|
What do you think?
What did you like about the story?
What do you like about Teparay Jones?
Would you have played the flute?
Was the adventure believable? Give examples to prove your answer.
Why did Cricket come to visit Tep's family?
Why is the family's garden and seed business so important to Cricket?
For Tep, it's fascinating to think he's walking in the same spot that Ancient Indians did...to think the owl he may hear tonight may be related to an owl heard by his ancestors. Have you ever felt that way? Describe it.
A teacher once told the author Will Hobbs that a theme runs through all his books: "Take care of the land, take care of yourself, take care of each other." Do you agree that's his theme?
What would you leave behind to help future archeologists learn something about you and our culture?
Fun & Adventure Beyond the Book
Kokopelli's Flute is set in New Mexico, near what's called Four Corners—it's where Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico connect. Key to the story are petroglyphs, or rock art, etched into an ancient cliff dwelling called Picture House. Rock art has been found in canyons and mountains from coast to coast within the United States, but it is most highly concentrated in the American Southwest.
Many petroglyphs are easy to figure out...a picture of a hunter spearing a deer, for example. Some rock art tells us stories, reveals beliefs and ceremonies, and relates the history of the people who created the images. Others have meanings we don't understand. Many of the symbols have been determined to be clan or tribal symbols, while others have been defined as religious symbols. Other scientists have found that lots of the rock images are celestial in nature, indicating planetary movement.
Author Will Hobbs is fascinated by the ancient Pueblo culture. He and his wife have backpacked into remote canyons to visit ruins like "Picture House." Here's another site with photographs of cliff dwellings.
You may recognize the Kokopelli figure; it's become a popular graphic. But what do you really know about Kokopelli? Kokopelli is a traditionally Native American symbol which has long been considered a symbol of abundance and fertility. The legend of Kokopelli varies from tribe to tribe, as well as from year to year. The generally accepted story is that Kokopelli was a man who traveled widely and carried a sack on his back containing various items that change from story to story, but always including corn seed, and he carried with him gifts from the gods.
Can you imagine living life as a bushy-tailed woodrat? What would it be like? Learn more about those bushy-tailed woodrats at the desert usa website. And this site has a great photo and more information.
Just what can you learn from a pack rat's midden? This website will help you out, and this site lists more links.
Over thousands of years, farmers have selected and saved seed from plants that provided fruits and vegetables best suited to their area—the ability to mature before the first frosts, a sweeter taste, faster cooking time, or resistance to specific insects or diseases. Food had much more diversity then it does today. A seedbank's primary function is to conserve this genetic diversity—to make sure there's lots of variety in our food. You may have heard some of the vegetables called "heirloom," meaning they were grown by our ancesters. To learn the various steps in selecting and saving seeds, check out this site.
Author Will Hobbs has long been intrigued by the ancient Pueblo people of the Southwest. He's also written a lot of good books! Learn more about Hobbs at his website.
Tep and his family are concerned about Hantavirus. His mother, in particular, must be quite careful, given her work. Learn more about Hantavirus and how to prevent it.
Had you ever heard of a ringtail cat before reading this book? See what one looks like and learn more about it!
The Smithsonian Museum has examples of Pueblo pottery—items like the ones that the pothunters were interested in stealing. Learn more and see some examples of the pottery on their website.
If You Like This Book, Check Out...
Grace Greene, from the Vermont Department of Libraries, says if you liked Kokopellis's Flute, you’ll probably enjoy these books as well:
Other books by Will Hobbs:
Beardance (Atheneum, 1993) (sequel to Bearstone)
While accompanying an elderly rancher on a trip into the San Juan Mountains, Cloyd, a Ute Indian boy, tries to help two orphaned grizzly cubs survive the winter and, at the same time, complete his spirit mission.
Bearstone (Atheneum, 1989)
A troubled Indian boy goes to live with an elderly rancher whose caring ways help the boy become a man.
The Big Wander (Atheneum, 1992)
As he searches for his uncle through the rugged Southwest canyon country, fourteen-year-old Clay becomes involved with a group of Navajo Indians who are trying to save some of the last wild mustangs.
Downriver (Doubleday, 1996)
Fifteen-year-old Jessie and the other rebellious teenage members of a wilderness survival school team abandon their adult leader, hijack his boats, and try to run the dangerous white water at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
Companion titles:
Sing for a Gentle Rain, by J. Alison James (Atheneum, 1990)
A boy's search for an explanation to a persistent dream leads him to an Anasazi cliff village 700 years ago, where a young Indian girl needs his help to ensure the survival of her people.
The Lost World of the Anasazi: Exploring the Mysteries of Chaco Canyon, by Peter Lourie (Boyds Mills, 2003)
Vision Quest, by Pamela Service (Atheneum, 1989)
Kate finds life dreary in her small Nevada desert town until contact with an Indian artifact sends her visions of a restless shaman from the past...visions which eventually drag her and her friend Jimmy Fong into that far distant Nevada.
A Time Apart, by Diane Stanley (Morrow, 1999)
While her mother undergoes treatment for cancer, thirteen-year-old Ginny is sent to live with her father in England, where she becomes part of an archeological experiment to investigate life during the Iron Age.
|
Kokopelli’s Flute was read by David Townsend.