(The) Flute Player: An Apache Folktale by Michael Lacapa #multicultural #NativeAmerican #atozchallenge #review

The story tells of two young ones who come to a Hoop Dance but dance with no other. They separate to their own families but the boy, a flute player, plays for her. She secretly sends "messages" to him that he likes how he plays. The village thinks the music comes from the trees. Eventually, tragedy strikes but the music is still heard through the canyon.

This folktale could almost be Romeo and Juliette-esq. Except the two lovers are not kept from each other with the exception of time. I loved this story but the ending was sad. You will have to get your own copy to know what happens.

 I do believe students reading this book would understand it to be folklore or albeit the way to explain things. It is a great book to read and study for Native American studies. I will say though, although this book is listed for younger readers, it could go up to 5th grade with more in depth study.

This book is beautifully illustrated by the author as well. The graphics are in browns, blues, muted yellows, and green. The Apache people are illustrated in bold line drawings. I truly love this and it speaks to the authors naive heritage. His book keeps the stories alive.

This book gets 5 stars from me.  Amazon

Disclosure: I purchased a copy of this book for my own collections. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle