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The Chameleon Variant
Two large and silly birds accidentally create thunder and lightning
32 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1995
1 person is currently reading
46 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 17, 2019
Some picturebooks stand out for their illustrations, others for their story. This is solidly one of the latter; a story worth remembering and retelling on any stormy day
October 12, 2017
The story told about all of the ways that Heloha and Melatha (two birds) tried to help the sun warn okla (the people). They tried many different ways but nothing seemed to work. During their endeavors the fell from the sky, lost their baby eggs and ran too fast where their words got lost in the wind. I think that showing how hard the birds kept trying and the struggle they faced would be good to show kids. Heloha and Melatha finally warned okla by creating thunder and lightning and the Choctaw people called thunder and lightning Heloha and Melatha. This book shows the life of the Choctaw and what the people believe and some of their language.
This folktale originated from Choctaw nation. This is a North American Tribe that lived in the land that is now Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. I really enjoyed reading this book because it was creative and had silly character, but it also talked about what this tribe believed. This tribe believed that the sun was the Great Father Sun of the land. The sun had to warn okla (the people) that there was a storm coming so he had two birds go on a mission to warn the okla. This book had some information about the Choctaw Tribe and you could use this book to introduce native people in your class, or just to show how people believe in different things. You can also use it for geography to show where in the United States these people lived.
I also really like the illustrations in this book. Susan L. Roth who created the pictures used collages to make the images. By using collages she used many different shades of colors and different textures. The first time I tried to read this book I ended up flipping through the pages just to look at the pictures because there was so much detail. Also, it showed the different materials in that were used and the different textures of the book. Also, the colors were not just basic colors that most books used, the birds that had to warn okla was made with three and four different shades of the red and blue. The collages added a lot to the story.
This folktale originated from Choctaw nation. This is a North American Tribe that lived in the land that is now Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. I really enjoyed reading this book because it was creative and had silly character, but it also talked about what this tribe believed. This tribe believed that the sun was the Great Father Sun of the land. The sun had to warn okla (the people) that there was a storm coming so he had two birds go on a mission to warn the okla. This book had some information about the Choctaw Tribe and you could use this book to introduce native people in your class, or just to show how people believe in different things. You can also use it for geography to show where in the United States these people lived.
I also really like the illustrations in this book. Susan L. Roth who created the pictures used collages to make the images. By using collages she used many different shades of colors and different textures. The first time I tried to read this book I ended up flipping through the pages just to look at the pictures because there was so much detail. Also, it showed the different materials in that were used and the different textures of the book. Also, the colors were not just basic colors that most books used, the birds that had to warn okla was made with three and four different shades of the red and blue. The collages added a lot to the story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2019
A Choctaw Legend about how thunder and lightning were created to warn their people. The artwork in this book is great, made through different use of textiles (fabric, feathers, paper, etc.).
March 14, 2022
Read with our 1st grade Science unit on Thunder and Lightning.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews