The Legend of the Bluebonnet

Bluebonnet is a good hero and losing a humanlike doll you love to save your people is a great balance of poignant and teaching a great lesson about what's really important.

I really love the little girl in the book. I recommend this for a lesson learning experience for children.

This is good for kids first to third grade. It teaches children that sometimes they shouldn't be selfish and instead must do what's best for a majority. This would be good for teaching moral concepts, such as selflessness.

I enjoyed reading this book to my class as a read aloud. It brought about good discussion for my students. It was interesting to read the author's note explaining about the research that was collected before writing the story. 'When doing a book based on a legend involving real people, it becomes a

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drive to find out as much as possible about their customs and way of life in an effort to portray as accurate and full a picture as possible.' I believe Tomie dePaola did an excellent job representing the culture and being respectful at the same time.

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This is an Indian myth about Bluebonnet flowers. There was a drought and the little girl's village had no food. She sacraficed her doll and burned it so they would have rain again. The next day they had rain and where her doll was burned Bluebonnet flowers had grown. I would read this to 1st-4th

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grade classes to teach about giving and caring about others.

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A charming retelling of the Native American legend about the origin of Texas' state flower, the bluebonnet. In this tale, the Comanche People experience drought and famine as a result of their selfish acts against the Earth. One night after everyone is in bed, a young girl burns her most precious

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possession, a warrior doll, and scatters the ashes. The young Indian girl finds herself surrounded by beautiful blue flowers and a lush green Earth. As the People celebrate, the rains return and they praise the sacrifice of the young girl, whose name becomes "One-Who-Dearly-Loved-Her-People."

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This is a sad story of a girl, She-Who-Is-Alone, who sacrifices her most prized possession, a doll left to her by her deceased family, in order to end a drought for her tribe. The Great Spirits sent the rain and showered bluebonnets all over the hills in remembrance of the decorations on the doll

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she sacrificed that had meant so much. She became One-Who-Dearly-Loved-Her-People.

This legend is sad because someone so young must sacrifice so much. Kids these days don't know what it is like to go without. It is also sad to think that she was alone. I think it's bittersweet in tone because she does a very brave thing in her sacrifice. Even small children must summon courage to do big things sometimes.

For the kids in my class, I would ask them to bring something to school that is there most prized possession. Then I would ask them if they could ever part with it and why or why not. We would then pick partners to write about. We would write a "news story" about the person and their special object. I definitely think I will teach in Texas. If so, we could go see some bluebonnets firsthand. If I teach anywhere else, I suppose I could try to grow them. But those beautiful flowers are loyal. They look the best in Texas.

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This is a book about the legend of the bluebonnet. A young Native American named She-Who-Is-Alone sacrafices her favorite doll to try and bring rain to her tribe. The lands where dying and the tribe was suffering. Because of her great sacrifice the gods sent rain to this tribe. Every year the land

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is filled with bluebonnets. The tribe renamed the girl to "One-Who-Dearly-Loved-Her-People."

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'The Legend of Bluebonnet' by Tomie dePaola tells the tale of and Indian tribe that is praying to the gods for rain as to end the famine and thirst. The indian girl, She-Who-Is-Alone belongs to the tribe and is also praying for rain. The head of the tribe tells the family that sacrifices must be

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made to the gods in order to be blessed with rain. Some men sacrifice their bows, and She-Who-Is-Alone sacrifcices her most prized posession, a doll. She burns the doll at night and by morning there are flowers where the ashes settled. Rain soon comes and the tribe is thankful. This story is great to teach about Indians and different cultures.

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This book is one i chose to read aloud because it is an interesting tall tale about the indignous texas wild flower the blue bonnet. I find that tall tales such as this one really captures a child's attention. this is a great read aloud or independent read for kids ages 6-9

In a village where everyone wanted rain, no one would sacrifice anything of importance. No one except a little orphan. She gave her most prized posession. In the end, the spirits honored her sacrifice by sending rain and blue bonnets.

She-who-is-alone sacrifices her most beloved possession--a doll left by her dead family, in order to bring much-needed rain to her tribe. She awakens to find bluebonnets all around her, and she is renamed One-who-dearly-loved-her-people.

Review: This book is a good example of a folktale because it is a story based on historical people and places, and is drawn from people's religious beliefs, customs, and values. It is a retelling of the Comanche Indian legend of how a little girl's sacrifice brought the flower called bluebonnet to

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Texas.
Level: Intermediate

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The Legend of the Bluebonnet is an amazing story about a little girl named She-Who-Is-Alone. Her parents and grandparents were killed by the famine when she was a baby. All she had left of her family was an Indian doll her mother made her. In the land she lived, it hadn't rained in many days,

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therefore the land was suffering from drought and people from famine. The "shaman", who is like their chief, heard words from the Great Spirit saying that the people had been selfish and when they had made a burnt offering of their most valuable possession, then it would rain. The girl knew what her most valuable possession was, so she went to build a fire and burn it. The next morning when she woke up, there were blue flowers scattered on the ground. Then, it began to rain. She knew she had done the right thing.

