First Fire: A Cherokee Folktale

Character & Overcoming Adversity

by Nancy Kelly Allen, Sherry Rogers (Illustrator)

Why are ravens black? Why do screech owl eyes look red in light? How did we get fire? You'll find the answers to those questions in this retelling of a Cherokee pourquoi folktale. The earth was cold and dark but the animals could see fire coming from the tree on the island. They tried to fly or swim to the island to bring back the fire heat and light. What happened to some of the animals? Which animal brought it back and how?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Native American, Fiction, Spanish Literature, Folk Tales

32 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2014

About the author

Nancy Kelly Allen’s route to award-winning writing has more twists and turns than a winding mountain road. She worked as a social worker and elementary school teacher. When Nancy changed career paths once again and became a school librarian, the route led her straight to the world of picture books. Nancy spent her days introducing books to children and her nights writing books for children. Eventually, writing led her down the trail to publication. Nancy has seven picture books, one chapter book, and is working on more. Writing children’s books led her down another path: writing books for adults. Her first book for adults is told from the perspective of a child and spiced with humor.
Nancy grew up in Kentucky where storytelling is a way of life. Every evening after supper, her father entertained the family with humorous stories. Each time he told a story, he embellished it a little more. Nancy’s mother encouraged her young daughter to write stories, even before Nancy could read. Nancy pecked away on the keyboard of an old Royal typewriter, writing nothing but jumbled letters and numbers. Nancy proudly handed her work to her mother, who read it aloud as if Nancy had actually written a story. The early influence of her mother’s literary interpretations and her father’s humorous storytelling set Nancy on the road to creating worlds through books. Now that she’s all grown up, Nancy considers her love of writing a gift of the spirit from her parents.
Nancy has a master’s degree in Education from Morehead State University and a master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of Kentucky. She lives in Kentucky in the log cabin in which she grew up. Nancy shares her cabin with her husband Larry and a canine writer assistants, Jazi and Roxi.

Reviews

[Mymcbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Review: First Fire is based on a Cherokee folktale about how animals tried to obtain fire from a burning bush. According to the story when the world was new the days were windy, crisp and cold as the earth had no fire to keep the animals warm. One day, a sycamore tree was struck by lightning on an island and started to burn. As the hoot owl, horned owl, racer, raven, screech owl, and water spider watched the puffs of smoke from the tree they knew that they needed that fire. But they have to cross the river to bring back the fire. The animals made an attempt at bringing the fire back but were unsuccessful that the fire changed most of their appearance. But only one was able to bring the fire back successfully. Which animal brought it back and how? You have to buy the book to find out.

There are 4 pages of learning activities where children can learn about Cherokee then and now, their territory, fire and many more. I really like the illustrations by Sherry Rogers which helps to tell the story. I highly recommend this book for classroom teaching.


FTC Disclosure: I received a review copy of these books from Arbordale Publishing in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion in any way.

[Wayne Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why are ravens black? Why do screech owl eyes look red in light? And how did the earth get fire? This Cherokee folktale, retold by Nancy Kelly Allen and nicely illustrated by Sherry Rogers, begins “when the world was new.” The nights painted the earth with frost, the days blew cold winds, and ice daggers dangled from cliffs. Yet, earth had no fire. One day Thunder hurls a lightning bolt which strikes a sycamore tree on an island and creates flames. Several animals see what happens, but how can they get the fire?

The white raven goes first, but its feathers are singed black. Next, the screech owl makes a stab at it, but the fire burns its eyes and turns them red. Several other animals also try, such as the hoot owl, the horned owl, the racer snake, and the tiny spider. All but one fail. Which one succeeds and is able to bring the fire back for the animals? The section “For Creative Minds” in the back of the book contains further information about the Cherokee people, fire (including a true-false quiz), and water spiders, with even more free learning activities online at the publisher’s website. Anyone interested in Native American folklore will especially appreciate First Fire: A Cherokee Folktale.

[Dena McMurdie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't help but be drawn to Native American folk tales. They come from such an interesting culture and they are both entertaining and educational. This particular book is a Cherokee story of how animals first found and claimed fire. Kids love learning about stories like this. I read it several times to my girls. They loved the explanations of why a raven is black and why the horned owl has white rings around its eyes, among others.

The story also teaches a good moral. The animal that finally figures out how to transport fire is not big or powerful. It is a small spider with a plan. The book is written well, and the illustrations are a nice fit with the writing. First Fire is a beautiful story that has been passed down for generations and will give kids a glimpse at the lives of people that lived on this continent long ago.

For teachers/homeschoolers: Check out the publisher's website for resources, quizzes,
and activities to use this in the classroom. Each Arbordale book comes with 2-6 pages of curriculum connections in the back. This is a section of information relating to the book and that fits into Common Core, Next Generation Science Standards for grades K-3.

My blog: Batch of Books

[Literary Classics Book Awards & Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Fire, by Nancy Kelly Allen, is the retelling of a Cherokee folktale recounting the mythical events that unfold as a variety of creatures attempt to capture fire. When a bolt of lightning strikes a sycamore tree on a nearby island, the animals decide they needed fire for themselves. These animals, whose unique characteristics are developed as a result of their encounter with the elusive fire, endure a number of trials as each, one at a time, attempts to retrieve a burning ember.

Author, Nancy Kelly Allen, has taken a timeless folktale and given it wings in this lovely retelling of the first fire encountered by the creatures of this land. Illustrations by Sherry Rogers are vividly depicted and offer vibrant and expressive renderings of this classic tale.

First Fire comes highly recommended to classrooms, home and school libraries and for gift giving.

[ACS Book-finder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This brilliantly written book is a Cherokee pourquoi folktale. Animals are discussed throughout the book. Animals brought fire back to an island to keep them warm when it was cold outside. It answers questions such as, why are ravens black? How do we get fire? Why do some owl eyes look red when you look at their eyes? The illustrations are perfectly matched to an inspiring folktale.

In the back of this book you will find maps, true and false along with various other activities. I recommend this book, it's great!

DISCLOSURE: A complimentary copy was provided by Abordale Publishing (formerly Sylvan Dell Publishing) in exchange for our honest review. Opinions expressed are solely those of the reviewer and no compensation was received for this review.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on an engaging Cherokee folktale about how animals were able to obtain fire, this story also serves as an explanation for the appearance of various animals. After lightning causes fire, various animals make an attempt at bringing the fire back. But in their unsuccessful efforts, the raven turns black, the screech owl's eyes gain a red glow, and the snake turns black as well as twisting and turning. It takes a tiny spider to figure out a solution. The illustration's colors are bright and enticing. This is a great choice for a read aloud.

[Nicolas B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the because she was very specific when she said that the " snow powdered the earth white". Her story should be as good as Jane Youlins that wrote the book 'Owl moon".
I recommend this book because she was very detailed and because the words match the pictures.

[Joyce McPherson · Rating 5 out of 5]

We like to read folktales, and this book brought the Cherokee tale to life. Though it is written for picture-book-age kids, our older children enjoyed it, too. It led to a discussion of where folktales come from and how they are passed from one generation to the next.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It includes information about contemporary as well as history of Cherokee people.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Illustrations are better than the flat narrative but wholly unremarkable.