The Girl Who Helped Thunder and Other Native American Folktales

Welcome the second book in the Folktales of the World series! Engaging, inspirational, and above all entertaining, these legends come from Native American peoples across the U.S. Richly illustrated with original art, they capture a wide range of belief systems and wisdom from the Cherokee, Cheyenne, Hopi, Lenape, Maidu, Seminole, Seneca, and other tribes. The beautifully retold tales, all with informative introductions, range from creation myths to animal fables to stirring accounts of bravery and sacrifice. Find out how stories first came to be, and how the People came to the upper world. Meet Rabbit, the clever and irresistible Creek trickster. See how the buffalo saved the Lakota people, and why the Pawnee continue to do the Bear Dance to this very day.
Stefano Vitale’s art showcases a stunning array of animal figures, masks, totems, and Navajo-style rug patterns, all done in nature’s palette of brilliant turquoises, earth browns, shimmering sun-yellow, vivid fire-orange, and the deep blues of a dark night.
 

James and Joseph Bruchac are two of the finest Native American storytellers and writers.  An award-winning author, James has written many children’s books, including When the Chenoo Howls, How Chipmunk Got His Stripes, and Turtle’s Race with Beaver. He is a member and former president of the Word Craft Circle for Native writers and storytellers, as well as a member of the Native Writers Circle of the Americas. He and other members of his family were featured on the PBS special Adirondack Storytellers (WMHT/PBS). Joseph’s work draws on his Abenaki ancestry. He has edited a number of highly praised anthologies, including Songs from this Earth on Turtle's Back, Breaking Silence (winner of an American Book Award) and Returning the Gift. His poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from American Poetry Review, Cricket, and Aboriginal Voices to National Geographic, Parabola and Smithsonian Magazine.

 

 

Stefano Vitale was born in Pauda, Italy. His oil paintings on wood have earned him international awards. His children’s book, When the Wind Stops (written by Charlotte Zolotow) was an ALA Notable Book.