Led by Coyote, the animals of the world before this one plan for the coming of people in this Native American creation story from California, making the new world and preparing it for human beings. Gophers dig and dump, creating mountains and valleys; Coyote the seeds of people, and draws the lines of rivers and creeks; Eagle's feathers become trees and other plants; Blacktail Deer finds and prepares salt; and Lizard, wise to the fact that people will be limited if they have hands like Coyote's, ensures that they will be five-fingered...

The People With Five Fingers: A Native Californian Creation Tale is the third book I have read that was written by John Bierhorst and illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker, following upon their The Woman Who Fell from the Sky: The Iroquois Story of Creation and The Monkey's Haircut, and Other Stories Told by the Maya. I found the story itself fascinating—how interesting, that it is animals who are the creators, rather than some creator spirit, which brings both animals and people into being—and the accompanying watercolor artwork lovely. That being said, I was disappointed not to see more information about the specific sources, whether textual or cultural, for this story. No specifics are given in the very brief note at the beginning of the book, regarding which California tribe(s) this tale came from, nor how Bierhorst first encountered it. Given that he has edited many collections of Native American folklore where the cultural origin of the stories is specified, I find this omission odd, and most dissatisfying. Leaving that aside, this is one I would recommend to those who enjoy mythology and folktales, particularly creation stories. ( )

This book would be a great tool to discuss myths of creation from different cultures. I could also use it to give context to Native American culture when learning about history.

The People with Five Fingers is a Native American creation myth that depicts the world as ruled by animals before humans were created. The book could be used in a history or ELA classroom to teach aspects of different cultures or as an introduction to creation myths, respectively.

This book is a Native American interpretation of creation. The main character in the book is a wise coyote, who wears a red belt. Coyote was the architect of the world as we know it today. He told the other animals what was going to be and instructed them on how to create it. He was also the creator of humans, who he planted in the ground. The story uses a variety of native animals of California and gives each one of them a significant part to play in the creation of the world.
Traditionally Native American beliefs have been animistic in scope; therefore, they thought all animals, plants, rocks, and humans contained souls. Do to this fact everything must be respected and given honor. Librarians could use this book to show cultural differences relating to nature and creation. ( )