Owl Eyes - Hardcover

Gates, Frieda

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688124720 ISBN 13: 9780688124724

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1994

Synopsis

Raweno, Master of all Spirits and Everything-Maker, made the world and everything in it, but nothing gave him quite so much trouble as Owl! This retelling of a traditional Kanienke-haka (Mohawk) creation legend will have readers of all ages laughing at the irrepressible but indecisive bird. "This will make a fine story-hour choice and an interesting addition to units on Native Americans."--Booklist.

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

Gates visits her Kanienkehaka (Mohawk) heritage for this pourquoi story about the habits and appearance of the owl. Raweno, "master of all spirits and everything-maker," molds prototypes of all the creatures of the woodlands, then tells each bird or beast to decide on its colors "and however else you wish to be." As Fox, Sparrow, Squirrel et al. take turns declaring their choices, Owl keeps up a steady barrage of suggestions ("Fox should be yellow like the sun"). Raweno is aggravated, but the reader will likely be amused, especially as Miyake supplies thought balloons that show Owl's envisionings (e.g., Fox as lemon-yellow, with a short, stocky torso). The effect is all the more comic given the sobriety of Miyake's full-spread illustrations, which demonstrate a clear reverence for nature. In the end, Raweno silences Owl: "Because I work only by day, you will be awake only at night." He further punishes intrusive Owl by making his neck short, saying, "You will watch only what is in front of you"-and thus strikes the only false note here. Owls, including the long-eared owl depicted, can rotate their heads through 180 degrees or more, a fact undoubtedly known by Kanienkehaka storytellers. Ages 4-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 1-4-In Kanienkehaka (Mohawk) legend, the creator, Raweno, gives each animal its basic shape, then adds fur, feathers, coloring, and other finishing details according to the animal's wishes. In this retelling, Raweno can't finish any work without meddling dissent from owl, who wants fox to have yellow fur, wolf to have smaller feet, sparrow a bigger beak, and so on. Raweno, irritated, finally asks owl what he himself wants. Owl wants red feathers-then blue feathers instead-then fur- then...Raweno loses patience with the bird's impudence and interference, and gives him a neckless body so he'll watch only what is before him, big ears to hear what he is told, and a nocturnal life-to keep him out of the way. Miyake's richly representational paintings focus on the handsome, long-haired Raweno, but the animals and forest setting are given careful attention, too. Details stand out against the leafy green background. Raweno is noble and individualized, more a fine human figure than a divine one. It's his appealing presence that is likely to get this pourquoi tale off the shelf.
Patricia (Dooley) Lothrop Green, St. George's School, Newport, RI
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0688124720
• ISBN 13: 9780688124724
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Carol Bancroft & Friends