This book would be for the grades first and older. My cousin, who I read to, thought it was a good book.

This book could be read while talking about Indians or the seasons. I would explain to my students' the importance of rain. Before we read the book, I would have the students draw a picture of what the land looks like after it rains. Then I would read them the book. We would discuss what the land looks like without rain. Then, I would have the students tell me what their most valuable possession was and why it meant so much to them.

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An orphan girl makes the greatest sacrifice to save her land and her people -- she burns her only possession, a beloved doll, while alone in the middle of the night, attempting to give the gods what they demand. The and her people are rewarded the following morning with fertile land covered in blue

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bonnets. De Paola's inimitable illustrations beautifully tell this sad, brave story, and ultimately uplifting the reader with the power, generosity and wisdom of one small child.

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I liked this book as it made me feel both happy and sad at the same time. Like many Native American books, there is a sense of sacrifice to it in order for a heroic act to be completed. I would use this book in a school setting for second or third graders.

Part Ca
DePaola, T. (1983). The legend of the bluebonnet. New York: Penguin Putnam.

The land of the Comanche people was suffering from a drought. They sang for days and asked the great spirits what they could do to be forgiven. The girl named She-Who-Is-Alone sacrificed her most prized possesion,

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her doll. The next morning the fields were covered in beautiful blue flowers and then it began to rain. The people thanked the spirits for the rain and they renamed the girl One-Who-Dearly-Loved-Her-People. A unique feature of this book is that the girl is alone because the famine has killed her family members, but by the end of the book she is no longer alone.

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The story of how the Bluebonnet came to be. A brave young girl who sacrifices her most valuable treasure, her doll, to restore life to earth. an inspiring story that explores some of the traditions of some native American tribes.

The Legend of the Bluebonnet by Tomie DePaola
This story is an Indian tale about a village that had no rain. They tried and tried to make it rain, but it would not. A young girl decides to sacrifice her most prized possession to help her people.
I like this story because it is about a young girl

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who sees a need and tries to fulfill it. I think children need to learn that sacrificing some things you really like to help others.
I would use this story with first and second graders. I would ask them to think about someone who has needed their help. I would read the story with them. I would ask them to write about a way they could help someone in need in the present or future.

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Summary: This is a retelling of an old Native American legend about the origin of the Texas state flower the bluebonnet. In the story the Comanche People experience drought and famine as a result of their neglect to earth and in order for them to flourish again they are to sacrifice their most

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prized possession by buring it as an offering. One night after everyone is asleep a little indian girl burns her most prized possession, a warrior doll. When she wakes up she is surrounded with blue flowers and the people rename her " the-one-who-dearly-loved-her-people."

Personal Effect: I have always loved this story. It has such beautiful illustrations and it is just a good feeling kind of story.

Extension Ideas: This would be a good book to read in attachment with reasons why to keep the earth clean and then to learn what your own state flower is and where its name really came from.

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Did this as a read-aloud for fourth graders. They enjoyed the book and we had a great discussion on legends and what they are. I think it is beneficial to expose them to other cultures through legends because it may be easier to relate to legends than other texts.

The story of how a young orphaned native American girl helped her tribe. She selflessly sacrificed her most prized possession to the great spirits. The spirits blessed the land with rain, and bluebonnets grew everywhere. Her named change from She-who -is-alone to One-who-dearly-loved-her-people.

Story of little Native American girl who's prized possession is a doll she carries everywhere. When trouble comes to her tribe, to help the village she burns her doll to please the spirits. In the morning, the nearby fields are blooming with beautiful blue flowers called: bluebonnets, showing the

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spirits are pleased.

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A tale of sacrifice by a selfless Comanche girl who gives up her most prized possession so that the Great Spirits will bring life-giving rain to the drought-stricken land. If you like this book, you'll also like "Erandi's Braids" which was also illustrated by Tomie dePaola and written by Antonio

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Hernandez Madrigal. This book is rich in new vocabulary words including Comanche people, healing rains, famine, drought, buckskin, polished, brilliant, shaman, plentiful, distant days, burnt offering, possession, sacrifice, restored, bow, tipis, glowed, crept, suffering, flames, ashes, bluebonnets, miraculous, feathers and scarcely.

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