting is a beautiful place as illustrated by the pictures. The pair are able to live and survive by themselves. The characters in this story are not described that far into detail; we know very little about them yet the readers are still engaged. The theme of this story is to be kind and cherish friendships. The Cherokee people keep the legend of the husband and wife alive. The motif in this story is the element of the theme. The husband became angry at the wife, but he was forgiven by the sun and was given aid.
Bruchac begins the story with the phrase, "long ago..." This story is from the past, before more people were created. This ties into the end of the story when the tale of the husband and wife lives on through the Cherokee people who cherish kindness as they would berries. The setting is a beautiful place as illustrated by the pictures. The pair are able to live and survive by themselves. The characters in this story are not described that far into detail; we know very little about them yet the readers are still engaged. The theme of this story is to be kind and cherish friendships. The Cherokee people keep the legend of the husband and wife alive. The motif in this story is the element of the theme. The husband became angry at the wife, but he was forgiven by the sun and was given aid.
March 28, 2016
The native folktale, The First Strawberries, is about the power of friendship. It started out by introducing the one man and only women in the whole world, they were married and were happy and in love. One day the husband went out for a long day and returned hungry. He was surprised to find his wife picking flowers instead if making dinner for the two of them. The husband lashed out on her. Hurt by his words, she ran away from him. Immediately he regretted his actions towards his wife and tried to chase after her, but she was too fast. The sun told the man he would help by slowing her down. The sun did just that by giving her something that reminded her of how sweet her marriage is.
The setting of this story is a big isolated grassy area where the main characters only have each other. This causes them to miss each other easily and regret they treated each other. The author portrayed the two main characters as very forgiving people. The author did this so the reader would look up to them as role models and do the same. The illustrations were very calming colors of green and blue.
The setting of this story is a big isolated grassy area where the main characters only have each other. This causes them to miss each other easily and regret they treated each other. The author portrayed the two main characters as very forgiving people. The author did this so the reader would look up to them as role models and do the same. The illustrations were very calming colors of green and blue.
August 7, 2015
The reason I didn't like this book was because I thought that the reason for the argument was flawed. Had they had any other argument this book would have been good. However, the argument was as follows; the husband returned home from hunting to find his wife picking flowers instead of having dinner made so he gets angry. My question is this, how on earth would the wife have even been able to make dinner before the husband came home with the meat? Since he was out hunting they have obviously run out of their previous supply of meat and so have none at home to make dinner with. I suppose I shouldn't be so nit-picky with the details and just focus on the message of the story but it does make me slightly annoyed when botched story-lines ruin the conveying of a message.
June 15, 2017
A real sweet story of a couple who married, but when the husband came home from hunting, his wife was not ready to have his food ready, and she retaliated by leaving him. As she kept walking until the sun shined on some strawberries right by her feet. She stopped and tried one, and loved the sweetness so much, when her husband came, she shared them with him. A real nice and short story from the Cherokee tradition.
December 9, 2018
Loved this one. A retelling of a Cherokee tale, I laughed as I read some other reviews for this complaining that it wasn’t realistic and the details were inconsistent. Because the garden of eden and a talking snake make so much sense. I found this gorgeously illustrated and realistic in the sense that a man comes home, is annoyed dinner isn’t ready, acts like a jerk, wife storms off because she isn’t having that nonsense, and they both cool down and make up when he figures out he was an ass.
September 7, 2017
It's so surprising they have a story like Adam and Eve.
When the world was new, the Creator made a man and woman, so they wouldn't be lonely.
I think it's sweet that when she said wouldn't live with him anymore, she walks west toward the sun& he follows her.
It's sort of unrealistic how she'd be walking faster than a warrior.
I like how the Sun watched the husband following her, and saw how sorry he was. He says he can't catch his wife to tell her he's sorry, and the Sun says it'll help.
I didn't know the Sun would help in this way. It shines down in front of her and raspberries grow. Then blueberries and blackberries. She passes them all.
The sun tried it's hardest and shone its light down in the grass right in front of the woman, and strawberries appeared, that glowed like fire in the grass.
Its sort of odd that she'd pass three fruits, then stop for the strawberries, when raspberries are also red.
She tastes them and wants to pick some for her husband.
It said 'she was still picking them when the man caught up to her.' It should have said 'her husband.' Man makes him sound like a stranger.
He apologizes and she answers by giving him some strawberries. I wish they had actually talked.
'So it was that strawberries came into the world.' I didn't think this would be how strawberries came into the world at all.
