The Girl Who Helped Thunder and Other Native American Folktales - Book Review

This post was written as a Master's course assignment for Texas Woman's University.

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bruchac, James & Joseph Bruchac. 2008. THE GIRL WHO HELPED THUNDER AND OTHER NATIVE AMERICAN FOLKTALES. Ill. by Stefano Vitale. New York, NY: Sterling. ISBN 9781402732638

2. PLOT SUMMARY

This collection of folktales includes stories from the Native American culture, all across North America. Each section of stories is divided by region. At the beginning of each story is a reference to the place and tribe who originally told the story. This book is a collection of retellings of the stories from seven regions, including Northeast, Southeast, Great Plains, Southwest, California, Northwest, and Far North, in North America. For the sake of brevity, this post will focus mainly on the title story, "The Girl Who Helped Thunder," a story that originates from the Northeast region and the Lenape nation.

The introductory text under the title of "The Girl Who Helped Thunder" mentions that the women of the Lenape nation had great power, and even had some choice about who they wanted to marry. A foreshadowing message follows next, hinting that it is also wise for those women to listen to her family's input when making such a decision. Thus begins the story of Pretty Face, a woman who is beautiful, but who also knows that she is so, and therefore decides that she is too good for any of the men in her tribe.

When a strange man arrives in the village, he approaches Pretty Face's wigwam, boldly says that he has come to marry her, and asks her to come away with him.  The parents insist that they know nothing about this man, where he comes from, or his family, and ask her to reconsider. But defiant Pretty Face goes with the man, agrees to marry him, and follows him down to the river.  

The man leads her to the river, then underneath the water, where surprisingly, she is still able to breathe, and she sees his village, with wigwams made from piles of stone. The man's mother is not welcoming to Pretty Face, and she insists to her son that he should not have brought the woman down to the village. When she meets the man's mother, Pretty Face hears the man's name for the first time, which is Amankamek. The name rings a bell, but she cannot remember why, so she turns around to see him as he's walking away, and she realizes that he is a snake.

Pretty Face remembers that indeed, she has heard the name Amankamek before, as he is the great snake who can change shape to become a man, in order to deceive humans. She appeals to "Grandfather Thunder" to help her, as he is the ultimate enemy of the great snake and is her only hope of survival.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The text in the story title has multi-colored letters, alternating colors that tie in to the artwork in this book. The (literally) colorful language used in this story enlivens the images of the characters. The writing is dense, with a large amount of action happening within a small amount of space. It seems that each of these stories in the book could stand alone as a full picture book, with many more illustrations to accompany the bright text. 

"The Girl Who Helped Thunder" stands as a warning tale to young women, reminding them to be wary of the ability to choose a husband and to wisely listen to their parents' advice. The mother of the great snake Amankamek gave herself away, as she "hissed" at Pretty Face when she first arrived at the wigwam. This particular sound was indicative of what was to come later in the story, as other people from the underwater village hissed as well, setting the stage for a life-or-death escape run for Pretty Face. 

A few themes are woven into this cautionary tale, including the advice to avoid making rash decisions, especially about marriage, to listen, and to respect your parents' wisdom.  The language of the story implores you urgently to listen, to imagine you are in the presence of elderly wisdom, and to learn from the authoritative voice.

The Illustrations add a tactile presence to this story, and to all the stories throughout the book. Stefano Vitale imbues earthy colors, interesting print designs, animals and nature into the illustrations, giving the book a Native American feel. Some drawings appear as a rug made of animal hide, with a soft, flowing design, and tattered edges; other designs are geometric, harsh, bold, and bright. In "The Girl Who Helped Thunder," the snake is huge in proportion to Pretty Face, who appears half-in, and half-out of the water, all under the watchful eye-in-the-sky of Grandfather Thunder cloud. The snake is diamond-backed, brightly painted, and dangerous. Pretty Face is caught between the two worlds, naive and scared of what will happen.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

*Starred Review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "The Bruchacs retell Native North American folktales in a clear yet bold voice... A current of subtle profundity runs through these stories. Vitale's stylized oil-on-wood illustrations vividly reveal the colorful spirit of the tales, as bright blues and reds complement the earth tones found throughout."

5. CONNECTIONS
*Children who enjoy this book may also seek other books by Joseph Bruchac, such as POCAHONTAS, ISBN 0152167374, NATIVE AMERICAN ANIMAL STORIES, ISBN 9781555911270, and others.

*See also other Native American story collections, such as NATIVE AMERICAN TALES AND LEGENDS, Edited by Allan A. Macfarlane, ISBN 9780486414768.