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The Legend of the Lady's Slipper
The Legend of the Lady's Slipper is a suspenseful tale of a young maiden's run through the forest in an attempt to save the people of her village. Dashing through the forest, with starlight at her heels," Running Flower is a testament of courage, loyalty, and sacrifice. You will remember her story whenever you see delicate pink and white lady's slippers carpeting the ground of a northern forest. Add The Legend of the Lady's Slipper to your collection and let it enchant you for years to come. Kathy-jo Wargin aims to help young readers notice the most intricate details of a story by adding the nuances that create magic and wonder in a good tale. Kathy-jo Wargin (Nelson) was born in Tower, Minnesota and moved to Grand Rapids at the age of seven. She studied music composition at University of Minnesota-Duluth. Her transition to writing books was a natural step. As well, her love for children and her desire to expose them to vivid written descriptions, inspire her to write with great attention to the nuances of a story, opening their minds to see all the possibilities in a scene or situation. Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen captures his lifelong connection to nature and wildlife. His talent for mural painting can be seen in several museums, including Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island, Michigan. Born in the Netherlands, Gijsbert studied at the Royal Academy of Arts in Holland and immigrated to the United States in 1976. In 1993, after 17 years as the Art Director for the Michigan Natural Resources Magazine, he ventured out on his own. His highest professional achievement comes from being selected numerous times into the internationally renowned Leigh Yawkey Woodson Birds in Art exhibition, held in Wisconsin. Gijsbert and his wife Robbyn, give nature tours at their home outside Lansing, Michigan where they live with their two daughters, Kelly and Heather.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2001
12 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
Kathy-jo Wargin
69 books34 followersKathy-jo Wargin is the bestselling author of more than fifty books for adults and children. With more than 1.2 million copies sold, she writes across genres and age-groups, and has earned national recognition for award–winning titles such as Michigan’s Official State Children’s Book The Legend of Sleeping Bear, the International Reading Association’s Children's Choice Award Winner The Legend of the Loon, the Bank Street College of Education Best Book Listee The Voyageur’s Paddle, the IRA Teacher's Choice Award Winner Win One for the Gipper, and many more.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 17, 2017
Although this was a beautiful telling of a Native American folktale that explores the sacrifice that has led to the beautiful flower known as the Lady's Slipper there is some work that definitely needs to be done on the editing. The were too many periods missing at the end of the writing on pages and in some areas either the sentence was missing its end or the author changed her mind on how she wanted to word it but didn't clean-up afterwards thus leaving an ugly mess behind.
Otherwise the telling of the story was quick and full of beautiful details that will take the reader back into the forest where the Ojibwe live. As for the timing of the story I am not quite sure when it was suppose to take place but I did notice that by the details both in the illustrations as well as the writing that it had to be after European arrival on the continent thus it is a blend of cultures while still staying strictly Native American in its full telling.
Furthermore the illustrations were beautiful and greatly added to the telling of the story. I enjoyed the attention to the detail and how they helped to build up the characters while contributing also to the setting of the story.
A definite enjoyable read for those who enjoy flowers and/or Native American folktale if you can overlook the editorial problems.
Otherwise the telling of the story was quick and full of beautiful details that will take the reader back into the forest where the Ojibwe live. As for the timing of the story I am not quite sure when it was suppose to take place but I did notice that by the details both in the illustrations as well as the writing that it had to be after European arrival on the continent thus it is a blend of cultures while still staying strictly Native American in its full telling.
Furthermore the illustrations were beautiful and greatly added to the telling of the story. I enjoyed the attention to the detail and how they helped to build up the characters while contributing also to the setting of the story.
A definite enjoyable read for those who enjoy flowers and/or Native American folktale if you can overlook the editorial problems.
September 1, 2022
I didn't know this legend before of a girl who sacrifices her life to save her tribe. My girls sat in rapt silence as I read. It's a lovely, brave story that doesn't shy away from death but treats it reverently. I love the way the sun bursts on the village at the end.
April 9, 2017
Legend of the Lady's Slipper was one of my favorites growing up. It's about Running Flower, the daughter of a tribal chief, who always smiles and lives in a small community. When her people begin to get sick and die she runs through the cold wintery night across the forest to the nearest village for medicine. She doesn't have proper snow boots so the cold really attacks her as she returns. She is barely alive when she delivers the medicine and saves her people. As a result of the cold she passes away and throughout the forest Lady Slipper flowers grow in trails where she ran through the forest for her people and wherever her spirit roams.
"In the quiet of the night, she donned her white robe and wrapped it tightly around her body. She took her father's eagle feathers from the floor and held them tightly in her hand, and fled into the forest."
The illustrations in this story are absolutely gorgeous. Running Flower is always positioned in areas of power and portrayed as visibly brave. Everything looks like rich oil paintings. Color is used very strategically to signify tension, darker neutral colors when she is racing through the dark forest at midnight and bright green when her spirit is shown wandering through the grasses, trailing lady slipper flowers in her wake.
Its a creation story of the lady's slipper flower, a feminist heroine narrative, and a story of an underrepresented community in America. Combined this is a kick-ass story. It has the ability to teach students many lessons in one: women are capable of being heroes and sacrificing their lives for good causes and death doesn't have to be a scary thing, it can be spiritual and beautiful.
"In the quiet of the night, she donned her white robe and wrapped it tightly around her body. She took her father's eagle feathers from the floor and held them tightly in her hand, and fled into the forest."
The illustrations in this story are absolutely gorgeous. Running Flower is always positioned in areas of power and portrayed as visibly brave. Everything looks like rich oil paintings. Color is used very strategically to signify tension, darker neutral colors when she is racing through the dark forest at midnight and bright green when her spirit is shown wandering through the grasses, trailing lady slipper flowers in her wake.
Its a creation story of the lady's slipper flower, a feminist heroine narrative, and a story of an underrepresented community in America. Combined this is a kick-ass story. It has the ability to teach students many lessons in one: women are capable of being heroes and sacrificing their lives for good causes and death doesn't have to be a scary thing, it can be spiritual and beautiful.
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November 17, 2017This book is about Running Flower. It talked about her love of the forest, respect of her elders. Running Flower's mother was ill, and ran off to the other side of her village to get medicine to help her village. Running Flower was a brave young girl. The book talks about other symbols and important aspects of Native culture.
The Lady Slipper is Minnesota's state flower, so I think using this story would be a good application of why the Lady Slipper is important to Minnesota's history. Also, it is a great way to teach about Native American history and culture.
The Lady Slipper is Minnesota's state flower, so I think using this story would be a good application of why the Lady Slipper is important to Minnesota's history. Also, it is a great way to teach about Native American history and culture.
December 5, 2012
This book is a wonderful read for children from grades 1-5. This books features a young girl fulfilling a heroic image. Not only does this book feature a women succeeding, but it also shows a girl of colour. This book properly shows the uplifting identity of a young aboriginal girl. This is a great book to share in Saskatchewan schools as well as elementary schools around Canada.
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November 16, 2017I loved this book. It would be a great way to introduce culture to the classroom and discuss stereotypes. The book did not have stereotypical aspects. It taught about real aspects of American Indian culture. Also, the description was well thought out. The story of a young girl would be intriguing to students. The heart-felt story draws in readers of all ages.
November 30, 2020
I really liked this book! Although it is a story for children, it is detailed and honors Native American traditions beautifully. It is evident that research was done to accurately depict the Ojibwe tribe's ways of life. I think this a great book choice to introduce folklore tales and read aloud to multiple grade levels.
November 24, 2013
They read this book to little M during the Minnesota unit at school. I loved, loved it. A lot to be learned and just a beautiful Native American story.
But I think I'm going to wait until a little later. Pretty mature stuff and more could be gained at a later age.
But I think I'm going to wait until a little later. Pretty mature stuff and more could be gained at a later age.
September 23, 2020
What a wonderful story. The young are so brave and the community is so whole. Native American folklores are a favorite to read of mine. There's happiness, sadness, death, and life. I was filled with emotion and will be buying this book in the future.
March 31, 2014
Beautiful! Heart-breaking and breath-taking all at once.
July 14, 2015
I would have prefered to see more of the lady's slipper...as the story went, it was only present for the end of it.
July 15, 2020
Beautiful story and stunning illustrations
November 10, 2020
Really sad
March 25, 2022
A beautiful picture book that talks about legends and folklore. An Indian legend .
April 10, 2022
"The lady was really kind and wanted to help her people"
April 5, 2021
Book Title: The Legend of the Lady's Slipper
Author: Kathy-jo Wargin
Illustrator: Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen
Reading Level: 4.9
Book Level:Grades 2-5
Book Summary: In this legend, Running Flower is the heroine of her village, as she runs swiftly through the woods to get the needed medicine to save lives. The lady slipper flowers that adorn the ground in the spring are the symbol of her bravery.
Bookshelf Genre: Traditional
Bookshelf Mentor Writing Trait: Conventions
This beautifully told legend not only has vivid illustrations, but has a variety of sentence types to tell the story. As a mentor text, I would have students examine the paragraph structure. Most of the pages have detailed paragraphs with wonderful examples of well written compound and complex sentences. There are names and places that are capitalized, and many long sentences with correct comma placement. I would have students proofread their own writing, checking for capitalization and punctuation errors. Also, I would have them add more words to their sentences, while at the same time using commas and end marks correctly. Seeing examples of high quality paragraph structure helps students increase the quality of their own work.
Author: Kathy-jo Wargin
Illustrator: Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen
Reading Level: 4.9
Book Level:Grades 2-5
Book Summary: In this legend, Running Flower is the heroine of her village, as she runs swiftly through the woods to get the needed medicine to save lives. The lady slipper flowers that adorn the ground in the spring are the symbol of her bravery.
Bookshelf Genre: Traditional
Bookshelf Mentor Writing Trait: Conventions
This beautifully told legend not only has vivid illustrations, but has a variety of sentence types to tell the story. As a mentor text, I would have students examine the paragraph structure. Most of the pages have detailed paragraphs with wonderful examples of well written compound and complex sentences. There are names and places that are capitalized, and many long sentences with correct comma placement. I would have students proofread their own writing, checking for capitalization and punctuation errors. Also, I would have them add more words to their sentences, while at the same time using commas and end marks correctly. Seeing examples of high quality paragraph structure helps students increase the quality of their own work.
December 29, 2025
Exquisite artwork and the beautiful storytelling of the Lady’s slipper. I bought this as a Welcome Baby gift and it will wait on the bookshelf for a few years. Another Pure Michigan selection with author, story line, artist, bookstore and publisher all here in the Mitten. I read it a number of times and recommend it highly. Age 6-7+
June 23, 2017
Oh my goodness, this must be the most gorgeous book of one of my favourite flowers! So well done in every way!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews