dePaola, T. (1983). The Legend of the Bluebonnet. NY: Putnam.
In The Legend of the Bluebonnets, we meet a young Comanche girl named She-Who-Is-Alone. She is named this because she orphaned with no living family. All she has to remember them by is her precious doll which her mother made for her. A great drought lingers on and on and the tribe believes that a great sacrifice is needed to save them. The selfless little Comanche girl sacrifices her beloved doll and the Great Spirit's rewards her offering with much needed rain as well as the creation of bluebonnets where her doll's ashes lie.
Having reread this for the first time since elementary school gave me a deeply different perspective of this tale. As a child, I remember enjoying the beautiful color pencil illustrations and interesting story of the origins of bluebonnets. Now as an adult and a mother, I find this book deeply sad and moving. It saddens me that this orphaned Comanche girl sacrifices her most sacred possession in order for the greater good of the community. It it is never easy to read about children suffering and this was hard for me to read. However, I think there is great value in children reading old folktales and understanding the plight of the Native Americans. I also think having children look outward and feel they can contribute to their community is important as well. For these reasons, I highly recommend this book to readers grade 2-5.
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