LS 5603 Traditional Literature - The Legend of the Bluebonnet

Bibliographic Data:
dePaola, Tomie. 1983. The Legend of the Bluebonnet: An Old Tale of Texas. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 0399209379

Plot Summary:
This is a Comanche folktale of the origins of the buebonnet in Texas. In The Legend of the Bluebonnet: An Old Tale of Texas, Tomie dePaola tells the story of a young Comanche girl and her sacrifice to rescue her tribe from drought and famine.

Critical Analysis:
The Legend of the Bluebonnet: An Old Tale of Texas is a Pourquoi tale, or a story that tells why something in nature is the way it is.

In the Author's Note following The Legend of the Bluebonnet: An Old Tale of Texas, dePaola writes about how a friend suggested the folktale of the origin of the Texas state flower to him. Reasearch was done on the legends as well as on the Comanche tribe in Texas before dePaola began to retell the story in this brilliant children's book.

I remember reading and studing this book as a child and loving it, so the opportunity to revisit this particular book was of interest to me. Now as an adult, I still enjoy the story, but I feel that I understand more of how couragous and amazing the girl in the book really is.

The illustrations are in warm earth tones that reflect the Comanche tribal setting. The night time scenes are created with a deep blue backdrop in the sky that is traded for a wonderful carpet of bluebonnets when the sun rises. Anyone that has ever visited the Texas Hill Country will surely recognize the last illustration of bluebonnet covered hills.

The story is ultimately of sacrifice and redemption. It revolves around a young girl and her only possession, a doll her family had made her before they passed away due to the famine. The girl, named "She-Who-Is-Alone," sacrificed her doll to the Great Spirits in order to bring forgiveness to her tribe and an end to the drought and famine. At the conclusion of the story her tribe renames her "One-Who-Loved-Her-People," as she had saved the land and the tribe by sacrificing her doll.

Review Excerpts:
Children's Literature: review by Debra Briatico
Tomie dePaola provides a charming retelling of the Native American legend about the origin of Texas' state flower, the bluebonnet.

Connections:
Tomie dePaola also wrote a book on the Indian Paintbrush (The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush, ISBN 0698113608). This is probably the second most recognized Texas Hill Country flower, and I loved them when I was young.

Anyone around my age (28) also may remember that The Legend of the Bluebonnet: An Old Tale of Texas was a Reading Rainbow book. There is a review done many years ago posted at this website: http://pbskids.org/readingrainbow/books/review021a.html.