'To this day, when the Cherokee eat strawberries they're reminded to always be kind to each other; to remember that friendship and respect are as sweet as the taste of ripe, red berries.' It's nice to tie in modern Cherokee into the story, and what this story means to them.
I like the last page with the village down below and the Cherokee on the hill. Very quaint-looking.
This was just ok, not as good as I was expecting it to be. I love Native American legends, and after being in Cherokee for the eclipse, and hearing some of their legends, I was in the mood to read more of them.
I deliberately didn’t read the description, because I didn’t want to know the legend before I read the story.
I feel bad for saying this, because I love their legends, but this one just wasn’t that great. I was disappointed with this. Maybe it was because there wasn’t much of a story. Some pages didn’t even have words on them. The drawings were the best thing about the book, but it was that artwork that sometimes had the character’s faces annoyingly hidden.
I feel like there could have been more words, and more of a story. Also, the legend didn’t make sense for me. I was questioning why she walked past the raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries, but finally noticed the strawberries because they looked firey red. But wouldn’t the raspberries also? Did she just notice the strawberries because the sun put them directly in her path, and maybe the others were more to the side?
I don’t think kids would overthink this as much as I am, and simply take it at face value, which is the intended audience.
Also, I didn’t think this during it, but after reading other’s reviews, I realized that the fight wasn’t even a fight. He’s just mad that she isn’t cooking supper, and she says she won’t live with him any longer, which is really dramatic after he only said one line. They didn’t even have a real argument. It would have been better if they had argued back& forth and then she decides to leave him. The regret the husband felt was instantaneous. He followed her immediately after she left. It would have made more sense if he had had time to feel regret, maybe a night without her, to miss her and realize he was wrong. That would also work better with him not being able to keep up with her. Angry women can probably book it, but it didn’t ring true that a hunter couldn’t catch up to his wife. If he felt regret that easily and quickly, it’s a wonder he said it in the first place.
When she stops for the strawberries, he apologizes, and she doesn’t even say anything, just gives him some strawberries. They should have talked it out, with him realizing he’s learned his lesson and it won’t happen again, and her not acting so rashly in the future. Otherwise, as quickly and easily resolved as this ‘fight’ was, it makes me think it can happen again. What exactly made their lesson stick?
Reading back over the last line: 'to remember that friendship and respect are as sweet as the taste of ripe, red berries' I realized I'm missing the lesson on respect and friendship. This was a story of a husband and wife, so it wasn't really about friendship. They could have wrapped up with modern-day Cherokee friends sharing strawberries or something to represent friendship. And how was it on respect? He did regret his words to his wife, and he apologized, but it's not like the story said he realized he didn't respect her enough. And her not responding and talking it out, and just handing him strawberries doesn't show how she deserved respect. It really shows that fights can spring up out of nowhere, things can get really dramatic and rash, and then can be quickly resolved with no real communication.
I know I've gotten way into this, but this story was lacking for me, and I couldn't help noticing what was missing, and what didn't really add up.
Again, this would be more for young children who won't really question things, although maybe some especially sharp kids would question it.
When the world was new, the Creator made a man and woman, so they wouldn't be lonely.
I think it's sweet that when she said wouldn't live with him anymore, she walks west toward the sun& he follows her.
It's sort of unrealistic how she'd be walking faster than a warrior.
I like how the Sun watched the husband following her, and saw how sorry he was. He says he can't catch his wife to tell her he's sorry, and the Sun says it'll help.
I didn't know the Sun would help in this way. It shines down in front of her and raspberries grow. Then blueberries and blackberries. She passes them all.
The sun tried it's hardest and shone its light down in the grass right in front of the woman, and strawberries appeared, that glowed like fire in the grass.
Its sort of odd that she'd pass three fruits, then stop for the strawberries, when raspberries are also red.
She tastes them and wants to pick some for her husband.
It said 'she was still picking them when the man caught up to her.' It should have said 'her husband.' Man makes him sound like a stranger.
He apologizes and she answers by giving him some strawberries. I wish they had actually talked.
'So it was that strawberries came into the world.' I didn't think this would be how strawberries came into the world at all.
'To this day, when the Cherokee eat strawberries they're reminded to always be kind to each other; to remember that friendship and respect are as sweet as the taste of ripe, red berries.' It's nice to tie in modern Cherokee into the story, and what this story means to them.
I like the last page with the village down below and the Cherokee on the hill. Very quaint-looking.
This was just ok, not as good as I was expecting it to be. I love Native American legends, and after being in Cherokee for the eclipse, and hearing some of their legends, I was in the mood to read more of them.
I deliberately didn’t read the description, because I didn’t want to know the legend before I read the story.
I feel bad for saying this, because I love their legends, but this one just wasn’t that great. I was disappointed with this. Maybe it was because there wasn’t much of a story. Some pages didn’t even have words on them. The drawings were the best thing about the book, but it was that artwork that sometimes had the character’s faces annoyingly hidden.
I feel like there could have been more words, and more of a story. Also, the legend didn’t make sense for me. I was questioning why she walked past the raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries, but finally noticed the strawberries because they looked firey red. But wouldn’t the raspberries also? Did she just notice the strawberries because the sun put them directly in her path, and maybe the others were more to the side?
I don’t think kids would overthink this as much as I am, and simply take it at face value, which is the intended audience.
Also, I didn’t think this during it, but after reading other’s reviews, I realized that the fight wasn’t even a fight. He’s just mad that she isn’t cooking supper, and she says she won’t live with him any longer, which is really dramatic after he only said one line. They didn’t even have a real argument. It would have been better if they had argued back& forth and then she decides to leave him. The regret the husband felt was instantaneous. He followed her immediately after she left. It would have made more sense if he had had time to feel regret, maybe a night without her, to miss her and realize he was wrong. That would also work better with him not being able to keep up with her. Angry women can probably book it, but it didn’t ring true that a hunter couldn’t catch up to his wife. If he felt regret that easily and quickly, it’s a wonder he said it in the first place.
When she stops for the strawberries, he apologizes, and she doesn’t even say anything, just gives him some strawberries. They should have talked it out, with him realizing he’s learned his lesson and it won’t happen again, and her not acting so rashly in the future. Otherwise, as quickly and easily resolved as this ‘fight’ was, it makes me think it can happen again. What exactly made their lesson stick?
Reading back over the last line: 'to remember that friendship and respect are as sweet as the taste of ripe, red berries' I realized I'm missing the lesson on respect and friendship. This was a story of a husband and wife, so it wasn't really about friendship. They could have wrapped up with modern-day Cherokee friends sharing strawberries or something to represent friendship. And how was it on respect? He did regret his words to his wife, and he apologized, but it's not like the story said he realized he didn't respect her enough. And her not responding and talking it out, and just handing him strawberries doesn't show how she deserved respect. It really shows that fights can spring up out of nowhere, things can get really dramatic and rash, and then can be quickly resolved with no real communication.
I know I've gotten way into this, but this story was lacking for me, and I couldn't help noticing what was missing, and what didn't really add up.
Again, this would be more for young children who won't really question things, although maybe some especially sharp kids would question it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2019
Confession: I can identify with this story probably too much. Woman becomes angry with the rudeness of her husband. We had a great short discussion with this American Indian folktale.
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February 17, 2020One observation: This book would work well with older ages, from 4-6th grade.
One connection: This story inspires children to talk out there problems and seek help if needed.
One question: Why did the author use fruit? What was the symbolism?
One surprise: The "sun" helping the man get back to his woman.
My personal opinion: This book was such a beautiful read. The story was easy enough to follow but also had surprises mixed in here and there. I would recommend it to anyone!
One connection: This story inspires children to talk out there problems and seek help if needed.
One question: Why did the author use fruit? What was the symbolism?
One surprise: The "sun" helping the man get back to his woman.
My personal opinion: This book was such a beautiful read. The story was easy enough to follow but also had surprises mixed in here and there. I would recommend it to anyone!
April 18, 2022
The First Strawberries by Joseph Bruchac and illustrated by Anna Vojtech is a folklore book that takes a look at an old Cherokee legend about how strawberries came about in our world. In this book, we learn about the legend of the first strawberries in which a man and a woman were quarrelling back and forth after the man goes off and hunts and comes back to the woman whom he expects to be fixing their meal, instead is picking flowers. When the woman talks about picking the flowers for him, she ultimately decides to leave him because he does not appreciate the gesture. Ultimately, when the man tries to chase after the woman, he is not able to catch up to her and the sun steps in to help the man by sending tempting berries down to Earth in order to slow down the woman so that the man and woman may reconnect and work on fixing and building on their relationship.
I would recommend The First Strawberries as a read-aloud book for grades K – 1st. This folklore book allows the reader to learn about the importance of being kind and respecting others through the retelling of a Cherokee legend that utilizes vivid pictures to help each reader draw into the legend and the story. Furthermore, throughout the book, the reader can learn about cultures different from theirs through a story that takes a look at how to build on relationships through respect and being thoughtful with one another.
I would recommend The First Strawberries as a read-aloud book for grades K – 1st. This folklore book allows the reader to learn about the importance of being kind and respecting others through the retelling of a Cherokee legend that utilizes vivid pictures to help each reader draw into the legend and the story. Furthermore, throughout the book, the reader can learn about cultures different from theirs through a story that takes a look at how to build on relationships through respect and being thoughtful with one another.
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October 21, 2025In this Cherokee story, a husband and wife have a disagreement. Angry and upset the woman walks away from her husband. The man realizes he was wrong and follows her but she is too far. The Sun sees what is happening and decides to help by making a fruit trail that was growing in the woman’s path. She ignores all the fruits, the blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries until she sees the strawberries. The smell of the strawberries and taste makes her remember the love she shares with her husband. He catches up, apologizes and they forgive each other. This books teaches grades teaches grades 1st-2nd about apologizing and making up after arguing.
August 7, 2019
I enjoyed the bold color illustrations. I'm not sure how young children would respond to the story, which is about a marital quarrel (though it ends in reconciliation). Perhaps best suited for slightly older readers.
March 11, 2022
Always be kind & quick to forgive 🖤
April 21, 2021
Still coming with the Cherokee and Creek children's books. A pretty good story and lesson and association with the strawberry. The artwork was really good too!
September 28, 2019
Sure, it's a folk tale about where strawberries came from, but it's also an empowering story of a woman who says, "eff this, I'm out," when her husband comes home and is a dick about dinner.
I mean, that IS the moral, yeah?
I mean, that IS the moral, yeah?
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October 26, 2016The story starts out with the creation of a man and a woman by a maker figure. They were married, but fought when the husband grew angry at the wife for picking flowers instead of preparing a meal. The wife left in anger. The husband tried to follow, but she was too fast and he could not keep up. The sun saw the man and took pity on him. The man reveals that he is no longer angry, instead feels foolish and sorry that he spoke with such anger. The sun agrees to help the man catch up to his wife. The sun tried to distract the woman by growing raspberries in her path. She walked along. Next, the sun grew blueberries but still the woman walked. A third time the sun tried, with blackberries, and still the woman walked. A final time to sun tried to distract he wife. This time, the sun made strawberries in the woman's path. The woman stopped to try this new fruit. The strawberry reminded her of her happiness with her husband, so she stopped to pick the berries for him. The man caught up to her. He asked for her forgiveness. She responded by giving him the sweet fruit that reminded her of him and their happiness. In the end, the story ends with a reflection on how the Cherokee people think of love and respect every time they eat strawberries, as a reminder to be kind.
The opening of the story starts with all the background information available about the man and the woman, they were created together so that they never had to be alone. The story does not follow the character structure of other traditional stories completely, there is no rival. Instead, there are two main characters who must remember to be respectful and kind to each other always, and to remember the sweetness of life when it sometimes turns sour. They are helped along by the sun, playing the traditional helper role through personification and magic. The theme of the story is kindness, to remember kindness even when angry. It is shown throughout the plot, particularly when the wife leaves and the husband instantly realizes that he did not approach with kindness and in return received none back. The maker figure, the helper figure of the sun, and the unreachable figure are all motifs found throughout traditional literature. The sun's attempts at helping follow a familiar pattern to many readers, as he fails three times before finally succeeding. The story closes with the theme, or moral, of the story. The familiarity of that closing is changed slightly by the introduction of the historical and cultural significance of the strawberry to a specific group of people, in this case the Cherokee people.
The opening of the story starts with all the background information available about the man and the woman, they were created together so that they never had to be alone. The story does not follow the character structure of other traditional stories completely, there is no rival. Instead, there are two main characters who must remember to be respectful and kind to each other always, and to remember the sweetness of life when it sometimes turns sour. They are helped along by the sun, playing the traditional helper role through personification and magic. The theme of the story is kindness, to remember kindness even when angry. It is shown throughout the plot, particularly when the wife leaves and the husband instantly realizes that he did not approach with kindness and in return received none back. The maker figure, the helper figure of the sun, and the unreachable figure are all motifs found throughout traditional literature. The sun's attempts at helping follow a familiar pattern to many readers, as he fails three times before finally succeeding. The story closes with the theme, or moral, of the story. The familiarity of that closing is changed slightly by the introduction of the historical and cultural significance of the strawberry to a specific group of people, in this case the Cherokee people.
