Gluskabe and the four wishes

Retold by Bruchac, Joseph. Gluskabe and the four wishes. Illustrated by Christine Nyburg Shrader. 1995. New York: Cobblehill Books. 0525651640.

Plot Summary
This is the tale of four Abenaki men who set out in search of the mythical Gluskabe. It was known that he would grant one wish to those that come to him. Each men had different wishes, but only one of the four wished for something other than a selfish desire. Gluskabe grants them each their wishes in a pouch that they cannot open until they return home. The temptation is too great for the three selfish men and they are destroyed by their own desires. The last man is granted his wish to be the best hunter in order to feed his people and he is given the gift to understand the animals.

Critical Analysis
Opening with an Author's note, Bruchac identifies this as a traditional story among the Wabanaki of New England and the Nations within this. Then he identifies his own tribe affiliation with the Western Abenaki. He explains how he acquired this and other stories and how he interprets them and then recreates his own version. It is meant to be a teaching story and it clearly carries a message throughout the text that is not subtle.

Children will respond to the soft hued images of the four men and the gray haired Gluskabe. The illustrator, Shrader, focuses our attention to the various facial expressions, different characteristics among the men and simple dress of the men versus the Great Spirit and the first man who acquires many possessions. These contrasts are subtle but conscious. The environment is appropriate to the region (type of trees, animals, water). The anthropomorphic qualities of some of the elements (wind, tree, rock) is disturbing.

As far as legends go, this is a simple message and most can identify with the desires of at least one of the characters. The tale is a sort of Wizard of Oz parallel. I can't help but wonder what more children's books about Native American legends does little to dispel the stereotypes of Indians living in the ways of old, mythical lives. There is a library full of these, but much fewer books with modern, real characters teaching a similar message. It would be interesting to read the tale of a Gluskabe who is somehow more realistic in the ways of today integrated with the same message, characters and themes but easier to identify for children.

As you read this story it is clear that a live regaling of this would be extremely effective. Bruchac is clearly a storyteller. A slightly complicated story for the intended audience ages 4 to 8.

Review Excerpts
"Bruchac is a master storyteller, and his talent is amply displayed in this retelling of an Abenaki tale." Donna L. Scanlon - School Library Journal from http://www.amazon.com/Gluskabe-Four-Wishes-Joseph-Bruchac/dp/0525651640/ref=sr_1_1/002-5446896-4425626?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183848175&sr=8-1

"The author’s note, located at the very beginning of this picture book gives a wealth of background information on this particular traditional story, recognizes the distinct culture of the Wabanaki people, and establishes Bruchac’s creditability to be telling the story of Gluskabe." Allison Gurza from http://www.humboldt.edu/~crc/critiques/Bruchac.pdf

"The reader may excuse the {tale's} didacticism for, as the opening note explains, 'these stories are strong teaching stories.' However, Bruchac observes the three transformations with a coldly clinical eye, ignoring the possibilities for irony, or even horror, that the tale bountifully offers. Shrader's pastels capture the mystic haze that surrounds Gluskabe's island; the adventurers are neatly individuated, but rigidly posed. Bruchac states that he has researched at least four written versions of the tale, but he does not provide citations." Bush, Elizabeth, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"The impeccably sourced, well-told tale, with its parallels to more familiar folktales--'The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship,' 'Diamonds and Toads'--is illustrated with dramatic, atmospheric oil paintings that aptly suggest an inchoate new world." Parravano, Martha V., The Horn Book

Connections

• Bruchac, Joseph. 1990. Gluskabe stories.


• Landau, Elaine. 1996. The Abenaki.


• Tsonakwa, Gerard Rancourt. 2001. Seven eyes, seven legs: supernatural stories of the Abenaki.