The Good Rainbow Road: A Native American Tale in Keres and English

by Simon J. Ortiz

Book Overview

This is the story of two courageous boys and of how they saved their village.

Their village is called Haapaahnitse, Oak Place, and it lies at the foot of a mountain. Once there was a lake and a stream nearby, but they have dried up. Once rain and snow came, but no more. Not only did the crops wither and die, even the hardy oak trees have become brittle sticks. The land has become barren and dry.

Two brothers, Tsaiyah-dzehshi, whose name...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0816529353
• ISBN13: 9780816529353
• Release Date: October 2010
• Publisher: University of Arizona Press
• Length: 80 Pages
• Weight: 3.18 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 11.0" x 10.0"
• Age Range: 7 to 10 years
• Grade Range: Grades 2 to 5

Customer Reviews

The Good Rainbow Road: A Western Heritage Award Winner

If you are looking for an award winning book filled with wisdom and culture, then The Good Rainbow Road is for you. It should occupy shelf space in every child's library. The book's message is deceptively simple and the artwork is stunning. Our family will cherish it for generations.

Enthusiastically recommended Native American story

The Good Rainbow Road is a fable written by contemporary Native American author Simon J. Ortiz. Though it is not based upon any traditional Native American legend, it has been deliberately crafted with the inspiration and narrative style of such. It is a tri-lingual storybook, with its adventurous tale presented in English, Spanish, and the Keres language of the Acoma Pueblo Native Americans. Brightly illustrated by Michael Lacapa in a slightly stylistic manner, The Good Rainbow Road tells of two brothers who set out to rescue their village from drought, yet for one brother, fear is a far more dire obstacle than even the most perilous hazard. The Good Rainbow Road is a most enjoyable and enthusiastically recommended Native American story exposing avid young readers to languages and cultures outside of the mainstream.