Raven (picture book)

The Raven arrives in a world of darkness and resolves to find the light, going on an adventure and using his smarts to take the light back with him.

The Raven came to a world covered in darkness, where men and women lived in an area of dark and cold. The Raven felt bad for the people living in the dark and resolved to search for the light. The Raven flew across mountains, rivers, and valleys until finally, he saw light. He had arrived at the house of the Sky Chief, which was shining brilliantly in the horizon. The Raven snuck into the house of the Sky Chief by turning into a pine-needle and fell into the water of the Sky Chief's beautiful daughter. The daughter drank the water and unknowingly swallowed the Raven. Time passed and she soon gave birth to a child, that bore a striking resemblance to the Raven. The Raven used his child disguise to locate and secure the Sun, stealing it from the Sky Chief and returning to the land of darkness. The Raven threw the Sun into the sky, where it stayed filling the area a bright light. People feed the Raven today as a way to say thanks for bringing light to them.

Raven:

• A shape-changing Raven who went out looking for the light to bring it to the people so as to get rid of the darkness that enveloped the land. The Raven was smart and able to trick the Sky Chief into giving him the Sun, throwing it into the sky to make light for the people.

Sky Chief's Daughter:

• A beautiful young girl that was tricked by the Raven into giving birth to him as a boy child after drinking water with the Raven, shape-changed into a pine needle, in it.

Sky Chief:

• An elderly man and ruler of the light who played with the Raven (in his child form), whom he saw as a grandchild and carved toys for him.

While this children's book has been reviewed positively it is also problematic for a non-native person to culturally appropriate stories that are not theirs to tell, and in doing so reduce Indigenous culture. "McDermott’s use of the term “trickster” to define the central character raven is problematic for a number of reasons. While the raven in some Indigenous cultures and stories does assume the position of trickster, this term is highly complex in meaning and usage and specific to cultural groups. In contrast, the term “trickster” may be an attractive or even exotic term to capture Western audiences’ attention. The unique and complex understanding of Indigenous stories and the meanings of tricksters within them are erased."[2] Publishers Weekly said, "With this masterfully executed reworking, McDermott adds to the folktale bookshelf a work in the grand tradition."[3] Horn Book Magazine stating that "The naive view suits the simplicity of the scheme, and the mythic elements of the story are masterfully rendered."[4] In a section of The New York Times Gerald McDermott is praised along with his works of fiction saying, "McDermott is not only a picture-book artist of the first-rank, but also one of our most gifted retellers of myth and folk tale."[5]

• Caldecott Honor
• ALA Notable Children's Book
• Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor

• 1993 in literature
• Children's Literature
• Raven Tales