March 23, 2016
I was not immediately inclined to read this book, given the choice among a selection of children's literature, however, I am very thankful that I succumbed to my own indecision and read it anyway.
This book tells the story of the first man and woman, and the way they overcome the challenge of an argument. The sun in the sky acts as their mediator as it attempts to uncover for them the depth of their relationship through the simple influences it has the power to change. The reader anxiously awaits the outcome of their dispute and eagerly seeks to find a solution to their problem along with the help of the sun. The reader becomes sympathetic to both the man and the woman's predicament and hopes for the sake of their marriage that they are able to mend things.
The author's version of this retold Cherokee folktale is well formed for all audiences. As a married woman who can relate to the concept of a quarrel between spouses, I was able to consider aspects of stubbornness, respect, love, and forgiveness in this particular narration. Bruchac does a beautiful job of choosing appropriate diction to convey the message clearly, simultaneously maintaining the dignity of the story while relating it to children. The illustrations are simplistically realistic and they form a wonderful collection of imagery for children to enjoy. The watercolors painted by Vojtech seem to fade into themselves as the reader experiences the variations of the light of the sun as the story journeys on throughout the day. Children can identify with the theme of friendship within the story, and share in the relationship between the sun and the man, the sun and the woman, and the man and the woman. It is a quality piece of children's literature that help to expand a child's awareness of friendship and appreciation. I am decidedly excited to purchase this book for my own children to make it a regularly explored story for our own home library for generations to come. No wonder the Cherokee people have been passing this story down. It is certainly one worth telling!
This book tells the story of the first man and woman, and the way they overcome the challenge of an argument. The sun in the sky acts as their mediator as it attempts to uncover for them the depth of their relationship through the simple influences it has the power to change. The reader anxiously awaits the outcome of their dispute and eagerly seeks to find a solution to their problem along with the help of the sun. The reader becomes sympathetic to both the man and the woman's predicament and hopes for the sake of their marriage that they are able to mend things.
The author's version of this retold Cherokee folktale is well formed for all audiences. As a married woman who can relate to the concept of a quarrel between spouses, I was able to consider aspects of stubbornness, respect, love, and forgiveness in this particular narration. Bruchac does a beautiful job of choosing appropriate diction to convey the message clearly, simultaneously maintaining the dignity of the story while relating it to children. The illustrations are simplistically realistic and they form a wonderful collection of imagery for children to enjoy. The watercolors painted by Vojtech seem to fade into themselves as the reader experiences the variations of the light of the sun as the story journeys on throughout the day. Children can identify with the theme of friendship within the story, and share in the relationship between the sun and the man, the sun and the woman, and the man and the woman. It is a quality piece of children's literature that help to expand a child's awareness of friendship and appreciation. I am decidedly excited to purchase this book for my own children to make it a regularly explored story for our own home library for generations to come. No wonder the Cherokee people have been passing this story down. It is certainly one worth telling!
March 28, 2016
“The First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story” Retold by Joseph Bruchac
GR Level: L, Lexile Level: 320, Grade: 2, Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1993, Genre: Folk Tale, Pages: 32
The story begins with “the creator” making a man and woman who married and lived together so that neither one would be lonely. One day the man became angry when he came home and there was no dinner for him on the table. When he went to go find the woman, he found her picking flowers in the field and became even angrier with the woman who in return became mad herself. She decided to no longer live with the man and started to walk away quickly. The man began to call out onto the woman but she did not hear him so the man began to follow her. The Sun started to feel sorry for the man so he decided to help and began to grow different kinds of berries in hope that the woman would stop walking. Finally the Sun grew strawberries that were so bright that the woman had to stop and see them. When she stopped to see the strawberries, she thought of her husband and decided to pick some for him to taste. As she picked strawberries, the man caught up to the woman and apologized for his anger against her which she in return forgave him. To this day, the Cherokee people are reminded of friendship and respect towards one another as they eat the strawberries that came of the first man and woman.
