The Legend of the Bluebonnet (1983)

This book has always been one of my favorite children's books. I love the storyline, the emphasis on personal sacrifice. and the beautiful illustrations. In the classroom this book could be used to teach the importance of language, customs, traditions, and how those themes can be woven into literature. ( )

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The Legend of the Bluebonnet is a staple book in Texas elementary schools as well as being an award-winning children's book. It's beautifully written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola that I remember reading this in elementary many many moons ago! Like many beginnings in our country, it all began with a Native American tribe, the Comanches, going through a horrible famine and drought when one of the children gives up her favorite doll as a sacrifice to stop these events. The next day the fields are filled with beautiful flowers and the hunting game has come back, because of these events the young girl gets a new name, instead of She Who Is Alone it changes to She Who Loves Her People. This is a wonderful book for an elementary social studies class learning about Tecas History. ( )

This book is based on a Native American legend. A young girl, She Who Is Alone, makes a sacrifice of her most prized doll in order to stop the drought and famine that was destroying her community. The next day, beautiful flowers bloomed all along the land. She earns a new name that day, She Who Dearly Loves Her People.
I had never heard the original, but I believe this book does it justice. I also thought it was interesting that this story originated in what is now Texas. ( )

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