The Legend of Sleeping Bear
A Book Review By Brenda Hyde
The Legend of Sleeping Bear
Author Kathy-jo Wargin
Gijsbert Van Frankenhuyzen (Illustrator)
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The Legend of Sleeping Bear snuck up on me. I was reading
along, looking at the beautiful illustrations, and thinking of it
more as a tale of nature, one that I was sharing with my children
for the first time. I was not prepared for the wave of emotion that hit me
as I
felt the struggle and agony of the mother bear as she attempted to
rescue her children...as she waited for her cubs. . .
My daughter didn't seem to notice. At three years old she was fascinated
with the pictures and the bears, asking questions about the "big lake" and
the forest, just as it should be. But I, as a mom to three, was
thunderstruck
by the way Kathy-jo Wargin's retelling of this wonderful Ojibwe legend
conveyed the love a mother feels for her children.
Native American legends often get to the heart and soul of a particular
struggle or emotion. They are emotional teaching tools for young and
old alike. Gijsbert Van Frankenhuyzen, a talented wildlife artist,
illustrates
The Legend of Sleeping Bear beautifully, which adds to the telling of
this timeless tale.
Sleeping Bear Dunes is located in Michigan, and for those
of us that have lived here all of our lives it's a special childhood memory
as we climbed the big dune to look down upon our mothers or fathers
as they waved to us from the bottom of this magnificent mountain of sand.
We took our children their on the first vacation they were old enough
to go camping. This book is special to them because they love the dunes
so much, and want to know all they can about their history. For them,
it's a keepsake to keep with the photographs, but it's really so much more.
The Legend of Sleeping Bear is a tale of grief, of loss, and ultimately
of a love that surpasses all things. It is a gift a mother gives herself
as she reads the tale, and then hugs her own children, with the
knowledge that she too would wait forever for their return.
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Barnes and Noble carries The Legend of Sleeping Bear
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