The tale has great meaning and is a very exciting one for children. It peers deeply into another culture and tells a wonderful tale. Impressions: This book is beautifully illustrated. The Lord of the Sun then sends his son back to the Earth where he can influence the Earth with the sun spirit he possesses.ĪPA Reference of Book: McDermott, G. When he passes the tests, it is proven that he is the son of the Lord. He has to go through lions, serpents, bees and lightening. The Arrow Maker assists the boy by using him as an arrow and sends him up to the Sun. He goes through the village and asks if anyone knows who his father is. The boy grows up curious of who his father is. The Lord of the Sun sands a spark of the Sun to a maiden on earth and she has a son. Interestingly, I have seen some criticism of this book from the Pueblo Indian community, citing the fact that kivas are not traditionally places of battle.Book Summary: Arrow to the Sun is a Pueblo Indian tale about the Lord of the Sun’s son. It’s easy to draw parallels to Christianity from the story as well. (You can find the animated version on YouTube.) This story, a Pueblo Indian Tale, was one in a series of films and books he produced surrounding mythology and folklore from different cultures, and he acknowledges in a note at the back of the book that this one came the closest to what he wanted to achieve with his stories. The Lord sends him back to earth in an arrow, with instructions to spread His spirit to the people, who celebrate his return.Īuthor/illustrator Gerald McDermott created an animated version of this story at the same time that he was working on the picture book. When he emerges, he is filled with the power of the sun and he celebrates with his father. The Lord sets him a task to prove himself and the boy passes, making his way safely through the chambers of ceremony (called kivas), where he battles lions, serpents, bees and lightning. The boy sees the Lord of the Sun and introduces himself as his son. The Arrow Maker can see that the boy comes from the Sun, so he makes the boy into an arrow and uses his bow to shoot him into the heavens. Along his journey, he asks the Corn Planter and the Pot Maker to lead him to his father, but neither responds. So he goes away, in search of his father. When he gets older, the other boys won’t play with him because he has no father, which makes him sad. The spark of life comes to the pueblo and into the house of a young maiden. The plot in a nutshell: The Lord’s son goes on a journey to find him Long ago the Lord of the Sun sent the spark of life to earth. Written and Illustrated by Gerald McDermott Puffin Books, 1974 Awards: Caldecott Medal

Arrow to the sun book