by Lori Calabrese
Who will ever forget when they saw a buffalo for the first time? I'll always remember the sight of them lounging in the grass on a hot summer day at the zoo, batting the bugs away, swinging their tails side to side. Joseph Bruchac's own interest in buffalo grew when he was a child, standing in front of a pen at the Catskill Game Farm in upstate New York. Because of it, he brings us this powerful tale about how this American symbol was saved from extinction.
For thousands of years massive herds of buffalo roamed across much of North America, but by the 1870s, fewer than fifteen hundred of these animals remained. Hunted to the brink of extinction, the buffalo were in danger of vanishing. Thanks to the efforts of a few individuals, we are able to gaze at these amazing creatures today.
The story begins as a confused, hungry, and frightened buffalo calf has lost her mother and the rest of her herd to white hunters. Rescued by two members of the Nez Perce tribe who happened to pass by and find her, she is taken to a small refuge for buffalo orphans started and run by Walking Coyote and his wife Mary. They nurse the calf back to health, and along with several other buffalo orphans, make the dangerous journey across a large mountain pass in order to deliver the buffalo to a larger sanctuary and pasture for grazing. The orphans ultimately wind up at the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana where, together with other buffalo that Walking Coyote and other like-minded individuals rescued, they prosper and grow into a herd of about seven hundred.
You can't help but feel close to the main character, Walking Coyote. You feel for his family who is poor and on a mission to save these creatures one by one. You're also pulled in by the story of the calf who loses her herd and eventually becomes a leader herself. The story reminds us just how important these animals are to America and it gives us an idea of the individuals who took on such a huge undertaking. If it wasn't for Walking Coyote and others, we wouldn't have our memories of watching those Buffalo bat their tails at the zoo. For that alone, I recommend everyone to read Buffalo Song.
Read Booktalk with author, Joseph Bruchac.
Author: Joseph Bruchac
Illustrator: Bill Farnsworth
Publisher:Lee & Low Books, March 2008
Reading level: Ages 4-8
ISBN-10: 1584302801
ISBN-13: 978-1584302803
Who will ever forget when they saw a buffalo for the first time? I'll always remember the sight of them lounging in the grass on a hot summer day at the zoo, batting the bugs away, swinging their tails side to side. Joseph Bruchac's own interest in buffalo grew when he was a child, standing in front of a pen at the Catskill Game Farm in upstate New York. Because of it, he brings us this powerful tale about how this American symbol was saved from extinction.
For thousands of years massive herds of buffalo roamed across much of North America, but by the 1870s, fewer than fifteen hundred of these animals remained. Hunted to the brink of extinction, the buffalo were in danger of vanishing. Thanks to the efforts of a few individuals, we are able to gaze at these amazing creatures today.
The story begins as a confused, hungry, and frightened buffalo calf has lost her mother and the rest of her herd to white hunters. Rescued by two members of the Nez Perce tribe who happened to pass by and find her, she is taken to a small refuge for buffalo orphans started and run by Walking Coyote and his wife Mary. They nurse the calf back to health, and along with several other buffalo orphans, make the dangerous journey across a large mountain pass in order to deliver the buffalo to a larger sanctuary and pasture for grazing. The orphans ultimately wind up at the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana where, together with other buffalo that Walking Coyote and other like-minded individuals rescued, they prosper and grow into a herd of about seven hundred.
You can't help but feel close to the main character, Walking Coyote. You feel for his family who is poor and on a mission to save these creatures one by one. You're also pulled in by the story of the calf who loses her herd and eventually becomes a leader herself. The story reminds us just how important these animals are to America and it gives us an idea of the individuals who took on such a huge undertaking. If it wasn't for Walking Coyote and others, we wouldn't have our memories of watching those Buffalo bat their tails at the zoo. For that alone, I recommend everyone to read Buffalo Song.
Read Booktalk with author, Joseph Bruchac.
Author: Joseph Bruchac
Illustrator: Bill Farnsworth
Publisher:Lee & Low Books, March 2008
Reading level: Ages 4-8
ISBN-10: 1584302801
ISBN-13: 978-1584302803
Lori Calabrese is a freelance writer who specializes in parenting and children in both her personal and professional life. Lori's publishing credits include Boys' Life, Odyssey, Appleseeds, Focus on the Family Clubhouse Jr., Stories for Children Magazine, and The Institute of Children's Literature's Rx for Writers. Lori is a graduate of The Institute of Children's Literature and a member of The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.
To learn more, please visit http://www.loricalabrese.com
