Where the Buffalos Begin

by Olaf Baker, Stephen Gammell (Illustrator)

Follow Little Wolf to the fabled lake in the south where the buffaloes begin. Watch the huge beasts surge out of the water and onto the prairie, as Little Wolf leads them to a victory against the enemies of his people. A Caldecott Honor Book. Illustrations in black-and-white.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Native American, Animals, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Nature

First published February 15, 1981

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full of amazing pencil drawings of the prairie and buffalo. They are stunning. I think it would be nice to have added some color, but they are still beautiful. The story is long. It’s much too long for a bed-time story. It took two nights to read this to the kids.

Little Wolf is a boy in a village with a legend he is trying to see for himself. The legend states there is a pond in the south where the buffalo are born from. One morning, he steals away from the village with his pony and goes to wait at the pond and see. He falls asleep and awakes to the pond being full of buffalo. It is so amazing he stands up and screams in joy. This starts a stampede and the boy and the pony race away.

The ending is really good though. As for stories, this was fantastic. Lots of excitement and this compact story is so well told. I love how the end comes back to the beginning. It’s very lovely. It needs to be read.

The nephew thought this was actually very exciting. Despite it taking 2 days he thought this was good and gave it 4 stars. The niece kept asking why he would go by himself. She gave this 3 stars.

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

An engaging (even if at times frightening, ghostly) tale of how a young American Indian boy saves his tribe from their traditional enemies by calling the buffaloes from the place where according to legend they "begin" (and considering that the text was originally written by Olaf Baker in 1915, thus more than a century ago, the storyline is really for its time and place surprisingly respectful of Native American culture and lore). With evocative and atmospheric illustrations, it is easy to understand why and how Where the Buffaloes Begin won a Caldecott Honour Medal in 1982 for Stephen Gammells's brilliant accompanying drawings (I do not usually enjoy muted pencil or charcoal book illustrations all that much, but these truly are a visual treat, a feast for the eyes, and perfectly complimenting and complementing Baker's narrative, the plot and storylines presented). But that all being said, the fact that there is no attribution for the story (no sources mentioned and listed) is rather an academic (and folkloric) shortcoming (although I do realise that supplemental source notes are a relatively recent phenomenon, and considering that the story was originally penned in 1915, not all that surprising, and unfortunately rather the rule). More seriously and much more troubling (in my humble opinion), Where the Buffaloes Begin is marred by references to scalping, to the young boy's tribal enemies supposedly being like wolves and that wolves are somehow cruel and evil. In Native American culture and lore, wolves are NOT as a rule considered to be cruel or in any way evil. That is a mostly European concept (and actually a philosophy which has resulted in the indiscriminate, and yes cruel, hunting and mass slaughter of wolves, and their extirpation from much of both Europe and now also North America). And thus, while I would still gladly recommend Where the Buffaloes Begin, the described, depicted violent nature of the Assiniboines, as well as the concept of supposed lupine cruelty and its often rather unfortunate cultural and ecological consequences should definitely be discussed, no actually, must be discussed.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published in 1915 in the St. Nicholas Magazine for children, this story by expatriate Englishman Olaf Baker was reprinted in 1981 with illustrations by Stephen Gammell. The result is a beautifully illustrated picture-book, awarded a Caldecott Honor in 1982. Where the Buffaloes Begin is the tale of Little Wolf, a young Indian boy who sets out to find the lake described by Nawa - his people's wise old storyteller - as the origin place of the buffalo. Little does he know that his triumphant return with a herd of buffalo will save his people from attack...

Described as a legend of the "Plains Indians," I think this must be taken from the traditions of either the Blackfeet or Gros Ventre peoples, as the Assiniboine are mentioned as enemies. Clearly the Assiniboine themselves wouldn't have related legends in which they themselves featured as the villains, so this cannot be a tale told by all the Plains nations, although I believe that many of them do have legends which tell of the underground origin of the buffalo. Unfortunately, I don't know enough about either the folklore of the Blackfeet or Gros Ventre to judge the authenticity of this tale, but the deliberate vagueness of attribution makes me feel rather skeptical, especially given the well-documented history of European and Euro-American appropriation and misinterpretation of Native American cultures. The black and white illustrations by Stephen Gammell are lovely, but this is not one I would recommend for folklore study, unless its origin can be documented.

