Book Review - The First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story

1. Bibliography
Bruchac, Joseph. 1993. The First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story. Ill. Anna Vojtech. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0-8037-1332-0.
2. Plot Summary
This traditional tale gives an explanation about why strawberries were created.  After a normally happy couple becomes angry with one another, the woman leaves the man.  When the man wants to offer an apology, there is seemingly no way for him to catch up with the woman.   The sun makes beautiful, delicious strawberries appear in her path, causing her to stop long enough for the man to catch up with her. 
3. Critical Analysis
Joseph Bruchac retells this traditional Cherokee tale with simple, yet touching, vocabulary.  The sequence of events is presented in such a way that the reader anxiously awaits the reconciliation of the main characters.  The warm sunshine is the hero who salvages the relationship.  "The Sun saw how sorry the man was and took pity on him." The personification of the Sun allows the author to help readers relate nature to humans - a common theme of the traditions taught in Native American culture. The sweet ending reminds readers about the importance of friendship and respect.
The illustrations, beautifully painted with bright watercolor, are a nice representation of the Cherokee culture.  The soft blending of nature and human figures fits nicely with the Native American idea that people and nature should coexist in harmony. 
4. Review Excerpts
1998 Publisher's Weekly: "an uncomplicated story line and gentle illustrations keep this quiet but resonant tale accessible to even the youngest child"
1995 Kirkus Review: "complete harmony of text and pictures: altogether lovely."
5. Connections
Real World connection: provide each of the berries named in the story and allow students to see them, smell them and taste them.  Then create a comparison chart for the different berry varieties. 

Read other traditional tales that attempt to explain the existence of something and compare/contrast the stories for their believability, use of personification, sequence of events, etc.  Try The Moon and the Great Snake, How the Ducks Got Their Fine Feathers, or Why Chipmunk's Back is Striped.