Week 10 Reading Diary A: Tejas Legends

When the Storm God Rides: I like how this story told how the islands on Texas's coast were formed. I also like that the Storm God created the islands as a safe haven for the birds to be able to escape the indians. I thought that was nice of him. I also thought it was interesting that the indians were afraid of the Storm God's bird even though they killed smaller birds themselves. I also thought it was interesting that the indians think that the Storm God's bird takes the shape of a hurricane. That is so scary!

(illustrations by Berniece Burrough)

Why the Woodpecker Pecks: I thought this story showed how stupid people can be when they get addicted to drugs. They forget about everything else in life and just focus on how they can get more of the drug. I think this would make a great Storytelling post--to tell a story about someone who gets addicted to drugs and forgets about everything else around them. I also thought it was a good punishment for the god to turn them into woodpeckers. However, I thought it was mean that the god to this day still keeps the indians' children away from them. I think the parents should have been given a second chance to make things right.

The Woodpecker's Stumpy Tail: I thought it was interesting that the woodpecker has a stumpy tail because it got bitten off by a fish. I thought it would have been wise for the indians and the woodpecker to listen to the frog like the other birds. I bet they will listen next time they hear the frog say that a flood is coming! If I were to use this story for my Storytelling post this week, I could tell a story about a natural disaster that struck and no one listened to any of the warnings about it.

A Tribe That Left Its Shoes: I thought this was a sweet story in the end. It was horrifying to picture the indians' island literally collapsing underneath them and the people losing their homes. I thought it was sweet that their moccasins that they left turned into orchids so the young tribe members could find their way back to the island when it came back. If I were to use this story for my Storytelling post this week, I would base it off of Hansel and Gretel because they left a trail of crumbs so they could find their way back home just like the indians did.

The Swift Blue One: I thought this story was really a story about a horse that could not be tamed. I think that if I were to use this story for my Storytelling post, I would tell a story about how someone couldn't change the way they were. I think this story is important because it shows that sometimes you just have to let things go and accept the way they are.