KidLit Kaleidoscope: The Story of the Milky Way: a Cherokee Tale

Bruchac, Joseph, and Gayle Ross.1995. The Story of the Milky Way: a Cherokee Tale. Ill. by Virginia A. Stroud. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0803717385

Plot Summary

Someone is stealing corn from the elders! The village members could not believe anyone could do such a terrible thing. The old couple’s grandson was determined to find out what was going on. After hiding near the corn bin one night, he couldn’t believe his eyes—a light in the shape of a dog was eating the food! When the village heard this, they knew they had to come up with a way to keep this strange beast from their village food. The plan they came up with resulted in the beautiful display of stars in the heavens that we enjoy today.

Critical analysis

This retelling of a Cherokee tale begins with a nod to the oral storytelling tradition: “This is what the old people told me when I was a child.” From this beginning, the reader already has a sense of the tradition and narrative attached to the story. It begins with reinforcing the cultural importance of corn, and moves to the cultural values of the village in respecting the elders.

This story includes insightful wording that steeps the reader deeper into the cultural background of the Cherokees, such as when it references time: “That evening when Grandmother Sun had gone to her rest and Elder Brother Moon was not yet in the sky. . .”. It also includes the belief in the mystical, when it is discovered that a spirit dog may be the culprit.

The illustrations in this book have a folksy feel to them. The characters are painted with no mouths, wearing more culturally-ambiguous clothing, such as long, flower-printed dresses for the women and pants and striped coats for the men. I appreciate the small details of village life depicted in many of the paintings, such as the different tools hanging on a pole inside the old couple’s home.

Yet the overall feeling that I get from the paintings is the importance of the village as a unit. The illustrator includes many background characters in the pictures, keeping at the forefront the importance of the community to solve this problem. And by following the advice of the Beloved Woman “a leader among the people,” and one who “was old and wise and understood many things,” the village was able to overcome the difficulty peaceably.

Review Excerpts

From School Library Journal: “The story is told in a clear, straightforward style, with careful attention to the cadence of the language. It is accessible on many levels; it will hold the attention of young listeners, yet remain interesting to older readers.”

From Publisher’s Weekly: “Stroud's distinctive, stylized acrylics harmoniously oppose starkly delineated characters with intricately patterned backgrounds.”

Connections

Other Native American tales by Joseph Bruchac:

Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back (1997) ISBN 978-0698115842