Turtle Island Voices 5: The White Deer

The White Deer is a traditional Aboriginal tale told by peoples from the Eastern Woodlands of Turtle Island to the Plains and the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.  The story tells of a hunter’s tragic mistake and of the origin of the Aboriginal value never to take more from nature than you need.  The story is told in narrative and dialogue.  The book concludes with information about the Aboriginal peoples who tell versions of this traditional tale.

The book is divided into chapters and has a Contents.  The text is composed of a variety of sentence types.  Uppercase letters are used to create proper nouns out of the words Deer, Husband, and Creator.  Illustrations support the text but not all scenes are illustrated.  Turtle Island Circle provides extension activities.

Some words may require clarification, such as hosts, request, tore, and transformed.

This title is from the Turtle Island Voices series. Pique students’ interest in learning about Aboriginal peoples and cultures with exciting stories and information texts.