The Bone Man: A Native American Modoc Tale

by Laura Simms

Told by his grandmother from an early age about his destiny to defeat the Bone Man and bring water back to his village, young Nulwee lives in fear of the moment when he will have to confront his dreaded enemy

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1900

Reviews

[Tabitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Independent Reading: 2nd -5th grade

Sims did a wonderful job retelling the Modoc tale of “The Bone Man”. McCurdy added an array of beautiful scrapboard print illustrations that consisted of dominance and earth tones which complements the words and culture expressed by Sims in this tall tale. The narrative style of writing with the presentation of an oral origin gives this story great character. Children will be drawn to this tale because a young boy that seems to be in there age group is the hero and the design of the bone man is an original, interesting looking villian.


Social Science/ Math

Lesson Plan: Social Science- Divide the class into five groups and assign each one to investigate the life style of the Modoc Native Americans. (Housing, Eating habits, Sports, Where they lived and the eco system there, Beliefs)

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This folktale is beautifully illustrated with scratchboard prints. A young boy, Nulwee, is told by his grandmother that he must some day kill the Bone Man, who drank the river dry and devoured all the people except the two of them. After the story, there is an author's note about her sources and retelling. The illustrator also has a note on how he researched the illustrations.

[sarafem · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story freaked me out and the illustrations were boring. The plot itself was interesting enough.

[Megen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is a story of a boy who is told from a young age that he must fight and kill the bone man. The defeat of the bone man will bring water back to the land, and other people like him will return when that water does. His grandmother cares for him telling him about what he will have to do one day. When he meets the bone man, the boy is scared, and his grandmother tells him how to defeat this monster giving him the bow and arrow to complete this challenge. As a future teacher, I think this was an excellent book to use when sharing more about Native American Tales. This Tale is exciting, and I know the author has a note at the end of the book giving more information about this tale in particular. I enjoyed this book, and I think students would like it; I also believe that it is an excellent book to use when teaching students about Native American tales.

[Elizabeth Huffmaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Bone Man: A Native American Modoc Tale" by Laura Simms is an in-depth retelling of a classic Native American myth/folktale that focuses on honoring your elders, upholding familial responsibility, and fulfilling expectations. The author explains well the character of Nulwee, and explores his childhood-to-adolescent transition. This book would be good for ages 10-12 (Boys interested in warriors will definitely enjoy it!), and it would serve as an excellent example of cause-and-effect or of the 5 stages of plot.

[emyrose8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are just perfect for this book. It’s a slightly creepy tale of a boy and his grandmother who live by themselves until the day the boy can kill this huge skeleton to bring the water back. The author and illustrator notes add even more depth to this ancient Native American story.

[Lele-Usham · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is beautifully illustrated and the writing done well, but referencing the Modoc people as not present today within The Klamath Tribes and The Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma was a miss and, hopefully, unintended insult.

[Blaine Riesberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dang Bone Man, you scary!

[Habile · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember being blown away by this tale when I read it as a kid! Great art ties this piece together.

[wildct2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

[Miri Gifford · Rating 3 out of 5]

After seeing countless Halloween books just in the last few days, I'm really enjoying looking for spooky stories that are a little bit out of the box—as in, spooky, but not necessarily Halloween™.

[Margaret]

Lakota Indian folk tale
sorry isn't scary, but has been censored because of the art
author meant for this book to be read by older students

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations are quite scary. I'd hesitate before reading this to a kid...