Genre 2 Traditional Literature Folktale Retold

Iktomi and the Boulder

Written and Illustrated by Goble, Paul – 1988
New York, NY: Orchard Books
ISBN-10:083356861, ISBN-13:978-0833568670


This story is about a mischief Indian named Iktomi. He gets dressed in his best clothes and goes to the next village to visit relatives and friends. As he is walking and the sun rises higher in the sky, it begins to get hot and realizes that he put on too many clothes. He decides to take his blanket off and give it to the rock, thinking he will not need it. But a storm comes and he takes the blanket off the rock and puts it over himself to keep from getting wet. This angers the boulder. Soon the rain stops but he feels the earth shake and a thump – crash - bump. Wondering what it could be he notices, that it is the boulder that is following him. He runs here and there trying to get away, but to no avail he gets trapped under the boulder. He yells for help, tries to get all different kinds of animals to push the boulder but nothing happens. Darkness comes, he see the bats, in order to get the bats to help he plays a trick on the bats, by saying that the boulder rude remarks about them. The bats get angry and begin to dart this way and that way at the boulder until there was nothing left but little chips all over the ground.
Now Iktomi was able to get up and walk away. The legend has it that how come the bats have flattened faces and why there are many rocks scattered all over the Great Plains.


Analysis
For the illustrations Paul Goble uses India ink and watercolor, reproduced in combined line and halftone. His illustrations are simple the background depict the time of day without it being mentioned much. Portraying Iktomi as a trickster, the children are able to relate to such trickery. It is such a universal behavior that children will be intrigue waiting to find out how he gets out of his situation. The idea of the reason why bats have flat faces will continue to make the children wonder.


Reviews

“Iktomi and the Boulder” is the first in a series of stories about the trickster of the Lakota retold and illustrated by Paul Goble. The trickster is a universal character in North American myths and legends, known by different names in different parts of the country…Goble usually asks a question that puts Iktomi’s actions in a different light or point out his, inconsistencies (e.g., animals are almost always laughing at Iktomi). Goble actually wants listeners to make rude remarks about Iktomi, to really get into the spirit of the story. He also point out that at some point the storyteller should lift their forefinger for silence so that they can go on with the story.

School Journal


“A memorable picture book…A wonderful read-aloud for school-age children.”

Booklist 8/88

“Deadpan asides and playful watercolors enliven this trickster tale take from Sioux lore…”

San Francisco Chronicle 11/27/88


Connection

- Use the subject of bats to introduce science. For example, Sway’s Bats: Mammals that Fly examines how bats fit in with other creatures in the animal kingdom and how they relate to other mammals. The scientific name for bats is Chiroptera, meaning “handwing,” and students will be fascinated to see how the “fingers” in a bat’s wings really do resemble hands.

- All bats can be divided into two categories: megabats and microbats. Have students look at what characteristics differentiate the two categories.

- Half of the species in the United States are endangered; invite students to research endangered species.