One teaching idea would be to have the students pick another kind of berry and research the origin story of that berry. The students will then find other books about that berry that might include farming of the berry, the color and the purpose of the berry, etc. The students will then present their berry to the class and will plant a berry plant in the classroom garden. (W.2.7)
Another teaching idea would be to talk about how stories have been passed down from generation to generation. The students will then be paired off and asked to tell each other a story that a parent, family member or close friend has told them that they may have heard from an ancestor. (SL.2.1d)
GR Level: L, Lexile Level: 320, Grade: 2, Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1993, Genre: Folk Tale, Pages: 32
The story begins with “the creator” making a man and woman who married and lived together so that neither one would be lonely. One day the man became angry when he came home and there was no dinner for him on the table. When he went to go find the woman, he found her picking flowers in the field and became even angrier with the woman who in return became mad herself. She decided to no longer live with the man and started to walk away quickly. The man began to call out onto the woman but she did not hear him so the man began to follow her. The Sun started to feel sorry for the man so he decided to help and began to grow different kinds of berries in hope that the woman would stop walking. Finally the Sun grew strawberries that were so bright that the woman had to stop and see them. When she stopped to see the strawberries, she thought of her husband and decided to pick some for him to taste. As she picked strawberries, the man caught up to the woman and apologized for his anger against her which she in return forgave him. To this day, the Cherokee people are reminded of friendship and respect towards one another as they eat the strawberries that came of the first man and woman.
One teaching idea would be to have the students pick another kind of berry and research the origin story of that berry. The students will then find other books about that berry that might include farming of the berry, the color and the purpose of the berry, etc. The students will then present their berry to the class and will plant a berry plant in the classroom garden. (W.2.7)
Another teaching idea would be to talk about how stories have been passed down from generation to generation. The students will then be paired off and asked to tell each other a story that a parent, family member or close friend has told them that they may have heard from an ancestor. (SL.2.1d)
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March 24, 2016The First Strawberries is set on the prairie land roamed by the Cherokee. A husband and wife have a home on the land where they hunt and gather their food. The story begins with the husband out hunting all day and when he returned home the wife showed him the beautiful flowers she had found. The husband was not amused by his wife’s action. The wife thought the gift of beautiful flowers would please her husband but the husband was not pleased at all. The husband raised his voice at the wife for not having dinner prepared and she left. As the wife stormed away with disgust in her husband’s behavior, the husband felt terrible with the way he treated her. The sun could feel the sorrow the husband was portraying and vowed to help him find his wife.
Once the wife had left home, the illustrations in the book were that of being alone. The pictures depicted land that was wide open and barren with only the wife or husband in the picture. The images symbolize the loneliness both the husband and the wife were feeling. In order for the sun to stop the wife from walking any further, he brought to life bushes of wild berries three times. Although the pictures were of bright berries, the wife had seen them before and was so upset with her husband she kept walking. On the fourth attempt to get the attention of the wife, the sun had grown a bush of strawberries. It was something she had never seen before. The sight and taste of the beautiful strawberries changed her focus. Although she had become angry with her husband, she still loved him and wanted to share a new and exciting experience with him. In life, we forgot about the little things that make our lives so important. We often get angry at those closes to us. This story is a lesson to both children and adults to not let small things ruin your day. It is not okay to lash out at those we love. It is also important to forgive and forget quickly. Do not let a quarrel dictate your relationships.
Once the wife had left home, the illustrations in the book were that of being alone. The pictures depicted land that was wide open and barren with only the wife or husband in the picture. The images symbolize the loneliness both the husband and the wife were feeling. In order for the sun to stop the wife from walking any further, he brought to life bushes of wild berries three times. Although the pictures were of bright berries, the wife had seen them before and was so upset with her husband she kept walking. On the fourth attempt to get the attention of the wife, the sun had grown a bush of strawberries. It was something she had never seen before. The sight and taste of the beautiful strawberries changed her focus. Although she had become angry with her husband, she still loved him and wanted to share a new and exciting experience with him. In life, we forgot about the little things that make our lives so important. We often get angry at those closes to us. This story is a lesson to both children and adults to not let small things ruin your day. It is not okay to lash out at those we love. It is also important to forgive and forget quickly. Do not let a quarrel dictate your relationships.
December 2, 2018
I don't normally review picture books because it feels like cheating to add them to my yearly totals, but this book positively screamed out for a review.
"The First Strawberries" is a Cherokee Adam and Eve-style myth, and I sincerely hope it was mangled in the translation, because wow. In the story, the man takes off to go hunting and leaves the woman at home doing, you guessed it, everything else. When the man returns, suspiciously clean and empty-handed for a day spent hunting- if he's anything like my husband, he probably spent the day napping and wanking off in the bushes- his wife is in the middle of making him a lovely floral arrangement. The flowers are, I shit you not, black-eyed susans, which I like to think the illustrator did on purpose as a nod and a wink at the book's really obvious theme of abuse. But I digress.
