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The Legend of the Windigo: a Tale from Native North America by Gayle Ross

faeriedrumsong's review

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5.0

This story smacks of authenticity, in contrast to the surface reliability of Gail Haley's A Story A Story, which I just completed as well.

The tale is a compilation of many different versions of the Windigo tales, told by a member of the Cherokee nation, and skillfully weaves them into an eerily spooky and surprisingly humorous tale. I did *not* know where it was going, and gave a very hearty chuckle and a smile at the end out of sheer surprise and a feeling that all was right with the world - now that *that* was explained.

The paintings are dark in color palette, but not forbidding. The Windigo is scary looking, and combined with the dark colors, some small children may get frightened, so keep that in mind. However, with the victory of the good people and the somewhat humorous ending, some children will enjoy the deliciousness of danger-less fear.

The author's note at the back was a very nice capstone on the story that allowed for some explanation of the text and the creation of the story.
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