Books like The Legend of the Bluebonnet

The Legend of the Bluebonnet is a folk tale of the Comanche People, to explain the flowering en masse of the lovely wild flower called variously Lupine, Buffalo Clover, Wolf Flower, and “El Conejo” (“the rabbit”) in Texas, every Spring. When white settlers moved to what we now call Texas, they termed the flower “bluebonnet”, as it reminded them of the bonnets worn by many of the white women to protect them from the heat of the Texan sun. This is now the name which is familiar to most people.The author Tomie dePaola collected as many sources as he could, before retelling this tale for himself. It honours the Comanche People and their culture. He comments that it dates from:“their early life in Texas before it became impossible for these brave people to share the land with the settlers and they were expelled or had to flee.”I only saw a picture of beautiful bluebonnets for the first time a few months ago. They grow so widely in the Texas fields, that from a distance it looks like a misty blue carpet: How could I then resist reading this lovely folk tale, when my own favourite flowers are bluebells, which when undisturbed, flourish in splendour, in English woods in the Spring.The Legend of the Bluebonnet tells the tale in simple words, written as a long poem: one without rhyme or metre. It feels like traditional storytelling around a campfire. The illustrations are also simple, stylised water colours without decoration or much detail. Tomie dePaola has provided his own illustrations, concentrating on depicting the Comanche People using a naive style. The environment is sketchy and spare - merely suggested. And so, the legend …The tribe is in trouble. There is a great drought:“Great Spirits,the land is dying. Your people are dying, too,the long line of dancers sang.”Many of the old people, the sick, and the children have died already and still the rains do not come. One little girl has lost all her family. She has a doll made from buckskin who means the world to her. It is all she has:“ - a warrior doll.The eyes, nose and mouth were painted onwith the juice of berries. It wore beaded leggingsand a belt of polished bone.On its head were brilliant blue feathers from the bird who cries ‘Jay-jay-jay’”.It is all She-Who-Is-Alone has left to remind her of her family. But after all the dancing, and pleas for help to the Great Spirits, the shaman has an answer to why the Comanche People are being punished:“The People have become selfish.For years they have taken from the Earthwithout giving anything back.”The shaman said that the Great Spirits demanded a burnt offering: a sacrifice of their most valued possessions, and the ashes must be scattered to the four winds.The people hesitated. There were many Spirits: the Deer Spirit for agility, the Wolf Spirit for ferocity, the Eagle Spirit for strength, and the important Buffalo Spirit, to send them buffalo for the hunt. But there were evil Spirits too, such as the Crow Spirit. Surely the Great Spirits could not want their new bow, or their special blanket. They retired to their tipis to think about it.But the little girl knew what she must do.And ever afterwards “She-Who-Is-Alone” was known by a different name: “She-Who-Dearly-Loved-Her People”. And for evermore, where the little girl had scattered the ashes to the winds, the hills and valleys of Texas are covered by a carpet of beautiful flowers.This is a charming little tale, told in an authentic fashion. It introduces the Comanche People: their customs and beliefs, to very young children. Plus, it instils the universal virtues of courage and self-sacrifice, within a simple narrative poem. The little girl’s decision to do a selfless action, is just as relevant today, as ever. My only reservation about the book is that I would personally have preferred a little more detail in the illustrations. For me then, it remains a three star read.