Arrow to the Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale: Amazon.ca: Gerald McDermott: Books

Product Description

Book Description

An expression of the universal myth of the hero-quest, this beautiful story also portrays the Indian reverence for the source of life: the Solar Fire. Vibrant full-color illustrations capture the boldness and color of Pueblo art. A Caldecott Medal Book.

Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
Long ago the Lord of the Sun sent the spark of life to earth. Read the first page

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Concordance

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
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Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Why I love Arrow to the Sun, Feb 12 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Arrow to the Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale (Paperback)

This book just calls to me. I love the words, I love the pictures. Most of the time when I read a book over and over I get bored with the book. But every time I read this book I love it even more. I give it 5 stars. I think it is the best book ever.

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1.0 out of 5 stars This is NOT a good book for teaching about Pueblo people, Nov 7 2003

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Debbie Reese (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Arrow to the Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale (Paperback)

With dismay, I read the customer reviews of this book. There are 19 Pueblos in New Mexico, and more in Arizona. Which Pueblo is this book about? There is great variation from one to the other. Most troubling, however, is McDermott's presentation of the kiva. Our kivas are not places of trial. They are more akin to churches and temples where cultural knowledge is passed on from one generation to the next. Finally, extended families are central to Pueblo culture, and there is no stain of illegitimacy conferred on those who don't know who their father is. This book should NOT be used to teach about Pueblo Indians. These errors are major ones.

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5.0 out of 5 stars as good as i remember, Jun 16 2003

By

J. Hill (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Arrow to the Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale (Hardcover)

My mother read this book to me when I was a child, and I remember loving it, but hadn't seen it in probably 15 years until I bought it for my nephew. It is as good as I remember.

I can attest to the fact that the high contrast, brightly colored drawings are mesmerizing for a small child. The best part of the book is when the boy must complete four tasks for the sun god to prove himself. The tasks are not narrated, you get to see how the tasks are completed from how the drawings change. It's so cool! I felt very smart as a little kid being able to discover what he did and figure it our for myself.

On a cultural note, the narrative is similar to the Christ story. Mother gives birth to the boy (a virgin birth) after the sun god sends a ray of energy to her. The boy grows up and wants to know who his father is, and goes on a quest to find him and prove that he is indeed the son of the sun god. (That's why he becomes an arrow to the sun!)

I think it's good for a child to be exposed to this story to begin to understand the universal elements of religion and that all cultures have a lot in common. Even those that seem strange are not so different from our own.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Creation, Quest, and Spreading the Spirit in Fabulous Images
The story here is a Native American Pueblo tale. It begins when "Long ago the Lord of the Sun sent the spark of life to earth. Read more

Published on April 18 2001 by Donald Mitchell

5.0 out of 5 stars I heard it from himself
I was yesterday in a Jungian workshop when suddenly there was this man who began to tell us a story. I felt like I child listening to the storyteller of the tribe. Read more

Published on Aug 19 2000 by claudia zamora castillo