Books with author Tavis C Taylor

All peoples have their own stories of how the Earth was created, what separated the land from the seas, and how the many animals, fish, and other creatures came to have their particular characteristics. The native tribes of North America are no different: they too have stories about the “way things began.” A fascinating collection of tales that explain the origins of tornadoes, forest fires, butterflies, horses, Niagara Falls, why dogs are our best friends, and even a very funny story of why owls and rabbits look the way they do.

A wonderfully gruesome group of not-so-benign creatures from native North American folklore. In these tales, readers learn of a witch who steals buffalo and the coyote who steals them back, a giant fish that kills anyone who ventures on a lake, a greedy giant who drinks all the water on earth and another giant who drinks blood. More importantly, we meet the brave people and animals who subdue these creatures through a combination of luck, skill, and old-fashioned courage.

Iceman sits by his small fire, feeling old and tired after a long winter. Suddenly, a spry young man with a wreath of sweetgrass around his neck appears at the campsite with a message. Iceman tells the stranger, called New Dawn, of his powers: how his cold breath turned leaves brown and blew them from the trees, how he made bears and beavers hide in their dens, how he shook his head and caused snowdrifts to form. New Dawn then delivers his message, which is the coming of Spring. As he sings his song, he grows stronger and taller, the snows melt, birds return to the budding trees, and Iceman retires for the next season.

Crippled in an accident and left behind by his hunting party, Lone Warrior must overcome hunger, cold, pain, and despair to survive. But most terrifying of all his trials is the appearance of a skeleton-ghost arisen from the grave. That Lone Warrior can still remember to express his gratitude to the animal he must kill to survive, and that he does not allow fear to diminish his dignity, makes him an ideal hero.

Crippled in an accident and left behind by his hunting party, Lone Warrior must overcome hunger, cold, pain, and despair to survive. But most terrifying of all his trials is the appearance of a skeleton-ghost arisen from the grave. That Lone Warrior can still remember to express his gratitude to the animal he must kill to survive, and that he does not allow fear to diminish his dignity, makes him an ideal hero.

How did people come to inhabit the Earth? Were bones, collected in a basket, changed into people and scattered East, West, North, South? Perhaps animals formed the Earth from moss floating on a raft after a great flood. Or did the first woman fall through a hole in the sky to make her home on the back of a turtle? Did souls emerge from a dark underworld by climbing a grapevine? A wonderful collection of stories taken from Chuckchee, Cree, Mandan, Modoc, Mohawk, Osage, and Zuñi legends.

Two-Feather had been wandering all winter, lonely and hungry. One spring night he goes to sleep to forget the despair, only to be awakened by a voice calling his name. It is a woman, so beautiful that Two-Feather immediately falls in love with her, and begs for her to stay with him forever. The woman leads him over mountains and through forests. Two-Feather obeys her every command, even the last, most difficult, only to find she has left him, but not without ensuring that he will never be lonely or hungry again.

When the buffalo herds fail to appear one spring, a village in the Black Hills of South Dakota finds itself in turmoil: the people grow selfish and the elders lose their authority. But a beautiful woman comes, bearing a message. Only if the people learn to cooperate in the building of a great tipi, will she return with the first peace pipe and the rules of how it must be offered to the earth. Her message delivered, she returns to the hills and is transformed into a white buffalo, which in turn becomes a grazing herd.

"When Meg is sent away to recover from an illness, her Grandmother gives her what has become known as the Invalid Doll. But there is more to the doll than meets the eye...The Invalid Doll, Jessie, came over the Canadian prairies with Meg's great-great-grandmother more than a hundred years ago, and is a special family heirloom. But what is it about the doll that makes her grandmother's cat hiss and run from the room? When Meg falls asleep holding the doll she wakes up in another time, where she is a girl called Morag, travelling across the Canadian prairie in a covered wagon. Meg's real life becomes more miserable as she senses her parents breaking up, and she uses the doll as a means of escape to Morag's happy family and a life full of adventure. But Meg's dream gradually becomes a nightmare. Will she be trapped forever in the past? "

How did people come to inhabit the Earth? Were bones, collected in a basket, changed into people and scattered East, West, North, South? Perhaps animals formed the Earth from moss floating on a raft after a great flood. Or did the first woman fall through a hole in the sky to make her home on the back of a turtle? Did souls emerge from a dark underworld by climbing a grapevine? A wonderful collection of stories taken from Chuckchee, Cree, Mandan, Modoc, Mohawk, Osage, and Zuñi legends.

A great hunter, Little Water has a special gift – he can communicate with the animals of the forest, who respect him. One day, when Little Water returns from the hunt, he finds his village silent. Everyone is very sick, and the medicine man cannot cure them. He instructs Little Water to seek help from the animals. But Little Water is caught in a terrible storm and injured. The animals come to his help and give him knowledge of their healing powers. With their help, Little Water is able to save the villagers, who never forget the gift from the forest animals.