So when the husband realizes the wife hasn't cooked anything yet, he's like, "Bitch, where's my dinner?" And she, rightfully, is all, "Bye, Felicia," and takes off because honestly, if he spent the entire day hunting and didn't get so much as a single squirrel, he can make his own damn dinner. The wife takes off and her husband, being a crazy stalker, tries to follow her instead of sitting in their teepee reevaluating his life choices.
Now the sun must be the husband's wingman or something, because he's like, "Hold up, I got this." And makes a bunch of berries grow. Because apparently that's supposed to slow her down? I would have been like, "Hey, snacks!" But I guess she was extra hungry because when the strawberries came out, she forgot about leaving. And I swear to god, her biggest worry was PICKING SOME TO BRING HER HUSBAND. What? WHAT?!?
The moral of this story is that if your husband is emotionally abusive, go ahead and try to leave but if you pass a grocery store or something just give up and go back to him. Oh, and bring food because the moron is going to starve to death otherwise.
"The First Strawberries" is a Cherokee Adam and Eve-style myth, and I sincerely hope it was mangled in the translation, because wow. In the story, the man takes off to go hunting and leaves the woman at home doing, you guessed it, everything else. When the man returns, suspiciously clean and empty-handed for a day spent hunting- if he's anything like my husband, he probably spent the day napping and wanking off in the bushes- his wife is in the middle of making him a lovely floral arrangement. The flowers are, I shit you not, black-eyed susans, which I like to think the illustrator did on purpose as a nod and a wink at the book's really obvious theme of abuse. But I digress.
So when the husband realizes the wife hasn't cooked anything yet, he's like, "Bitch, where's my dinner?" And she, rightfully, is all, "Bye, Felicia," and takes off because honestly, if he spent the entire day hunting and didn't get so much as a single squirrel, he can make his own damn dinner. The wife takes off and her husband, being a crazy stalker, tries to follow her instead of sitting in their teepee reevaluating his life choices.
Now the sun must be the husband's wingman or something, because he's like, "Hold up, I got this." And makes a bunch of berries grow. Because apparently that's supposed to slow her down? I would have been like, "Hey, snacks!" But I guess she was extra hungry because when the strawberries came out, she forgot about leaving. And I swear to god, her biggest worry was PICKING SOME TO BRING HER HUSBAND. What? WHAT?!?
The moral of this story is that if your husband is emotionally abusive, go ahead and try to leave but if you pass a grocery store or something just give up and go back to him. Oh, and bring food because the moron is going to starve to death otherwise.
March 25, 2017
With this book, the story starts off back in time during the indian tribe era. With a peaceful picture of a mother daughter bonding time of picking flowers in the field. As the dad comes home from a hard days of work he notices dinner is yet to be served or even started. Angry and hungry, he takes it out on his wife, yelling at her for not feeding him after such a hard day. The story takes a very quick turn in the overall mood, from peaceful and loving to angry and harsh. With her husband yelling at her, the woman precedes to tell him she is leaving and storms off into the fields. The husband quickly realizes what he has done and how much he has hurt her. The man asks the sun for help, to win his wife back and to bring her home to him. The sun comes up with an idea of blooming fresh berries in every step she takes. Nothing works, she doesn't seem to acknowledge the beautiful berries before her. But then, strawberries appear before her and she notices them instantly and starts to pick them, thinking to herself, how much her husband would love these. The man finally catches up to his wife and sees the sun's idea worked.
The pictures in this book are simple yet so beautiful. I love the setting, and the overall mood of the book. It started off so harshly and questionable for a children's book but ended with a great over mood of understanding and love. This book can teach young readers that words can be hurtful and anger can sometimes hide the beauty around us. Also, teaching readers how the sun helps beautiful things like strawberries and all of nature.
The pictures in this book are simple yet so beautiful. I love the setting, and the overall mood of the book. It started off so harshly and questionable for a children's book but ended with a great over mood of understanding and love. This book can teach young readers that words can be hurtful and anger can sometimes hide the beauty around us. Also, teaching readers how the sun helps beautiful things like strawberries and all of nature.
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October 26, 2016The main characters in this book were the husband, wife, and the sun. The husband and wife married in the beginning of the story. One day the husband came home and the wife was picking flowers instead of cooking him dinner. He became angry and spoke rudely to her. She left and no longer wanted to be with him. As the story goes on, the sun helps the husband try to catch up to his wife by providing different foods/fruits that might catch her attention.
