The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush

dePaola, T.  (1988).  The legend of the Indian Paintbrush.  New York:  Scholastic.

"No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep up with the other boys who were always riding, running, shooting their bows, and wrestling to prove their strength" (p. 1).  How many of us can relate to Little Gopher?  I sure can!  Many students go through school being the one looked over for games because of their size or lack of strength or speed.  I was always one of those.  Many students wonder what their special skill is.  


In this multicultural children's picture book, we see the world as Little Gopher sees it.  After being left out for so long, he is told he has a special gift - artistic talent.  He has to use that talent that he has been given to tell the story of his people.  Intertwined with the Native American way of life is also traditional literature - the legend.  Native Americans, as part of their culture, often have stories that explain the origin of some element in the natural world.  Combining the the two types of literature into one. dePaola creates a powerful story that warms the heart.  Little Gopher discovers his talents and realizes the shaman in right.  Everyone has a purpose.  Not everyone is meant to be a warrior.  Through Little Gopher, the legend of the Indian Paintbrush is told.  The Indian Paintbrush is a wildflower that is commonly found out west.


The book includes many aspects of the Native American culture.  We read about the ritual of becoming a man and guiding visions.  We also read about how Native Americans create their stories for others to see or hear.  This way, the stories are passed from one generation to the next.  The book has a progressive plot that follows Little Gopher as a young child until he becomes a man.  The colors used by dePaola compliment the book exceptionally well.  Most of the pages contain more neutral shades with darker reds, blues, browns, etc.  Because Little Gopher wants to paint the sunset so badly, the only pages that have the brighter colors are the ones that deal with the sunset.  All of his paintings looked "dull and dark" (p. 20).... until he found what he was looking for.


Text to Self:  See first paragraph


Big Question:  What has made you feel like you weren't as good as someone else?