The arrowsmith transforms the Boy into an arrow and launches him to the Sun.Īrriving in the Sun, the boy encounters his father, the Lord, who is skeptical of the Boy's identity as his son. However, when the Boy asks an elderly arrowsmith, the arrowsmith senses his relation to the Sun and agrees to lend aid. Disheartened, the Boy decides to leave the Pueblo and find his father.ĭuring his journey, the Boy asks the assistance of both a farmer and a sculptress, but both refuse. When the Boy reaches adolescence, he is ridiculed by the other boys because he has no father. Long ago, the Lord of the Sun shoots down the spark of life into the Pueblo, where it reaches a young woman and causes her to give birth to an unnamed son, referred to as 'the Boy'. In retelling the tale, some folklore scholars believe that the story has digressed from the spirit of the Acoma tradition. Both media are a retelling of a Pueblo tale, specifically an Acoma Pueblo tale, in which a mysterious boy seeks his father. The book was printed in gouache and ink, and it won the 1975 Caldecott Medal for illustration. You can read more of her reviews here.Arrow to the Sun is a 1973 short film and a 1974 book, both by Gerald McDermott. Her other hobby is consistently volunteering way too much of her time. She also makes films, but everyone knows you can't make a profit doing that.

Lauren Shearer writes words for fun and profit. This is the kind of book the Caldecott medal was designed to reward.Īrrow to the Sun was simultaneously made into a book and a film, which you can watch below.Īrrow to the Sun (1973) from waanaki on Vimeo. Joseph Campbell's influence is very strong in the story arc, making an almost perfect picture of the 'Hero's Journey.' The book is stylistically excellent while still remaining genuinely entertaining. Though the authenticity of this being an actual 'Pueblo Indian tale' is disputed, it's excellent on its own, as inspired by the Southwest and the Pueblo Indians. Bold, inspiring, action-packed, and vibrantly colorful, they're also full of emotion as the stylized but human characters go through the wide range. They were described by his friend Joseph Campbell as 'color magic' and they really are.

McDermott's fabulous geometric illustrations make this book. But his father is all the way up in the sun.

The Boy determines to find his father no matter what it takes. The other boys in his pueblo mock him because he has no father. One day he shoots the spark of life down to earth and it lands in the house of a young maiden. The Lord of the Sun is a shadowy figure who lives up in that big shining orb.

Arrow to the sun book