The First Strawberries by Joseph Bruchac

Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures.

Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. They are also reminded of the tale each time they eat strawberries, which is a great reminder for them to be kind.A collection of parental wishes for a child. Both of these things are something we want to teach children to avoid, so this book is an excellent choice in teaching these morals. The man uses harsh words, and the woman acts rashly in leaving. I think this is a great choice to read to children, as it shares Native American culture and also reminds children to use kind words. Cherokee people remember this story when they eat strawberries and are reminded to use kind words that are as sweet as strawberries with one another. They enjoy the sweet strawberries together. As she was picking strawberries to share, her husband caught up and apologized for his angry words.

The sweetness reminded her of all the good times she had with her husband, and she knew she wanted to share them with him. They were so bright and beautiful that she stopped and bit into one. After raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries, the sun grew strawberries right in front of the woman's feet. The sun took pity on him and shone down to create all different kinds of berries, in an effort to get the woman to stop and pick them. The man tried to catch up, but she was too quick.

However, one day the man spoke harshly to the woman out of anger, so she left, walking towards the west. The Cherokee legend has it that the Creator made man and woman at the same time, and they lived happily together for a long time.

The First Strawberries by Joseph Bruchac