First Fire: A Cherokee Folktale

Long ago, there was no fire on earth. It was cold all the time. Then a lightning bolt struck an island, and a tree burst into flames. All the animals that could swim or fly decided to send one member to the island to get the fire to use for heat and light. A white raven flew to the tree, but the raven didn’t know how to get the fire. His feathers were burned black! A screech owl went to the tree next. The heat burned the owl’s eyes which made them red. A hoot owl and a horned owl flew over to the tree, but the areas around their eyes were turned white from the ashes. A racer snake then tried, and it was burned black. None of the creatures could get the fire. The animals were joined by a water spider, and they talked about why they couldn’t retrieve the fire. The spider decided to try because she had a new plan. You’ll have to read the book to find out whether her plan worked or not!

I really like this book because it was a very interesting folktale. I also loved the activities at the end of the story; they were fun!