McDermott, G. (1993). Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest. Harcourt Brace.
Caldecott Honor Book – 1994
In this trickster tale told and illustrated by master artist Gerald McDermott, the cunning animal that outwits and conquers in this story is indeed a raven. The bird is depicted in the stylized, bold patterning indicative of the artistry of the native people of the Pacific Northwest region of America. The story’s major problem is seen by Raven, where he realizes that the Earth is dull and gray and in need of light, and so he sets out in an outsmarting way to get the sunlight back into the sky. Raven goes about this by transforming into a pine needle, falling in the water being drunk by a young woman, who becomes “with child” and has a boy (who is really the Raven reincarnated.) When the intriguing, spirited toddler cries for what is in the glowing box of his “grandfather,” The Sky Chief, the chief will give anything to make his grandson happy, and when he gets the glowing ball of sun, transforms back into a raven, flies into the sky, and places the sun there for all on Earth to benefit from.
In the front of the book, McDermott gives some background information on the origin of the raven artistically, as well as a trickster and prominent character in Native American culture in the Pacific Northwest who uses both his skills at tricking others and his goal to do so to be a hero in a helpful way. This combination of “brave and cunning, greedy and gluttonous” gives an interesting juxtaposition on a central character mainly utilized to explain the world around them in the days of oral storytelling tradition. On his website, (see the link in the Featured Author section on the right,) I found it interesting in his special trickster tale section that he stated: “The trickster has special appeal for children because of his ability to triumph over larger foes not by physical strength but by wit and cunning. In addition, tales of the trickster still speak to us in a gentle, humorous way about the strengths and weaknesses of humankind.” I think that McDermott puts into words a solid description of trickster tales of all kinds across cultures, and retold orally or by numerous authors. Children love to hear about animals that have humanistic characteristics, where being tricky or dishonest is not as scary than if it was a human character, and that subjects can be explored and discussed with a safe distance demeanor about the situation. McDermott is both a gifted storyteller and illustrator of children’s picture books.
Caldecott Honor Book – 1994
In this trickster tale told and illustrated by master artist Gerald McDermott, the cunning animal that outwits and conquers in this story is indeed a raven. The bird is depicted in the stylized, bold patterning indicative of the artistry of the native people of the Pacific Northwest region of America. The story’s major problem is seen by Raven, where he realizes that the Earth is dull and gray and in need of light, and so he sets out in an outsmarting way to get the sunlight back into the sky. Raven goes about this by transforming into a pine needle, falling in the water being drunk by a young woman, who becomes “with child” and has a boy (who is really the Raven reincarnated.) When the intriguing, spirited toddler cries for what is in the glowing box of his “grandfather,” The Sky Chief, the chief will give anything to make his grandson happy, and when he gets the glowing ball of sun, transforms back into a raven, flies into the sky, and places the sun there for all on Earth to benefit from.
In the front of the book, McDermott gives some background information on the origin of the raven artistically, as well as a trickster and prominent character in Native American culture in the Pacific Northwest who uses both his skills at tricking others and his goal to do so to be a hero in a helpful way. This combination of “brave and cunning, greedy and gluttonous” gives an interesting juxtaposition on a central character mainly utilized to explain the world around them in the days of oral storytelling tradition. On his website, (see the link in the Featured Author section on the right,) I found it interesting in his special trickster tale section that he stated: “The trickster has special appeal for children because of his ability to triumph over larger foes not by physical strength but by wit and cunning. In addition, tales of the trickster still speak to us in a gentle, humorous way about the strengths and weaknesses of humankind.” I think that McDermott puts into words a solid description of trickster tales of all kinds across cultures, and retold orally or by numerous authors. Children love to hear about animals that have humanistic characteristics, where being tricky or dishonest is not as scary than if it was a human character, and that subjects can be explored and discussed with a safe distance demeanor about the situation. McDermott is both a gifted storyteller and illustrator of children’s picture books.
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