Little Water and the Gift of the Animals

by Carrie J. Taylor and C.J. Taylor

Book Overview

A great hunter, Little Water has a special gift he can communicate with the animals of the forest, who respect him. One day, when Little Water returns from the hunt, he finds his village silent.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0887764002
• ISBN13: 9780887764004
• Release Date: May 1997
• Publisher: Tundra Books (NY)
• Length: 24 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 8.1" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 8 to 11 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 6

Customer Reviews

The Seneca legend about the gift of the animals

"Little Water and the Gift of the Animals: A Seneca Legend" is a story that represents the high regard Native Americans hold for the natural world in which they live. Young readers are probably familiar with how the Native Americans relied on certain animals for food and clothing, but in this story author-illustrator C. J. Taylor shows how they also used to provide medicine for both the body and the spirit. It also reflects the tradition of only taking what was needed and always giving thanks to the animals that provided such gifts.Little Water is a young hunter of the Seneca, who were the westernmost and largest tribe of the Iroquois Confederacy (a.k.a. The Five Nations), inhabiting parts of what is now northwestern New York state. However, Little Water does not always hunt when he goes into the forest because he had the special gift of being able to talk to the animals. In doing so his special friend was Wolf, who sometimes seemed to know what Little Water was thinking without them speaking at all. One day Little Water's grandfather, Stone Owl, tells him that a terrible sickness has come over the village that his medicine cannot cure. It is up to Little Water to go into the forest and ask for the help of the animals.Taylor tells the story of what happened when Little Water was injured during his search and how the animals of the forest came to his rescue because he had always shown them kindness and respect. As Taylor points out at the end of her book, the Little Water Society still exists among the tribes of the Confederacy, which shows the relevancy of the legend in today's world. In fact, "Little Water and the Gift of the Animals" is a retelling of "The Grateful Animals, a legend of the Little Water Society." This is a rather simple tale, but young readers will appreciate how each of the gifts bestowed by the animals gets used by Little Water's tribe, even though the book only touches briefly on those specifics. Consequently, this book would make a nice story for teachers to use to reinforce such practices amongst the Native Americans in a unit studying their cultures.