How Turtle's Back was Cracked

 Bibliography: Ross, G. (1995). How Turtle’s Back was Cracked: A Traditional Cherokee Tale. Illus. by Murv Jacob. Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 978-0-8037-1728-2

Plot Summary: Turtle and Possum are best friends, and frequently share their favorite food, persimmons. When a wolf interferes, and sneakily steals Turtle's persimmons, the wolf is killed by possum.  But Turtle, realizing that Wolf stole his persimmons and unaware of what Possum had done, believes he had killed Wolf. He shares this victory story with his friends, and soon Wolf's family hears and they plan Turtle's demise. The clever turtle tricks them into throwing him into the river, not knowing he could swim. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned, and Turtle is no longer the same. 

Critical Analysis: The story is based on a Native American folktale, and the oral tradition of passing down stories is clearly seen. Through the story, Ross also demonstrates the respect Native Americans give to nature and the Earth. Ross' storytelling skills were also evident as I was entertained throughout, waiting to see what happened next. Despite the use of mostly neutral colors, the illustrations were still vibrant and reflected the story. Word choice was vivid but could be easily understood by an experienced elementary school reader. Would be great for young readers as a read-aloud.  It was a great read, and I would recommend to readers of any age. 

Reviews:

Kirkus Reviews: "This old Cherokee tale has humor with a kick; Jacob's densely detailed, stylized acrylics add a bit of the surreal."

Publisher's Weekly: "Jacob's tapestry-like acrylics, dense with pattern and detail, bring memorable theater to this story...."

Awards: 

Sequoyah Book Award Nominee, 1998

Connections:

Use in an English class in a unit on folktales.  Read together with a class and provide a list of other folktales for students to choose from (such as Johnny Appleseed or Paul Bunyan). Have students compare and contrast the stories.

Use in an English class in a unit on folktales.  Share other folktales (such as Johnny Appleseed or Paul Bunyan). Then have students write their own folktale regarding the origin of something in nature. 

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