Bird Falls in Love with Native American Maiden

If that seems like a strange headline, welcome to the world of Wabi, a white great horned owl in Joseph Bruchac's book Wabi; a Hero's Tale. The story begins with the bird Wabi spending a lot of time with his great-grandmother Owl. We learn that both these owls share a special bond -- they can communicate in the language of humans. When Wabi falls in love with the human girl Dojihla, he longs for a way to become human so he can be with her. Then he learns that his great-grandfather knew the way to change. With the help of Owl, Wabi becomes human but must face several challenges before he is accepted by Dojihla, all the while learning how to adapt to being human.

After reading Bruchac's book Code Talker about the Navajos in World War II, this book comes as a bit of a shock with its strong fantasy elements. However it is beautifully written and blends in many elements from Native American folklore. I found myself wanting to encourage Wabi to go on through his trials always hoping the Dojihla would change her mind and accept him. Based on these two fascinating books, I will be looking for other books by Bruchac to add to the IMC collection.