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Soft Child
A Native American legend tells how Sky God helped Rattlesnake to defend himself.
Ages 4-8
Ages 4-8
33 pages, Paperback
First published June 25, 1993
16 people want to read
About the author
Joe Hayes
69 books29 followersDesignated New Mexico Eminent Scholar by the New Mexico Commission on Higher Learning (1979).
Joe was the youngest of five children. His father loved to tell stories. The family moved to Arizona where Joe learned to speak Spanish which became an integral part of his storytelling and writing.
In 1979, he began to devote himself full time to sharing stories. He focuses on elementary school audiences although his work appeals to a wide range of ages.
In 2001, he traveled to Cuba participate in a translation workshop sponsored by Writers of the Americas.
For children and adults alike, Joe's storytelling sessions outside the tepee at the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe are a summer tradition that has continued for over 25 years.
Other facts:
*Youngest of five children
*Graduated from University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Arts in English.
*Taught at Sunnyside High School in Tucson, Arizona and also in Los Alamos, NM.
*Employed in mineral exploration work, working all over the western U.S. as well as in Mexico and Spain.
*Delivered the Commencement address at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at U.C.L.A.
*Currently lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Joe was the youngest of five children. His father loved to tell stories. The family moved to Arizona where Joe learned to speak Spanish which became an integral part of his storytelling and writing.
In 1979, he began to devote himself full time to sharing stories. He focuses on elementary school audiences although his work appeals to a wide range of ages.
In 2001, he traveled to Cuba participate in a translation workshop sponsored by Writers of the Americas.
For children and adults alike, Joe's storytelling sessions outside the tepee at the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe are a summer tradition that has continued for over 25 years.
Other facts:
*Youngest of five children
*Graduated from University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Arts in English.
*Taught at Sunnyside High School in Tucson, Arizona and also in Los Alamos, NM.
*Employed in mineral exploration work, working all over the western U.S. as well as in Mexico and Spain.
*Delivered the Commencement address at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at U.C.L.A.
*Currently lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 29, 2023
When I taught 6th graders on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona for 5 years, I learned that I had a lot to learn about their native beliefs and superstitions. I have been trying to find explanations for these, and I am learning many through folktales.
This explains how Rattlesnake got its fangs. I mistakenly assigned a "finish this story based on the illustration" for creative writing, and it was a picture of a Rattlesnake. I got letters from parents asking me why I would do such a thing. The kids were reticent to do the assignment.
Now I have some ideas about where those ideas came from. Most Native American tribes have respect for snakes; not fear or hatred. Some tribes think of the Rattlesnake as a great medicine man. Others think that snakes are messengers between our world, and the spirit world below this one. Some tribes have strong taboos against killing any snakes.
This particular folktale talks of the Sky God creating all of the animals out of the sand and clay of the desert. He gave each animal a way to protect themselves, when asked. For example, the skunk wanted to smell terrible so that he would be left alone. The Sky God gave the Rattlesnake a rattle to warn others of danger, and to leave the Rattlesnake alone. Unfortunately, skunk and jackrabbit chose to throw the Rattlesnake up and down in the air, laughing the whole time. The Sky God eventually discovered what was going on and led Rattlesnake to a Devil's Claw Plant. From there, Rattlesnake was really able to defend himself, and Native Americans, in fact all people, know why to stay away from the Rattlesnake.
The author explains the history of this folktale at the end of his book. Kay Sather, who is the illustrator, has drawn beautiful illustrations, in black and white, throughout the book.
An excellent book!
This explains how Rattlesnake got its fangs. I mistakenly assigned a "finish this story based on the illustration" for creative writing, and it was a picture of a Rattlesnake. I got letters from parents asking me why I would do such a thing. The kids were reticent to do the assignment.
Now I have some ideas about where those ideas came from. Most Native American tribes have respect for snakes; not fear or hatred. Some tribes think of the Rattlesnake as a great medicine man. Others think that snakes are messengers between our world, and the spirit world below this one. Some tribes have strong taboos against killing any snakes.
This particular folktale talks of the Sky God creating all of the animals out of the sand and clay of the desert. He gave each animal a way to protect themselves, when asked. For example, the skunk wanted to smell terrible so that he would be left alone. The Sky God gave the Rattlesnake a rattle to warn others of danger, and to leave the Rattlesnake alone. Unfortunately, skunk and jackrabbit chose to throw the Rattlesnake up and down in the air, laughing the whole time. The Sky God eventually discovered what was going on and led Rattlesnake to a Devil's Claw Plant. From there, Rattlesnake was really able to defend himself, and Native Americans, in fact all people, know why to stay away from the Rattlesnake.
The author explains the history of this folktale at the end of his book. Kay Sather, who is the illustrator, has drawn beautiful illustrations, in black and white, throughout the book.
An excellent book!
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September 14, 2023This book portrays a rattlesnake as a gentle creature who only wants to protect themself from harm. As a kid, this helped me be less afraid and more understanding of animals
September 3, 2012
This book taught its readers two great lessons. One being that bullying is never good and will lead to bad things. And the second, snakes are not to be messed with. Snakes are very dangerous and if you keep away from them, they won't bother you. I thought it was cool in the beginning when the author was introducing all the animals and giving them there one thing that protected them. I'm sure kids would like this as well because many kids love animals. It is an especially good book for Arizona students because we may come into contact with these animals sometime in our life and we need to realize that every animal has its own protection system. Overall, I enjoyed this book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews