Bibliographic Data: Bruchac, Joseph, and Jonathan London. 1992. Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back: A Native American Year of Moons. Ill. by Thomas Locker. New York: Scholastic Press. 9780606128247
Plot Summary:
Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back: A Native American Year of Moons is a compilation of thirteen short stories told by a Grandfather to his grandson, Sozap. As Grandfather carves a turtle figure with thirteen scales, representational of the thirteen phases of the moon, he explains to Sozap that every phase is accompanied by a different story. The colorful and richly saturated illustrations and short descriptive stories take the reader from winter to summer and back, with stories of animals, trees, and many native tribes and how their days change as the moons do.
Critical Analysis: Grandfather is a traditional elder figure that one would imagine finding in a folktale. He is wise, has a distinct voice, and it is clear he has witnessed many passings of the thirteen-moon cycle. He is respected and the audience will easily find him authentic and an expert on the story.
Sozap is young, curious, and eager to listen to Grandfather’s stories. It is evident he is the personification of the young audience that will listen to this story.
Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back is not necessarily a story with a plot, or it is thirteen separate stories, each with their own short plot. It is hard to make this distinction.
It is a collection of tales from different Native American tribes adapted to mirror the different phases of the thirteen moons. The movement in the plot comes from the passing of time, which is made clear in the rich and elaborate illustrations as well as the colorful and descriptive language.
Sozap is taught about his culture in fifty words or less with each tale. For instance, in “Baby Bear Moon” he is taught they do not disturb the bears, as when one of their young tribes girls was lost the bears looked after her as if she was their own.
Each tale is unique and short as to impart Grandfather’s message succinctly.
The setting is established by illustrations that take up one entire page, and then more than half of a second. It shows Grandfather with Sozap holding a turtle carving in front of their rudimentary homes. The forest surrounding their land is lush, and we travel through this setting as each tale passes. Clearly Grandfather is reciting stories from long ago, but when you turn the page you feel transported to that time as if it were occurring in the present day.
There are many themes imparted in these tales.
The first theme is obviously that young children should listen to, and respect their elders, as they are the “time-keepers” and the tribesmen with stories about the past. The second theme is that one should respect nature and all living beings. Bruchac and London subtly highlight this theme in “Moon of Popping Trees” when they write about staying inside while the majestic coyote growls at night, wrapped in buffalo robes to keep themselves warm in the snowfall. They respect these creatures they live amongst, as these very creatures help them survive the changes of seasons by nurturing their bodies with food, and by also keeping them warm and protected against the harsh elements found outdoors.
The style is integral to the story as it captures the Grandfather’s voice throughout each tale. Although readers never meet Sozap or Grandfather after the first page, and are instead taken on a journey through the different moon phases, it is still obvious we are listening to Grandfather’s tales. It is written in a dialect that is consistent with the tone of traditional Native American stories.
The illustrations are perhaps more important than the words and text provided, although the stories would not be what they are without the text. The two elements, both strong, benefit greatly from the fact that they are interlaced.
Thomas Locker beautifully illustrates each page in vibrant oil paintings in seasonally appropriate colors. He sets the mood of each tale, and it is no where more evident then in “Strawberry Moon” where he utilizes a monochromatic palette of reds and one vibrant pink circle saturated in magenta to show the gloriousness of that moon phase.
The illustrations are traditional and in keeping with the theme of Native American tales. If this book had claimed to be published in the early 60s it would be believable because of the technique and traditional elements of these illustrations.
They are clearly very important, as one drawing is larger then all of the text of the book combined. There is a single four-inch column of text on a white background and then a fourteen-inch wide illustration.
The cultural representation of these tales is authentic and helps a reader glean a greater understanding of the tribe(s) as a whole. We are taught the customs of Sozap’s people, and learn the importance and value the thirteen phases of the moon.
This story would be interesting to children and adults alike. However, it is a book that would benefit from being read aloud to young children. It can seem a little slow paced and many of the stories are easily jumbled together. It would benefit the reader to read one tale and then to talk about the elements found within it before moving on to the next. If these stories were read over a course of thirteen days, or perhaps at the changing of ever moon phase or season, I think it would make the book more enjoyable.
Strengths/Weaknesses:
The main strength of this book is that is very much reads as intended by it's authors. It sounds like a Grandfather is telling old stories of the past to his young grandson. It has a personal feel. It is very descriptive, illuminative, and representational of Native American culture. It's weakness lies in the fact that reading all of the individual tales/stories in one sitting to a young child may cause all of the stories to blend and bleed together. To take the stories' subtle nuisances and to be able to fully digest them would be much easier if the book is put down and each tale discussed at it's end.
Awards:
• 1993 Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts
• IRA Young Adult's and Teacher's Choice
Reviews:
Publishers Weekly: "This unusual and intelligent book is an exemplary introduction to Native American culture with its emphasis on the importance of nature."
School Librarian Journal ”ESL students will enjoy seeing the calendar through non-western eyes.”
