The Crow's Tale: A Lenni Lenape Native American Legend

K-Gr 3—An attractively illustrated folktale retelling that takes a few liberties with the traditional tale. The animals are freezing as snow begins to fall, and it is decided that the beautifully plumed crow with the lovely song should fly to the sun and ask him to melt the snow. Rainbow Crow bravely flies through wind and snow to reach the creator. The grumpy sun, tired from shining all day, reluctantly hands over a branch of fire. On the journey back to Earth, surviving more storms and scorched from the stick's fire, the crow discovers to his dismay that his beautiful feathers have become black. Underneath, however, is a gift from the sun: glossy shades of violet and blue that will remind the bird of the courage and kindness that others appreciate and that inner beauty is what really matters. The vibrant colors and the expressive faces of the animals are evocative and more than complement the simple rhyme. The author, an Edinburgh-based artist, acknowledges that she took liberties with the traditional story, for example, making the sun the creator. Other traditional elements are omitted, such as the idea that the crow's transformation protects him from predators. Additionally, source notes are not included.