Maiden of the Mist: A Legend of Niagara Falls

by Veronika Martenova Charles, Veronika Martenova Charles (Illustrator)

Overview

Long ago, a Seneca tribe lived on the Niagara River, just upstream from a great waterfall. With plenty of fish and crops to feed them, life was good in their village. Then a sickness came to the people, and everything changed. As the situation worsened and people died, Lelawala, the chief's daughter, came up with a plan to help. She would go to the thunder god, Hinu, and find out why he wouldn't help her people. But to do that, Lelawala would have to go to his home under the great falls, and never return.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780773762077
Publisher:	Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Limited
Publication date:	05/01/2001
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.50(h) x 0.12(d)
Lexile:	500L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

Veronika Martenova Charles was born behind the Iron Curtain in Prague, Czechosloavakia. As a teenager Veronika formed a pop act with a friend and learned to sing Western rock and roll. On a return trip from a tour in Cuba she stepped from her plane as it refueled in Gander, Newfoundland, and decided to stay in Canada. She studied at Ryerson University and the Ontario College of Art. Since 1991 Veronika has been writing and illustrating children's books full-time.

Editorial Reviews

In an author's note that's particularly useful for educators, [Charles] describes the history of the legend and how her version differs. The exciting drama of Lelawala's trip over the falls, and the engaging and realistic illustrations that show Charles's careful research, will keep young readers' interest.
-Quill and Quire

From the Publisher

Lelawala is a Seneca girl whose tribe lives on the banks of the Niagara River. One summer, sickness comes to the tribe and many people die, including Lelawala's mother, wife of the chief. To appease the thunder god, Hinu, who lives in a cave behind the great falls, the people send sacrifices of food and other gifts, to no avail. Lelawala overhears the medicine man say that a greater sacrifice is needed, and she volunteers to go down the river to Hinu. Unafraid, she canoes over the falls and finds herself in a cave belonging to Hinu's son. He tells her that a horned snake is poisoning the river and killing the villagers. Lelawala appears in a dream to her father, telling him how to defeat the serpent. In the ensuing battle, Hinu and his sons join the Seneca to defeat the snake. The battle transforms Niagara Falls into its current shape. Based on a melding of an Iroquois tale with a European story, the author/illustrator deftly explores the themes of sacrifice and compassion. 2001, Stoddart Kids/Stoddart Publishing, $13.95 and $6.95. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Valerie O. Patterson

Children's Literature

Gr 1-3-According to an author's note about this story's origins, Charles endows her retelling with the strong, compassionate heroine of the Iroquois version rather than the passive girl of European renditions. Lelawala's Seneca tribe, situated by the Niagara River, has been prosperous for as long as memory. When sickness strikes, Lelawala's mother, wife of the chief, is among its many victims. Thinking that Hinu, the thunder god, is angry with them, the people send canoes filled with offerings over the great falls to his cave behind them. But the sickness persists. When Lelawala overhears the tribal leaders pondering sacrificing one of their people to Hinu, she volunteers herself. The depictions of people are inexpert, but the author/illustrator excels in capturing the roiling, pounding water, especially as the girl is thrown from her canoe and carried down the falls. She learns that the great god is powerless to fight a horned snake poisoning the river, and by appearing to her father in a dream, she is able to coordinate the efforts of men and gods to save her people. The dying snake, wedged into the boulders of the waterfall, creates the horseshoe shape that we see today. Even as his people celebrate their victory, the chief misses his brave daughter. He listens for her voice in the roar of the water-and hears it. This satisfying, unique pourquoi tale is well worth adding to most collections.-Susan Weitz, Tompkins County Public Library, Ithaca, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

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