DePaola, Tomie. (1983). The Legend of Bluebonnet. New York, NY: Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. This old Texas tale retells the story of how the Texas state flower came to be thanks to the courageous and selfless act of a young girl. Set during a rough period of famine and drought, the Comanche tribe prays to the Great Spirits to send healing rain to their people. The only way to bring upon the rain, however, is to stop taking so much from the Earth and actually give something back by sacrificing their most prized possession. As none are willing to sacrifice any of their belongings, She-Who-Is-Alone finds the courage to take matters into her own hands and offer her special doll to the Great Spirits. It is the only thing she has left from her family who died, but her ultimate sacrifice for the greater good brings rain to her community. Folktale, JMM.
Thoughts: The underlying themes of this particular tale are very powerful. She-Who-Is-Alone lost all of her family members to the terrible famine that has swept through the Comanche land. Even through her loss and devastation, she is strong and courageous enough to give up the only thing she truly has left. She-Who-Is-Alone demonstrates such selflessness and consideration for her people by sacrificing her most prized possession when no one else would. These are great characteristics I would love to talk about with my students and work to instill in them. I think this would create a better classroom community where we all care and look after one another even if it means we have to sacrifice something for ourselves. DePaola’s illustrations successfully portray the bleak circumstances the drought has brought upon the Comanche tribe and their land. As the book goes on, more color is brought into the illustrations as She-Who-Is-Alone comes to realize what she must do to save her people. When the rain finally pours down on the land, DePaola depicts a much more beautiful and enjoyable place to live.
Classroom Applications: The Legend of Bluebonnet offers a nice opportunity for teachers and students to explore information about the 50 states. If an upper elementary class is studying the states and their capitals in Social Studies, this could be a nice story to introduce during Languages Arts. If it is read as a read aloud with the class, there can be a discussion on state flowers, in particular the state flower of Texas, since the story pertains to that, and the flower of the state they are in. During reading, the teacher can pose questions that encourage text to self connections such as: What is something very special to you that you might sacrifice just as She-Who-Is-Not-Alone did? In writing, students can also get creative, making up their own tale of how their state flower came to be.