Overview
In this lyric poem inspired by lines from Longfellow's Hiawatha, a firefly leads a small Chippewa girl through the forest to her outdoor cradle. Along the way, the firefly flashes its "golden signal" to reveal many characters of the night.Marty Husted's vivid and historically accurate illustrations depict the child's respect for nature, central to all Native MAerican cultures. Its fanciful premise, reverent words, and beautfiul images make Firefly Night a beguiling bedtime tale for children everywhere.
A young Chippewa girl follows a firefly as it reveals the secrets of the night, the many creatures that share her forest home, on her way to sleep. Inspired by Longfellow's "Song of Hiawatha."
Synopsis
In this lyric poem inspired by lines from Longfellow's Hiawatha, a firefly leads a small Chippewa girl through the forest to her outdoor cradle. Along the way, the firefly flashes its "golden signal" to reveal many characters of the night.
Marty Husted's vivid and historically accurate illustrations depict the child's respect for nature, central to all Native MAerican cultures. Its fanciful premise, reverent words, and beautfiul images make Firefly Night a beguiling bedtime tale for children everywhere.
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 1-In this lullabylike poem inspired by a passage from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Hiawatha, a young Chippewa girl (in "traditional" dress) follows fireflies through the night, as they illuminate various animals. The rhymed couplets are unremarkable, even plodding. "Wah-wah-taysee, firefly;/name for you from Chippewa./Flash your golden signal bright/as the evening turns to night." ("Chippewa" is not a language, although "Algonquian" is). The text is set on white framing double-page or page-and-a-half illustrations. The realistic watercolors in deep, purple tones are comforting but drab. Spot illustrations depicting Chippewa beadwork patterns decorate some pages. Acknowledging the fanciful element in the poem, some parts are still questionable. "Show me the grizzly's hidden lair" shows the girl smiling in delight at a sleeping bear. "Shine on the turtle, snake, and frog" shows a turtle sunning itself under the moon. The smiling animals all follow the girl home to her wigwam, and to sleep. In all, this book offers little beyond a catalog of forest and marsh animals.-Nina Lindsay, Oakland Public Library, CA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.