One of the seven grandfather teachings is love. We will talk about love through the story The First Strawberries. The First Strawberries: A Cherokee Story is a retelling of a Cherokee legend about the origin of strawberries. Joseph Bruchac is a master storyteller whose books capture the magic of oral tradition. In this picture book for young children, Bruchac retells the story of a woman and man. Their life was good until one day the husband spoke harsh words to his wife. Her hurt feelings caused her to walk away from their home. At once, man regretted speaking hurtful words. He immediately set out after her to ask her forgiveness. Unfortunately, woman could walk with great speed. Man was left far behind. The Sun took pity on the Man and his feelings of remorse. Sun caused wonderful fruit to appear at the feet of the Woman in an effort to slow her journey. Sun first sent raspberries but the woman ignored the fruit. Next Sun sent blueberries and then blackberries. Neither fruit slowed the Woman's pace. Finally Sun sent strawberries and these wonderfully, sweet fruits caused the Woman to stop and taste. This allowed her husband to catch up and the couple reconciled. The story ends with the explanation that whenever the Cherokee eat strawberries they are reminded that friendship and respect are as sweet as the juicy berries. The text is simple and is complemented by the illustrations rendered in soft watercolours.
The coming weekend will give us all time to spend time with the people we love, our family and friends. Enjoy.
:)
Melissa
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