Her Seven Brothers

Rating:
Summary: The Cheyenne legend of how the Big Dipper was created
Review: Paul Goble's telling of the story of "Her Seven Brothers" will open the minds of young readers to the intriguing idea that different people look up at the same stars in the sky and see different things. In this case the story is about the seven stars that form the Big Dipper, the most recognizable constellation in the northern night sky. "Her Seven Brothers" retells the Cheyenne legend of a girl who was taught how to embroider with dyed porcupine quills onto deer and buffalo skin robes and clothes. One day she begins making sets of clothes, a shirt and pair of moccasins, explaining she has seen in her mind seven brothers who live by themselves far in the north country where the cold wind comes from. She is making them clothes because they have no sister, and when she is done she will find their tipi and ask them to be her brothers.

However, how the young girl made the clothes and found the seven brothers is only the first part of the story. Once she is there the story takes a turn when the chief of the Buffalo Nation demands that the seven brothers send their sister to him. If they do not obey, then the whole Buffalo Nation will come to get her and the brothers will be trampled. How the seven brothers and their sister get out of this situation will explain how the Big Dipper was created. Young readers will be interested to learn that there are really eight stars in the Big Dipper and what the tiny star means in the context of this legend. "Her Seven Brothers" also speaks to the birds, animals, and flowers that share the earth with us as reminders of the generosity of the Creator, reflecting the strong Native American tradition of living in harmony with nature.

As always, Goble's illustrations done in pen and India ink, then filled in with watercolor, show an attention to historical and cultural detail. The designs of the shirts, dresses, and other articles in "Her Seven Brothers" are based on Cheyenne designs found in museum in not only the United States but also Europe. The designs of the painted tipis are taken from models that were made for the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago by members of the Cheyenne in 1900. Goble's art is contemporary, but he certainly honors the Native American artists of the Great Plains from the 19th century in the over two-dozen books on myths and legends he has produced to date.

Rating:
Summary: The Cheyenne legend of how the Big Dipper was created
Review: Paul Goble's telling of the story of "Her Seven Brothers" will open the minds of young readers to the intriguing idea that different people look up at the same stars in the sky and see different things. In this case the story is about the seven stars that form the Big Dipper, the most recognizable constellation in the northern night sky. "Her Seven Brothers" retells the Cheyenne legend of a girl who was taught how to embroider with dyed porcupine quills onto deer and buffalo skin robes and clothes. One day she begins making sets of clothes, a shirt and pair of moccasins, explaining she has seen in her mind seven brothers who live by themselves far in the north country where the cold wind comes from. She is making them clothes because they have no sister, and when she is done she will find their tipi and ask them to be her brothers.

However, how the young girl made the clothes and found the seven brothers is only the first part of the story. Once she is there the story takes a turn when the chief of the Buffalo Nation demands that the seven brothers send their sister to him. If they do not obey, then the whole Buffalo Nation will come to get her and the brothers will be trampled. How the seven brothers and their sister get out of this situation will explain how the Big Dipper was created. Young readers will be interested to learn that there are really eight stars in the Big Dipper and what the tiny star means in the context of this legend. "Her Seven Brothers" also speaks to the birds, animals, and flowers that share the earth with us as reminders of the generosity of the Creator, reflecting the strong Native American tradition of living in harmony with nature.

As always, Goble's illustrations done in pen and India ink, then filled in with watercolor, show an attention to historical and cultural detail. The designs of the shirts, dresses, and other articles in "Her Seven Brothers" are based on Cheyenne designs found in museum in not only the United States but also Europe. The designs of the painted tipis are taken from models that were made for the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago by members of the Cheyenne in 1900. Goble's art is contemporary, but he certainly honors the Native American artists of the Great Plains from the 19th century in the over two-dozen books on myths and legends he has produced to date.