Addendum: Although I continue to think very poorly of the editor's choice here, to exclude any information as to specific cultural origin for this folktale, some new information, which I discovered reading the critical introduction to Where the Buffalos Begin in the anthology Adventures in the West: Stories for Young Readers , makes me think more kindly of the original author, Olaf Baker, and of his retelling. Apparently Baker spent some considerable time with the Blackfeet people, and it is from their tradition that this selection springs. I'm glad to see that my guess was partially correct, and to know the origin of the story, and have therefore increased my star rating from two to three. Hopefully future reprints of this picture-book will include more such information about the story's cultural origin and roots.

[Alecia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author: Olaf Baker

Illustrator: Stephen Gammell

Genre: folk tale picture book

Publication Info: Puffin (1985)

Reading Level: Ages 6-10; transitional

Topic/Theme: Native American folk lore

Issues Addressed: origin of the buffalo

Social Issues: Native American Culture

Classroom Uses: read aloud during a unit on Native American history

Summary: Little Wolf goes to the lake where the buffalo originate. When the buffaloes emerge from the lake, Little Wolf leads them to defeat the people who have come to attack his village.

Text and image: The illustrations in this text are amazing. They are done in black and white, which sort of put readers into the past mindset. The illustrations also seem haunting upon first glance. This allows readers to become entranced by the story and feel as though they are actually listening to it being told by a Native American.

Literary Devices: imagery, folk lore

[Brindi Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

1982 Caldecott Honor

These charcoal illustrations are phenomenal!

[Rese Meres · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to introduce Oral Histories to the classroom.

[Rosemary Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an enthralling book that traverses the open prairie at a time when majestic buffalo roamed in great numbers, sharing the land with only the American Indians. Ten-year-old Little Wolf is riveted by the mysterious legend of the animals' origins, as recounted by Nawa, the wise man, "who had lived such countless moons that not even the oldest member of the tribe could remember a time when Nawa was not old." Nawa says that if you "arrived at the right time, on the right night, you will see the buffaloes rise out of the middle of the lake..."

Little Wolf dreams of the brown, long-haired creatures in his sleep. He feels in his heart that he must witness their rising. He sneaks out of his village very early one morning to see this soul-stirring event with his own eyes. However, he doesn't realize that his people's enemies, the Assiniboins, are stealthily sneaking across the prairie to launch a surprise attack on his village. Will he experience the heart-stopping moment the mighty beasts rise out of the water? Will he be able to warn his tribe of the impending attack? Will he let real fear stop him from being brave?

This is a tale that will appeal to children and adults who yearn for adventure and must find the guts to seize the day. The energy of the book surges with the herd of wild, stampeding buffalo. You want to cry out alongside Little Wolf at the sheer excitement of being alive with creatures that embody the untamed spirit of the land.

The author, Olaf Baker, writes in a beautiful and poetic style. When the boy crosses the prairie, he sees, "Larks and sparrows filled the air with their singing, and everywhere wild roses were in bloom." The black and white drawings by Stephen Gammell are equally atmospheric, capturing Little Wolf surveying the prairie with his horse and the mighty buffaloes kicking up clouds of dust. After reading this story one longs for the fresh air, vast landscapes and the freedom of living so close to nature, even if danger is nearby too. We'll just follow Little Wolf's example.

[Taneka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Wolf is fascinated by Nawa’s story about the buffaloes and how they are born. The Buffaloes are said to be born in the lake in the south of the land. One night, Little Wolf leaves his sleeping village to travel to the lake to see the buffalo being born. When he sees them, he lets out a cry, which alarms the herd. They stampede toward Little Wolf, but not to attack. On his pony, he rides with the buffalo and finds that his village is being attacked by their enemy, the Assiniboins. The Assiniboins are trying to make it to their horses, but are trampled by the herd. Little Wolf has saved his village and Nawa’s story is always spoken to include him.

I had to read this story three times to get a clear understanding of the event that are taking place. There seemed to be a hole in this story. The Assinboins are running back to their horses when Little Wolf sees them, but it is not clear as to why they are running back, away from the village. They went there to kill them, but ran back toward the herd. The reader is unclear as to whether they killed some of the villager or none. It does state that Little Wolf saved his village, but all or none is not known. Little Wolf first noticed the Assinboins’ herd when he left his village that morning. It seems like they would have had time to do what they came to do. I get the sense that this story is a shorter version of another story.

The illustrations are done in black and white charcoal. It gives the appearance of a cloudy or foggy morning. The effects of the drawings are windy and peaceful. For example, the drawing of Little Wolf and his pony on the prairie is still and tranquil, but the grass gives the illusion of movement in the wind. It also gives an eerie appearance too. The dark fog off the lake transforms into buffalo and as they start their stampede, they still appear to be dark clouds or fog.

[Bailey Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. I found it to be very interesting and the illustrations were magnificent. The book was illustrated in pencil, and Gammell really captured the scenes being described throughout the story. This book made you feel like you were Little Wolf, the main character, which is something I really enjoy (being able to relate to the main character.) The story line is so intriguing and gets off to a good start by giving background information on Little Wolf's tribe and their legends, making you want to know more about these Native American's. In all, the story was incredibly detailed, yet still didn't get boring to read which is beneficial in a young children's classroom. Baker, the author, really conveys the environment of the buffaloes, Indians, horses, and the feeling of living in the situation that Little Wolf does. This book is a bit longer than most children's books, but would be perfect for learning about history, Native Americans, legends, pencil drawings and more. There are so many great aspects to this book I would highly recommend it to read to students of nearly any age.

[Katieb (MundieMoms) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filled with beautiful black and white pencil drawings and a story about courage and self mastery, Where The Buffalo Begin is wonderful story to have both at home and the in class room. The story begins with Nawa, the wise man who's the oldest member of the tribe, as he tells his people about the legend of where the buffaloes begin.

This is such a wonderful story about Little Wolf, a fearless 10 year old who has dreams about the great Buffaloes. Like his dreams, he wants to see if the legend that Nawa tells is people are true. When Little Wolf finds these giants, they end up turning him into a hero who saved his people from an almost certain death from the Assiniboin warriors.

I was thrilled when I found this book and it's one I highly recommend! It's one of history, legend and allows the reader to become apart of Little Wolf's world and witness the courageous thing he does to save his people.

[Karen GoatKeeper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Olaf Baker arrived in the U.S. in his thirties and went west spending time with the Indians. This was around 1900. He wrote many tales from traditional Indian stories.
Stephen Gammell did the drawings with pencil giving them the flavor or that time period. The story has a dreamlike quality and the softness of the pencil drawings reflects this well.
Little Wolf has often heard the buffaloes begin in the large lake far to the south. His dearest desire is to see them rise from the waters. Early one morning he catches his pony and rides south in search of the lake and the buffaloes.
This is a read aloud book as the vocabulary is more complex than a chapter book. The story retains that dreamlike quality so many legends have. It is a tale in an older style and a more realistic look at Indians than in later books and stories.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-told story and beautiful black and white drawings make this an exceptional read.

Ages: 5 - 9

Cleanliness: nothing to note.

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[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will say that I probably wouldn't have ever discovered this book had it not been for my Caldecott Challenge. This book won a 1982 Caldecott Honor and rightly so for it is a marvelous book. The book features a legend about a young Native American boy named Little Wolf who is determined to find out if the buffaloes really do come out of a lake, like the wise man says they do. He waits all day and eventually he does see them. They are not afraid of him or he of they, and they help him to save his people from a rival tribe. The story is cool, but the the illustrations are out of this world. They are just black and white pencil drawings, but their ethereal abstract quality just makes them so amazing, like a real legend coming to life out of nothingness. Recommended for ages 5-9, 4 stars.

[Sandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

10 year old Little Wolf is intrigued by the story his tribe’s Nawa (wise man) tells of the lake where the buffalo begin. He sets out on his pony in the grey dawn to find this place. Stephen Gammell’s fine pencil art draw you into the story with misty details evoking the dreamlike tone of the story while Olaf Baker’s concise narrative catches the very essence of the sights and sounds of the prairie. One legend is born out of another when Little Wolf’s quest results in finding the buffalo and saving his people from attack by a party of warriors from an enemy tribe.

