HOW TURTLE’S BACK WAS CRACKED.
a. BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA
Jacob, Murv. 1995. HOW TURTLE’S BACK WAS CRACKED. Retold by Gayle Ross. Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0-8037-1728-8
b. PLOT SUMMARY
Turtle and possum were best friends that liked to eat persimmons together. Possum would climb up a tree, eat a persimmon, and throw one down into the mouth of turtle. One day, when the turtle opened his eyes, he saw the wolf on the ground and reprimanded him for stealing his persimmons. When the wolf did not move, turtle thought he killed him. He took the wolves ears and made spoons out of them and traveled around the village to collect his corn soup award. The wolves became angry with turtle, threw him into the river, and broke his back on a rock.
c. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The genre of HOW TURTLE’S BACK WAS CRACKED is a folktale retold by a Cherokee storyteller, Gayle Ross. Just as the title states, the folktale explains the story how the turtles smooth back became cracked. The illustrations are created in with acrylics on watercolor paper. Since the setting is outdoors in the wild, natural colors are used depicting the time of day based on the sunlight or moonlight.
CHARACTERS
The main characters in the story are turtle, possum, and wolf. The other characters are the Native Americans in the village. The animals are sketched like animals that could be found in the wild. However, these animals are also wearing necklaces, bracelets, and belts. The wolves also wear loin cloths.
The Native Americans in the story have lean, muscular bodies. The first time the turtle visits a Native American family, the characters’ facial expressions seem pleased to welcome him and give him the bowl of corn soup. However, after the turtle began visiting people he did not even know, the Native Americans have serious expressions with unsmiling mouths as they watch him eat corn soup. A young father and daughter appear to frown at the turtle.
The men wear their hair in different hairstyles. Some have the sides of their hair shaved and a patch of hair on top of their head. An elder has long, gray hair. The women and girls have long, straight hair. One woman has her hair pulled back in a bun on top of her head.
The Native Americans wear leather shoes and clothing. The females wear dresses, and the males wear loincloths. Belts, necklaces, and bracelets are worn by both females and males.
THEMES
Some themes in this story are friendship, loyalty, respect, and arrogance. The day the wolf came along, stood behind turtle, and caught and ate the persimmons possum threw down to turtle. Possum stated, “Now, if you have a best friend and you’re trying to make a present for him, and someone comes along and steals it, it makes you angry.” Possum showed his loyalty to turtle when in order to stop the wolf from stealing from turtle, he threw down a large persimmon that became stuck in wolf’s throat and killed him.
The Cherokee people showed respect for visitors by providing them with a gift of food. “And there was a special dish that was usually kept cooking at all times just to offer to a guest. This was a kind of thick corn soup.” In order to be rewarded for what turtle assumed was his hunting prowess, he took advantage of this gesture and demonstrated his arrogance by visiting people he did not even know. “And then he began to visit people he had not been introduced to just so they would offer him a bowl of corn shop, and he could pull out his wolf-ear spoons and eat with them.”
When the wolves heard about the turtle eating corn soup with wolf-ear spoons, the wolves showed their loyalty to their species when they decided turtle must be killed. “This was a terrible insult, for such an insignificant creature as Turtle to be eating corn soup with wolf-ear spoons.”
STRENGTHS
This story identifies a specific Native culture: the Cherokee. The author is a Cherokee storyteller, “a direct descendant of John Ross, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation during the Trail of Tears.” Her heritage adds to the story’s cultural authenticity. The author’s note at the back of the book provides essential details about the Cherokee Nation. For example, “Over four thousand Cherokee people lost their lives on the forced march to the west in the winter of 1838-39. The long walk came to be known as the Trail of Tears.”
WEAKNESSES
Even though the animals look natural, they walk on two feet and wear articles of clothing that the Native Americans wear such as beads, necklaces, belts, pouches, and loincloths. Also, the Native Americans are depicted in a traditional instead of a contemporary image. Since this story is supposed to be from long ago, “when the people and animals still spoke the same language,” I understand why the story did not use a modern image of Cherokee American Indians.
