Barbara R. Duncan

Adapted for children from Duncan's earlier (1998) adult collection, Living Stories of the Cherokee, this collection of twenty-seven traditional tales is divided into seven thematic sections, and includes an introduction that explains some basics of Cherokee culture and history. Duncan, education director at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in North Carolina, has taken great care to reproduce these tales in the same colloquial language and form in which they were told, giving credit to the original storytellers: Davy Arch, Robert Bushyhead, Edna Chekelelee, Marie Junaluska, Kathi Littlejohn, and Freeman Owle.

Here the reader/hearer will learn some important lessons about how the Cherokee, both young and old, are meant to interact with one another, with the animals, and with the environment. The importance of respect, and consideration for the feelings of others, is continually emphasized. Here too the reader will encounter tales of the supernatural, from horrible monsters such as Spearfinger, to the Spirit Warriors of the Nikwasi Mound.

Both entertaining and educational, The Origin of the Milky Way is enhanced by Cherokee artist Shan Goshorn's illustrations, and should prove popular with young folktale enthusiasts. I myself was charmed by the inclusion of the tale of the "first strawberries," which I had already encountered through Joseph Bruchac's lovely picture book.… (más)