Connections:
Plot Summary:
Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back: A Native American Year of Moons is a compilation of thirteen short stories told by a Grandfather to his grandson, Sozap. As Grandfather carves a turtle figure with thirteen scales, representational of the thirteen phases of the moon, he explains to Sozap that every phase is accompanied by a different story. The colorful and richly saturated illustrations and short descriptive stories take the reader from winter to summer and back, with stories of animals, trees, and many native tribes and how their days change as the moons do.
Critical Analysis: Grandfather is a traditional elder figure that one would imagine finding in a folktale. He is wise, has a distinct voice, and it is clear he has witnessed many passings of the thirteen-moon cycle. He is respected and the audience will easily find him authentic and an expert on the story.
Sozap is young, curious, and eager to listen to Grandfather’s stories. It is evident he is the personification of the young audience that will listen to this story.
Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back is not necessarily a story with a plot, or it is thirteen separate stories, each with their own short plot. It is hard to make this distinction.
It is a collection of tales from different Native American tribes adapted to mirror the different phases of the thirteen moons. The movement in the plot comes from the passing of time, which is made clear in the rich and elaborate illustrations as well as the colorful and descriptive language.
Sozap is taught about his culture in fifty words or less with each tale. For instance, in “Baby Bear Moon” he is taught they do not disturb the bears, as when one of their young tribes girls was lost the bears looked after her as if she was their own.
Each tale is unique and short as to impart Grandfather’s message succinctly.
The setting is established by illustrations that take up one entire page, and then more than half of a second. It shows Grandfather with Sozap holding a turtle carving in front of their rudimentary homes. The forest surrounding their land is lush, and we travel through this setting as each tale passes. Clearly Grandfather is reciting stories from long ago, but when you turn the page you feel transported to that time as if it were occurring in the present day.
There are many themes imparted in these tales.
The first theme is obviously that young children should listen to, and respect their elders, as they are the “time-keepers” and the tribesmen with stories about the past. The second theme is that one should respect nature and all living beings. Bruchac and London subtly highlight this theme in “Moon of Popping Trees” when they write about staying inside while the majestic coyote growls at night, wrapped in buffalo robes to keep themselves warm in the snowfall. They respect these creatures they live amongst, as these very creatures help them survive the changes of seasons by nurturing their bodies with food, and by also keeping them warm and protected against the harsh elements found outdoors.
The style is integral to the story as it captures the Grandfather’s voice throughout each tale. Although readers never meet Sozap or Grandfather after the first page, and are instead taken on a journey through the different moon phases, it is still obvious we are listening to Grandfather’s tales. It is written in a dialect that is consistent with the tone of traditional Native American stories.
The illustrations are perhaps more important than the words and text provided, although the stories would not be what they are without the text. The two elements, both strong, benefit greatly from the fact that they are interlaced.
Thomas Locker beautifully illustrates each page in vibrant oil paintings in seasonally appropriate colors. He sets the mood of each tale, and it is no where more evident then in “Strawberry Moon” where he utilizes a monochromatic palette of reds and one vibrant pink circle saturated in magenta to show the gloriousness of that moon phase.
The illustrations are traditional and in keeping with the theme of Native American tales. If this book had claimed to be published in the early 60s it would be believable because of the technique and traditional elements of these illustrations.
They are clearly very important, as one drawing is larger then all of the text of the book combined. There is a single four-inch column of text on a white background and then a fourteen-inch wide illustration.
The cultural representation of these tales is authentic and helps a reader glean a greater understanding of the tribe(s) as a whole. We are taught the customs of Sozap’s people, and learn the importance and value the thirteen phases of the moon.
This story would be interesting to children and adults alike. However, it is a book that would benefit from being read aloud to young children. It can seem a little slow paced and many of the stories are easily jumbled together. It would benefit the reader to read one tale and then to talk about the elements found within it before moving on to the next. If these stories were read over a course of thirteen days, or perhaps at the changing of ever moon phase or season, I think it would make the book more enjoyable.
Strengths/Weaknesses:
The main strength of this book is that is very much reads as intended by it's authors. It sounds like a Grandfather is telling old stories of the past to his young grandson. It has a personal feel. It is very descriptive, illuminative, and representational of Native American culture. It's weakness lies in the fact that reading all of the individual tales/stories in one sitting to a young child may cause all of the stories to blend and bleed together. To take the stories' subtle nuisances and to be able to fully digest them would be much easier if the book is put down and each tale discussed at it's end.
Awards:
• 1993 Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts
• IRA Young Adult's and Teacher's Choice
Reviews:
Publishers Weekly: "This unusual and intelligent book is an exemplary introduction to Native American culture with its emphasis on the importance of nature."
School Librarian Journal ”ESL students will enjoy seeing the calendar through non-western eyes.”
Connections:
- Children can easily relate this book to their traditional calendar.
- Teachers and librarians can use the image attached below as a coloring page while teaching about the different scales and their representation in relation to the moon's phases.