Module 2: Arrow to the Sun

This module includes Caldecott Award winners.

Summary. The 1975 Caldecott winner was "Arrow to the Sun." In this adaptation of a Native American folk tale, the Lord of the Sun, "sent the spark of life to earth." It entered a maiden, and a boy was born. The boy is rejected by his peers because of lacking a father, so he leaves home to seek his father. After a long search, he requests help from the arrow maker, who "saw that the Boy had come from the Sun." He makes an arrow and the Boy becomes the arrow. He journeys in that form to the Lord of the Sun. To prove that he is the Sun's son, he must undergo trials in four ceremonial chambers (called Kiva): lions, serpents, bees and lightning. Upon being transformed by the lightning kiva, he returns to earth in his arrow form to "bring [the Lord of the Sun's] spirit to the world of men. The people join in a Dance of Life to celebrate his return.

Citation. McDermott, Gerald. Arrow to the Sun: a Pueblo Indian tale. New York: Viking Press. 1974. Print.

Impressions. The illustrations are the striking part of this self-proclaimed myth retelling, as befits the winner of the Caldecott Medal. Sadly, its text has not stood the test of time. I was struck by the lack of notation as to the source(s) the author consulted when creating this tale. Other folklorists will include a page or even two explaining how they learned the tale, the experiences they have had with a storytelling people group, and the changes to or variations on the tale they heard as they listened. McDermott includes none of these. His subtitle, "A Pueblo Indian Tale," is contested by those who are knowledgeable about pueblo culture, such as Debbie Reese. Ms. Reese, a Nambe Pueblo Indian researcher, notes particular discrepancies with McDermott's uses of dance (it is religious, not celebratory) and kivas (places of worship, not trials). See a portion of her review, below.

Interestingly, a Caldecott Honor book from the same year, Jambo Means Hello: A Swahili Alphabet Book, by Tom and Muriel Feelings, focuses on a non-Western culture as well. "Jambo," however, continues to be well-received 35 years later.

Llibrary Uses. This book could be used to show how authors can misrepresent cultures which they do not understand. In a more positive vein, it could be shown before a unit or program on Native American art, along with other examples of shape and color in art.

Reviews. (School Library Journal, reviewing a Spanish translation of the book) K-Gr 3-- A translation of McDermott's Caldecott winner. In this Pueblo folktale, a boy is transformed into an arrow so that he may travel between the sun and the Earth to search for his father. The wonderful illustrations have a Native American motif, with geometric shapes painted in bright desert colors that graphically convey the boy's experiences. Perfect for storytelling and independent reading.

(Reese, Debbie) "Its popularity and acclaim aside, 'Arrow to the Sun' has many problems. For Pueblo people, kivas are places of ceremony and instruction, not places of trial. However, in McDermott’s kivas, the protagonist must prove himself by fighting lions, serpents, bees, and lightning in four different kivas.

"I think most teachers, prepping to use this book, would know that kivas are not scary places, but more like a church or temple. Hopefully, that teacher will pause as she reads the story, to tell her students that McDermott’s representation of a kiva is wrong. Fortunately for her students, they will have had a valuable experience, as they learn to question the books they read, no matter how popular they may be...

"Another problematic area of Arrow to the Sun is the status of the protagonist. In the story, the protagonist is mocked and chased away by other boys in the pueblo who say to him “Where is your father?” and “You have no father.” This conflict is the impetus for the boy’s journey to the sun. However, the conflict is one that does not reflect Pueblo family structure and values. The concept of illegitimacy does not exist. Children in Pueblo communities are born into large extended families. The stain of illegitimacy is European, not Puebloan."


Reese, Debbie. "Gerald McDermott's Arrow to the Sun." American Indians in Children's Literature. See also "McDermott Made Up the Dance of Life in Arrow to the Sun." Linked to: American Indian Library Association page. http://www.ailanet.org/ Web. June 14, 2010.