This author is known for writing and illustrating folklore. In this book, he focuses on the story of a little boy who lived on the plains. His trible lived in a circle of teepees. Most of the other boys were pursuing active feats of riding horses, running, shooting their bow and arrows, and wrestling with each other.

Because this young boy was much smaller, he felt different and not part of the group. His name was Little gopher and he was very artistic. The wise man (shaman) of the tribe told him his gift was very special and his place is different from the others, and he will be thought of for his artistic talents.

Going to the hills alone to discern his path and how he fits in with the tribe, he had a dream vision. He watched the clouds and saw a young Indian maiden and old grandfather. She helped him with his talent of painting the animal skins. The grandfather gave him tools and the young maiden instructed him to find a white buckskin to paint the colors of the sky.

His dream came true when he was given special paintbrushes and pots of paints. He found a white buckskin. Thereafter he beautifully painted the stories of the people. When he was finished with the paintbrushes, he placed them in the ground. They became lush flowers that covered the ground. The people called him He Who Brought the Sunset to the Earth. ( )

Independent Reading Level: Grades 3 and 4
Honors/Awards: Reading Rainbow Program Selection

This legend is the story of how the flower, the indian paintbrush, came to be.The colors and illustrations in this book are also beautiful. I especially like the illustrations of the sunset. ( )

Little Gopher follows his destiny, as revealed in a Dream-vision, of becoming an artist for his people and eventually is able to bring the colors of the sunset down to the earth.

This was a well-written origin story that was well-developed and easy to follow. It really built up the protagonists character and was insightful to his culture. I liked that it developed the character from being a young boy to a young man, developing him in life. It discusses the influence of his ancestors as they guided him to paint his dream paintings, thus leading him to create the most beautiful sunset. I thought this was a very beautiful story for this reason as it detailed a recurring belief. ( )