The Great Ball Game: A Muskogee Story

Bruchac, Joseph. 1994. The Great Ball Game: A Muskogee Story. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0803715390.

Summary
Joseph Bruchac writes a compelling tale about why birds migrate south for the winter.  Just as American Indians did, the animals and the birds played a game with the right to name punishment for the loser as the prize for winning.  Animals are the ones with teeth and the birds are the ones with wings.  But, what about Bat?  He has both wings and teeth!

Analysis
The story itself is an interesting one that will captivate the imagination of children of all ages.  It is short and uses simple language that will not hinder understanding.  In addition, the illustrations are very interesting to look at.  They are collages on colorful backgrounds that really bring the images to life.  At the beginning of the book, Bruchac explains the reasoning behind ball games and how many tribes would play a game instead of going to war.

In terms of cultural makers, Bruchac includes many.  The first is the basic story in the beginning of the book behind the meaning of the game.  He portrays the ball game as a lacrosse-like sport that originated among the Native Americans.  One of the second markers is how the animals are portrayed.  They are portrayed as proper nouns as opposed the common noun.  For example, Bear is an animal represented in the story and is always called "Bear" not "the bear."

Finally, the story itself is a cultural marker.  Just as myths explain the natural phenomena that people couldn't explain, yet, this story explains the reasoning behind bird migration.  In addition, the story was originally passed down orally as Bruchac tells us in the foreword.

This is a fun read.  It lends itself to being read aloud and the pictures will entice anyone to read this book.
Review Excerpts
Booklist - Short and well told, this appealing pourquoi tale lends itself to reading aloud.

Kirkus Reviews - As an explanation for migration, this story has it all over the stellar-geo-electro-magnetic theory currently in vogue. Roth's distinctive collages have a Red Grooms busyness ranging from bright and appealing to appropriately subtle, rendered from elegant handmade papers gathered in Tibet, Italy, Japan, and Thailand. There is one problem, though. Many bats don't stay home and rest. They migrate, too. Oops.

School Library Journal - This porquoi tale is told in clean, spare sentences with the emphasis on action and character...Unfortunately, the cut-and-torn paper illustrations are too crudely done to convey character or provide details that would have enriched the book. The helter-skelter compositions distract readers from what is otherwise an entertaining tale.

Connections
Learn more about Native American games with these books:
Miller, Jay. American Indian Games: A True Book. ISBN 9780516260921.
Bruchac, Joseph. Native American Games and Stories.  ISBN 9781555919795.

You should also check out Joseph Bruchac's website: http://www.josephbruchac.com/.
You can hear him read different poems.