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Who Will Be the Sun?: A North American Indian Folk Tale
Raven, Chicken Hawk, and Coyote, and other animals vie for the honor of being the sun and bringing light to their dark world
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First published January 1, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 29, 2021
Often a folk tale will explain how things got to be. This one confuses me, however. I'm pretty sure the lynx isn't the sun, no matter how much I get the idea that the animals were vying for such an honor. The story is supposed to be about Coyote, the Trickster. Something is lost in translation, I fear. Illustrations are beautiful and totally enhance the story.
May 26, 2016
WHO WILL BE THE SUN is a children’s picture book that retells one of many Native American myths about how the sun came to be. Different animals try to take the place of honor and bring light to the darkened world, but only one can truly become the sun.
This was an interesting book. I think as a child I would have enjoyed it immensely. The illustrations are great–very colorful and fanciful, and they took up the whole page, which I loved! The story is quirky and gives anthropomorphic personality to various animals. As someone who has taken mythology and anthropology courses, it is a fascinating look at one of the ways in which ancient cultures tied to explain the world without science. As a regular adult reading the book it was… trippy. Even nightmarish at one point with things catching on fire because the sun was too hot. But then, I watched Don Bluth films growing up and I turned out mostly okay.
On the whole, if you’re looking for a quick, colorful read this is great. There are other children’s mythology books I would recommend more, though. My favorite by far is THE LEGEND OF THE BLUEBONNET by Tomie dePaula. For a little older children, try PERSEPHONE by Sally Pomme Clayton.
This was an interesting book. I think as a child I would have enjoyed it immensely. The illustrations are great–very colorful and fanciful, and they took up the whole page, which I loved! The story is quirky and gives anthropomorphic personality to various animals. As someone who has taken mythology and anthropology courses, it is a fascinating look at one of the ways in which ancient cultures tied to explain the world without science. As a regular adult reading the book it was… trippy. Even nightmarish at one point with things catching on fire because the sun was too hot. But then, I watched Don Bluth films growing up and I turned out mostly okay.
On the whole, if you’re looking for a quick, colorful read this is great. There are other children’s mythology books I would recommend more, though. My favorite by far is THE LEGEND OF THE BLUEBONNET by Tomie dePaula. For a little older children, try PERSEPHONE by Sally Pomme Clayton.
November 18, 2014
This is another older Native American tale I enjoy using with story time. A co-worker talked about making this into a penny theater once. 11/28/12
Used with a second grade class on request.
Used with Kindergarten in outreach.
Chosen for PJ Story Time.
Used with a second grade class on request.
Used with Kindergarten in outreach.
Chosen for PJ Story Time.
July 1, 2009
Picture book- An Indian tribe wants to find the sun. Different animals try to be the sun but can't. The animals teach children about the nature around them. The illustrations are amazing!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews