Details
Synopsis
In this Algonquin "Earth Diver" creation myth, woven from the ideas of several traditional tales, the water birds and animals left behind when the old world was flooded dive for mud so that the Creator can make dry land again.
| Size | | Height: | 11.5 in | | Width: | 9.8 in | | Thickness: | 0.5 in | | Weight: | 14.4 oz |
Industry Reviews
Gr 2-4 Goble expands upon the Algonquin "Earth Diver" myth to tell a story of the cycle of Creation, in the "spirit of old stories." Long ago, the earth cracked open and water flooded everything, leaving only aquatic creatures alive. These animals beg Earth Maker to bring back the land. He asks for one animal to dive down and bring him some mud. Many fail, but Coot succeeds. Earth Maker places the mud on Grandmother Turtle's back to make a world covered with creations from his imagination from birds to buffaloes to people. He teaches people to hunt, cook with fire, and to make clothes. Finally, he tells Bull Buffalo to push against the mountains; when Bull Buffalo dies, "the mountains will break apart and the waters will flood in once again, and then Earth Maker will make another world." Elements are drawn from the myths of many tribes of the Great Plains, including the Blackfoot and Arapaho. Watercolor illustrations are well executed, often enriching the text such as when flocks of birds fly out from the edges of Earth Maker's robe. The story is supplemented by asterisked information, which, although interesting, is not attributed to particular tribes and detracts from the flow of the text. Goble's The Great Race (Bradbury, 1985) provides a more elaborate explanation of one element of this Creation myth, man's triumph over buffaloes. Remaking the Earth is suitable for telling or independent reading, and has broad appeal. Susan M. Moore, Louisville Free Public Library, KY
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