The opening and closing yet again did not start with or end with "One upon a time" or "and they lived happily ever after". Even though they don't use these phrases in this story, it is implied that they do end up living happily ever after with the ending circumstances. The setting is in a forest type environment where there are lots of trees and landscape which runs parallel to the setting in a traditional piece. The main characters are the wife, husband, and the sun. Without the sun's help, the husband would not have been able to catch up with his wife. I believe that the theme of this book has to do with being forgiving and understanding. The plot contains a sequence of repetitive events that are problems but there ends up being a solution in the end (he catches up to his wife and they make up). The motif in this story is the sun. He is the hero who helps get the husband and wife back together. Without him, it would not have been a complete story.
The opening and closing yet again did not start with or end with "One upon a time" or "and they lived happily ever after". Even though they don't use these phrases in this story, it is implied that they do end up living happily ever after with the ending circumstances. The setting is in a forest type environment where there are lots of trees and landscape which runs parallel to the setting in a traditional piece. The main characters are the wife, husband, and the sun. Without the sun's help, the husband would not have been able to catch up with his wife. I believe that the theme of this book has to do with being forgiving and understanding. The plot contains a sequence of repetitive events that are problems but there ends up being a solution in the end (he catches up to his wife and they make up). The motif in this story is the sun. He is the hero who helps get the husband and wife back together. Without him, it would not have been a complete story.
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October 26, 2016 This book is a Cherokee creation story. It begins with the first two humans on Earth, a man and a woman. They are happy with their lives until one day they get into an argument. The man gets angry at his wife for not preparing food for him and she will not take him being rude to her so she storms off. Her husband realizes the way he spoke to her was wrong, and tries to apologize to her but she is too fast for him to catch up to. The sun witnesses the scene and tries to help the man. By trying to catch the woman's attention, the sun creates things that are still around in future generations.
The story takes place out in nature prior to the existence of any other humans. There are three characters in the story: the man, the woman, and the sun who has human features. Male and female roles are established as the man only becomes upset after returning from hunting to find his wife had not made him food. The major theme of the story is respect others and to be kind to those around you. The story has components of traditional literature which is demonstrated its opening of "Long ago," by the setting in the forest, the presence of a moral theme, and the motif of falling to one's own flaws and then enlisting of some magical/unreal help (the sun) in order to overcome the situation.
The story takes place out in nature prior to the existence of any other humans. There are three characters in the story: the man, the woman, and the sun who has human features. Male and female roles are established as the man only becomes upset after returning from hunting to find his wife had not made him food. The major theme of the story is respect others and to be kind to those around you. The story has components of traditional literature which is demonstrated its opening of "Long ago," by the setting in the forest, the presence of a moral theme, and the motif of falling to one's own flaws and then enlisting of some magical/unreal help (the sun) in order to overcome the situation.
March 22, 2017
Definitely not my first strawberry, "The First Strawberries," by Joseph Bruchac, is a well illustrated book with fine color choices that are sure to appeal to the eyes of young readers, however, where the book fails is that of it's central story. While it's definitely an enjoyable read following the premise of respect, it's not the first choice I'd go with when dealing with such an important theme in Early Childhood education; it's an okay way of stressing an all to important topic.
With The First Strawberries, taking a lot of its source from Cherokee folk lore, it's definitely a unique way of handling the concept of respect, though to me, a huge issue is that Joseph Bruchac's solution to the problem is by separating themselves from conflict resolution. While it may be a lot to ask a children's book, it's not good that the questions following will probably lead to the topic of gender roles and other topical issues that the student's might bring up. I would've done away with the gender roles established and maybe even considered having the man bring the strawberries to his wife, though definitely just my opinion on the matter.
Nevertheless, the book itself is definitely pretty, and may be an okay read when dealing with respecting one another, though not the first choice I'd go with when trying to portrait that to my classroom.
With The First Strawberries, taking a lot of its source from Cherokee folk lore, it's definitely a unique way of handling the concept of respect, though to me, a huge issue is that Joseph Bruchac's solution to the problem is by separating themselves from conflict resolution. While it may be a lot to ask a children's book, it's not good that the questions following will probably lead to the topic of gender roles and other topical issues that the student's might bring up. I would've done away with the gender roles established and maybe even considered having the man bring the strawberries to his wife, though definitely just my opinion on the matter.
Nevertheless, the book itself is definitely pretty, and may be an okay read when dealing with respecting one another, though not the first choice I'd go with when trying to portrait that to my classroom.
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