PERSONAL OPINION
The beautiful illustrations show all the different colorful patterns that are found in nature. I thought it was interesting that both Turtle and Possum were capitalized but the wolf and wolves were written in lower case. I liked when the author incorporated some Cherokee language into the story. At the end of the story, the turtle sang, “Gu’daye’wu, Gu’daye’wu, I have sewn myself together. I have sewn myself together.”
d. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Carolyn Phelan (Booklist, January 15, 1995 (Vol. 91, No. 10))
Gathering persimmons together, friends Possum and Turtle are joined by a thieving wolf who chokes to death on their fruit. Turtle, foolishly believing that he has killed the wolf, shows off the deed by making wolf-ear spoons and eating with them publicly. When the other wolves catch Turtle, they vow to kill him by roasting, boiling, or drowning him. He responds with, "Oh, no, not the river! Anything but the river." When they throw him in, he lands upside down on a rock, cracking his shell. He survives, but that's why the Turtle has cracks on his back today. Despite its echoes of the more familiar Brer Rabbit story ("born and bred in the briar patch"), this Cherokee pourquoi tale has a flavor all its own. Ross notes that she remembers the tale from her childhood, found a written source, and developed it through storytelling to its present form. Jacob's distinctive acrylic paintings illustrate the story's dramatic moments in scenes rich in colors and patterns. An entertaining picture book to read aloud. Category: For the Young. 1995, Dial, $14.99 and $14.89. Ages 5-8.
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, 1995)
Turtle suffers a delusionary episode, believing he is a great hunter after finding dead at his feet a greedy wolf. Readers will know that Possum did the beast in, but regardless, Turtle can hardly contain himself and gloats at every opportunity. The wolves are not about to take this false press; a braggart, especially a fake, deserves a comeuppance. The result is an explanation of how the turtles' shells became cracked. It also demonstrates why Ross (How Rabbit Tricked Otter, 1994, etc.) is fast gaining a reputation as a fluid, entertaining storyteller. Turtle as mighty hunter -- who'd have believed it? This old Cherokee tale has humor with a kick; Jacob's densely detailed, stylized acrylic paintings add a bit of the surreal. 1995, Dial, $14.99; PLB $14.89. © 1995 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.
Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, 1995)
Wolves capture Turtle, planning to punish him for bragging. He convinces the indecisive wolves that the worst punishment would be to throw him in the river; thus turtle escapes, but not without permanent damage to his beautiful shell, which cracks on a rock. The earth-toned palette complements the Cherokee 'pourquoi' tale. Source documentation and a note about the Cherokee Nation are included. Category: Nonfiction. 1995, Dial, 32pp.. Ages 5 to 9. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.
e. CONNECTIONS
Students may enjoy reading other Cherokee folktales.
Bernardin, James. 1995. GRANDMOTHER SPIDER BRINGS THE SUN: A CHEROKEE STORY. by Geri Keams. Flagstaff: Northland Pub. ISBN: 0873585976
Jacob, Murv. 1994. HOW RABBIT TRICKED OTTER AND OTHER CHEROKEE TRICKSTER STORIES. by Gayle Ross. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN: 0060212853.
Students might want to learn more about the Cherokee Nation by visiting their official website: http://www.cherokee.org/Culture/Default.aspx.
Activities
Children could also investigate Cherokee foods and determine other foods that are used in for special occasions. The students could compare the foods they eat verse the foods the Cherokee people eat for special occasions. At home with their parents help, student could prepare a Cherokee dish or a special food form their culture and bring the dish to school for everyone to taste.
Students can also read other Cherokee legends on the official Cherokee Nation homepage: http://www.cherokee.org/Culture/Stories/Cat/Default.aspx. Then students could compare and contrast a legend from the website to the story, HOW TURTLE’S BACK WAS CRACKED.
Students could also discuss the theme friendship. They could explain what they think happened to Turtle’s and Possum’s friendship after Turtle repaired his cracked back.
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