5 Great Picture Books for Cherokee Mythology, Culture, and Language
- Maverick Independent Book Reviews
- May 10
- 5 min read
Updated: May 12
These 5 Native American picture books by Cherokee author Brad Wagnon offer a wonderful introduction to Cherokee mythology, culture, and language.
Title: The Cherokee Syllabary, An Illustrated Key to the Cherokee Language / Tsalagi Digoweli Tsunoyvgi. Illustrated by Beth Anderson and written by Brad Wagnon
Publisher: 7th Generation
ISBN: 9781570674228
Anderson's incredible illutrations, influenced by medieval illustrated manuscripts, gives life and breath to this introduction to the Cherokee Syllabary. An essay at the beginning of the book explains that the Cherokee written language involves syllables rather than an alphabet--"each Cherokee character represents a complete syllable, not just a consonant or a vowel."
It made me curious about how the Cherokee language was written. A quick search introduced me to a National Geographic article that explains that a Cherokee man named Sequoyah helped preserve the Cherokee language over a 12-year period by creating the syllabary to depict the language. This allowed great numbers of Cherokees the ability to gain literacy over a short period of time. Sequoyah was monolingual and first tried to create a written version of the language through a logographic or pictographic approach--a picture depicting each word, similar to what we see in Chinese. But he soon realized that would take too long and developed his concept of the syllabary when, after listening carefully, he was able to discern 85 distinct syllables in the language. At first, Cherokees were apprehensive and put Sequoyah on trial for witchcraft, but eventually they agreed he had achieved the remarkable: talking on paper. The Cherokees became one of the first Native American nations to achieve a written language and literacy. This fascinating history is not contained within the book itself, but the book's intriguing explanation of syllabary as the foundation for written language launched my investigation. Had the written language of the Cherokee been created by somebody outside the tribe, of European descent, I can imagine that it would have been alphabetic.
A great companion to Baby's First Cherokee.
Title: Baby's First Cherokee, illustrated by Beth Anderson and written by Brad Wagnon
Publisher: 7th Generation
ISBN: 978-1-57067-427-3
An illustrated introduction to some words and early concepts in Cherokee. This simple book offers beautiful, evocative illustrations with details that catch the eye. The rationale behind the word choices remains unexplained--father and mother and child and family and home make sense, but day is offered without the corresponding night. A short essay at the end, perhaps offering some explanation of the importance of these concepts in Cherokee culture (a bee, for example, and a bird, book and song) would have been a wonderful addition.
Title: The First Fire, A Cherokee Story
written by Brad Wagnon, illustrated by Alex Stephenson
Publisher: 7th Generation
ISBN: 9781939053275
This charming story, illustrated in a cartoon style, relates the Cherokee tale of how fire came into the world. Anthropomorphic animals feel cold at night. Sympathetic, Great Thunder and his two sons send a lightning bolt to create fire, but alas, it hits a sycamore tree on an island. The animals see the fire but struggle to bring it back to the mainland where it can warm them at night. Animal after animal tries but fails to succeed. Their failures seek to explain why animals look the way they look--the owls, for example, are so blinded by the smoke that it creates the white rings around their eyes. Finally, Water Spider succeeds where the others have failed because he is able to spin a small basket to bring back a burning coal, which he swims across on his back. This is why Water Spider is celebrated among the Cherokee to this day. I can't imagine a child who wouldn't delight in this fun tale, with the bright, cheerful illustrations. Highly recommended.
Title: The Land of the Great Turtles
a bilingual picture book by Brad Wagnon and illustrated by Alex Stephenson
Publisher: 7th Generation
ISBN: 9781939053350
This story relates how the Cherokee people wound up with corn, tobacco, and fire. In this tale, children are tasked with taking care of the turtles and their eggs on the great island they live on. But the children grow bored and instead spend time swimming with the turtles. They are reminded that they are not doing what the Creator asked, and warned that it might not go well if they continue, but they ignore the warnings and continue frolicking with the turtles rather than watching the eggs. One day when the children try to return at the end of the day, they find they are stuck to the turtles' backs. The turtles begin to swim to the bottom of the ocean. The adults are left with a choice: the island or their children. They choose their children. They are allowed to take 3 things with them when they leave the island for the mainland, and those three things are corn, tobacco, and fire. The island is destroyed, but the people are reunited with their children.
Like many ancient tales and myths that have not been Disneyfied and made palatable for modern parents, this story is in reality a gentle horror story, and serves to remind people that the Creator (God) will punish you for not doing what he says. I would definitely enjoy reading this to my young children. Mythology of all kind, particularly the kind that introduces children to a wide variety of cultures, is critical base knowledge for understanding the world and our place in it. In this imaginary conversation with my children, we'd link it to similar tales from around the world and we'd talk about the message that the tale sends, much like biblical tales, and Greek and Roman myths, which warn of punishment from a wrathful God. We would discuss whether that adheres to how I want them to view and understand their relationship with the world and their Creator (it doesn't) but how important it is to understand the ways this idea is so common in stories from all over the world. And then we'd return and re-read the book, enjoying this well-constructed tale and its delightful illustrations. This is a great book to spark conversations about world views, belief systems, and the implications those hold for us if we adhere to those kinds of beliefs with children of all ages. It's also a fun read and doesn't have to hold any inherent meaning for anybody other than broadening one's knowledge of origin myths from different cultures around the world.
Title: How the World Was Made, a Cherokee Story
by Brad Wagnon and Alex Stephenson
Publisher: 7th Generation
ISBN: 978-1-939053-37-4
A lilting, poetic tale of how the world was made, a Cherokee creation myth story.
Though there is a Creator in the tale, the earth is actually constructed through a series of actions taken by different animals, all working collaboratively, though in sequence, to make a place fit to live. It's a lovely story of partnership, teamwork, bravery, and hard work about the beginnings of the world.
The illustration style is different than Stephenson's style in the two other books he illustrated listed in this review. The images are a little less defined, fuzzier around the edges, a little more water-color-y. It suits the story perfectly. If the story's style is poetic and lilting, these images seem more poetic and lilting too.
A delightful story, one to add to your collection.
Reviews by J.L. Powers
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