THE FIRST STRAWBERRIES: A CHEROKEE STORY
 Retold by Joseph Bruchac, Illustrations by Anna Vojtech

1. Bibliography
Bruchac, Joseph, and Anna Vojtech. THE FIRST STRAWBERRIES: A CHEROKEE STORY. New York: Dial for Young Readers, 1993. Print. ISBN: 0803713320

2. Plot Summary
The first couple that the creator made lived happily together. One day the husband became upset with the wife because she had not started supper and she was out picking flowers instead. He said some hurtful words, so she left on foot. The husband started to chase after her but could not catch her. The sun who had watched all of this take place felt sorry for the husband and wanted to help. The sun made various berries to try and catch the attention of the wife. After several unsuccessful attempts, strawberries catch the wife's attention. At this point the husband is able to catch up to his wife and he apologizes. She shares the strawberries with her husband. The berries are a reminder "to be kind to each other." 

3.  Critical Analysis
The characters in the book reflect the human emotional qualities that everyone has including anger. The setting takes place at the beginning of time. Love is represented by the Sun when the various fruits are being made. The moral of the story is to be kind to each other. Children are taught through this story about forgiveness. Cultural references are present because the husband's job is the hunter while the wife is to cook. This serves as a reminder to children that mothers were not always working outside of the home.  

At the beginning, the illustrations portray a happy couple on earth. There are several pages that contain no words, which helps the reader to focus on the emotions present at the time.  Mostly neutral colors are used in the illustrations.  The use of bright colors for the fruit, help the readers to see what fruit the wife is passing by.  The bright red of the strawberries help the readers to anticipate the wife stopping to pick them. When she stops to pick the strawberries, we see that her emotions have changed and she is now happy.  The illustrations show a happy reunion between husband and wife, while viewing the strawberries. The pictures also show the native Americans living close to nature.

4. Review Excerpt
~SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "The retelling is simply and clearly written, and as sweet as the berries the woman stops to taste."
~HORN BOOK MAGAZINE: "A brief, readable, authentically retold tale that carries a valuable and palatable message."

5. Connections
~Have students research native American people
~Have students research strawberries
~Grow strawberries as a class
~Discuss anger and what the husband should of said instead of hurtful words

6. Other Stories of Cherokee People:
THE TRAIL ON WHICH THEY WEPT: THE STORY OF A CHEROKEE GIRL By Dorothy Hoobler