The Loon's Necklace

by William Toye (Illustrator)

According to Canadian Indian legend, when an old man's sight was restored by a Loon he gave the bird his precious shell necklace as a reward. That is why the loon has a white collar and speckles on its back.
Elizabeth Cleaver's rich and beautiful style of picture-making gives new visual excitement to the splendors of the British Columbia landscape, and to the magic of this Indian legend.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Animals, Fantasy, Fairy Tales

24 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

William E. Toye, born 1926

Reviews

[Lenore Kuipers-Cummins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a simple book relating the story about how the loon got his necklace. It is full of colorful illustrations. It is about a young native boy who lives near a salmon stream. He lives with his mother and father. They are starving because the father can no longer see to hunt. He used to be known as a great hunter. While his mother is hunting for berries, the young boy spots a bear (who love salmon) and only wishes he could kill the bear for meat. He comes up with a plan by placing his father's bow and arrow in his father's hands and acts as eyes for his father. The boy aims the arrow at the bear's heart and hits his mark. Meat to eat!
Unfortunately, an old hag appears (she is feared for her magical powers) and threatens the boy. While the father is waiting for the boy to return, a Loon appears with his song. You will find out what magical things happen in the end.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Canadian indigenous tale in which a loon helps restore an old man's sight. The man's gift to the loon changes the pattern on its feathers. The stylized, naif illustrations are a good match for this story.

[Kristal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting legend about how the loon got its marking and why owls hoot at night

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Canadian Indian tale of how the loon got it's speckled white necklace of feathers. The collage and lino cut pictures look like they have texture and depth, so even though they're very muted in tones they still keep your eyes interested. 5yo +

https://openlibrary.org/works/OL66889...

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 1001 CBYMRBYGU.

An old woman tricks a blind man. The blind man feels he is useless to his family. His friend, Loon, knows his sadness and comes to help.

“O Loon I am old and blind. My family are starving and I can’t feed them. I do not ask to be young, but I would not be so helpless if I could see. I would give my most precious possession to see again.”

[Fjóla · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit underwhelmed by this story which feels dated. It's a folk story about the loon, but it's a tad dull and the pictures which might have been fine at the time of publication are not all that great. I thought the parts about the "hag" were quite strange.

[Kyrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the part explaining how the loon got its necklace and colors. The parts about the meanness of the old hag I didn't care for. The illustrations were okay.

[Melissa]

Canadian author

The Loon, is the animal symbol of the Great Lakes, Ontario, CANADA