The Lost Children

The Lost Children

• author & illustrator:  Paul Goble  "no author website"
• vegetable oil-based inks

• year of publication:  1993
• publisher city:  New York
• publisher:  Bradbury Press
• ISBN:  0-02-736555-7

Annotation: A Blackfoot Indian legend in which six neglected orphaned brothers decide to go to the Above World where they become the constellation of the “Lost Children,” or Pleiades.

Personal Thoughts:  Paul Goble has created a really remarkable picturebook in The Lost Children.  The book acts as a lesson to readers that children are to be loved and cared for.  The legend tells that children are gifts from god and when the six orphan homeless brothers are neglected by all the tribes, they choose to become stars and go up to the Sun Man in the sky.  When Sun Man hears their sad story, he becomes angry and casts a fierce heat and drought on the earth below.  Humans, animals and birds all go thirsty.  The plants wither and dry up and the dogs who were friends to the lost brothers pray to the Sun Man for rain.  The lesson here: don’t neglect children.

The illustrations are fantastic.  Each distant mountain looks like a wood block print in single solid colors, while objects in closer view are intricately painted with vivid detail.  Flowers, bugs, dogs, tipis, all are presented in gorgeous illustrations that pop on the page.  Goble really has a gift for nature drawing and his retelling of a Blackfoot tale is handled with respect and care.  From the author’s notes, the wardrobe and patterns on the tipis are drawn from actual artifacts of the Blackfoot Nation in Montana and Alberta, Canada.  Readers today could learn from the story and remember to treat children as a valuable resource and not take raising children for granted.

***use of metaphor - The other children flaunted their new robes and fine clothes, and teased the brothers in their ragged clothes.  "Shabby old bulls!" they called them.