Use with lessons on legends/tall tales, or in study of Native American literature.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations for this book immediately caught my attention, I couldn't help but be enamored by the black and white drawings. As I read through the story though, I found my attention wavering and couldn't really appreciate the book. I'm still not sure how I feel about the nature of this story or if it is really all that appropriate for children, elements of it were violent in a simplistic manner so that the youngest of minds wouldn't catch exactly what was going on. This is not a book I'm planning on reading again anytime soon.

*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2008...

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

The black and white illustrations are far better than the story for me. They are wispy and mysterious like clouds of imagination. I especially liked the scene where the buffaloes are coming out of the water. Their shapes were mostly undefined, but the more you looked at it the clearer the picture became which made me feel like I was seeing it in person. The story was long and didn't match the intensity of the art for me. Worth looking at, but I suggest paging through and telling yourself the story through the pictures.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is the first book I've read illustrated by Gammell that isn't Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and his art is no less effective in communicating the atmosphere of the story. Everyone knows, of course, that Gammell's SSTTITD illustrations are the only ones that matter, no disrespect to Helquist. This book speaks of a different time in picture books, when black and white illustrations were more common and where older kids still read them. It's a shame there aren't many like this around any more.

[Luann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't expect to like this one as much a I did. The picture on the front cover does not do justice to the illustrations inside! They are powerful in how they add to the story.

This is a picture book that works better for older children. The text is longer than your typical picture book and there is some violence. But as I said, I did enjoy this one more than I expected - mostly due to the fabulous Caldecott honor black and white drawings by Stephen Gammell.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't like this book when I first read it. I was 9. It wasn't the story that I didn't like. It was the eerie illustrations. It is illustrated by Stephen Gammell, the same guy who illustrated the Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark series. Very creepy. But I learned to appreciate the illustrations and how they fit in with the text itself.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listen to the story of the fable great lake where the buffaloes begin. Little Wolf sets out to find the great lake,as he sets out he still thinks about the enemies of people and how he may be ambushed on his journey. The tale turns into a victory for Little Wolf and his tribe. Love the black and white pictures and it is a great read for 4th grade on.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gammell's amazing pencil illustrations just glow - the prairie, tipis, the faces, the haze and clouds, the pensive faces - and evoke much feeling while leaving much of the white pages empty. The storyline is the tale of Little Wolf who finds the lake where the buffaloes begin, sees them rise and eventually saves his own people in the Great Plains.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can definitely understand why these illustrations were recognized by a Caldecott committee. They are full of intriguing shadows, and they have an almost haunting quality. The story, on the other hand, is a bit wordy. This book and The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses seem very similar to me. This might be related to the fact that they were published only three years apart.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to see a better printing of this book. The original art is probably much more engaging. Daytime in the prairies can be so light, so bright, and yet everything is very muted in this printing. The dark gray colors aren't inviting to young viewers.

And, I wish there had been an author's note.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caldecott Honor story book. A telling of a Native American legend, though not clear if it is an authentic one. It reads old, so it was surprising to see that it was from the early 80s. But apparently the writing was from 1915. The art is black and white, either pencils or charcoal. The story has its dark and violent elements. But works rather well. A lot of words for a Caldecott though.

[Bonnie Thacker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this in a book of short stories that I was reading. It is a great story. I would recommend it to teachers/parents of younger children (8 and up) or anyone that enjoys reading about American Indians.

[Jaclyn H · Rating 4 out of 5]

My little girl picked this out for me at the thrift store today, and tonight we sat down and read it together. Since I love buffalo and I love reading it was a good match. The illustrations are my favorite part!

[Nicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The artwork was amazing, absolutely beautiful! I love learning about American Indian history. This story is fascinating and exciting.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caldecott Honor 1982

The pencil drawings show the power of the buffalo. This was a great book to read on our Yellowstone vacation. I saw bison almost every day.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great imagery and vocabulary.

[Maria Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

• 1982 Caldecott Honor Book •

I didn't know anything about this book when I started reading it. It had a really old time feel to it, and some of the words were unusual and the sentence structure seemed rather lengthy for children. Well, when I got to the end of the book, it said this story was published in 1915. So that explains that. I had a hard time getting through this story. I thought it was awkwardly worded, but I did like the story overall. The illustrations are fantastic. But I'm not terribly suprised that there aren't many reviews (40 right now) for this Caldecott Honor book.

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