Review of MAGIC OF SPIDER WOMAN

Duncan, Lois. 1996. THE MAGIC OF SPIDER WOMAN. Illustrated by Shonto Begay. New York: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 0590461559.

PLOT SUMMARY
In this retelling of a traditional Navajo folktale, Lois Duncan and Shonto Begay share the story of Weaving Woman. Once a young shepherd named Wandering Girl asks the Spirit Being to help her stay warm during the winter. Spider Woman takes pity on her and teaches the girl how to weave warm blankets, renaming her Weaving Woman. However, this gift comes with a warning. Weaving Woman must never weave blankets for too long, or something terrible with happen to her. All is well until spring arrives and Weaving Woman wants to create blankets with all the colors of nature. Obsessed with her weaving, her spirit becomes trapped in the blanket. Only Spider Woman can set her free.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
Duncan and Begay have crafted a hauntingly beautiful picture book that celebrates the Navajo culture. This retelling captures the essence of the traditional tale of maintaining boundaries in one’s life.

Lois Duncan lives in New Mexico and surrounds herself with Native American culture. She spends a great deal of time researching her stories to maintain their authenticity, including this tale of Spider Woman and the importance of achieving balance in life. The text of this book refers to the elders and their storytelling style.

To immerse readers in the Navajo culture, Duncan uses language to its best advantage. The characters’ names reflect traditional Navajo styles, including how names can change after important events. Boy With a Dream becomes Man Who Is Happy when he marries Weaving Woman. Duncan also refers to the Navajo by the name they call themselves: Dineh, meaning The People. Several characters are named by their position in the tribe. When Weaving Woman becomes ill, a Hand Trembler and Shaman perform healing ceremonies.

The spiritual realm is another prominent cultural marker in Duncan’s story. At the beginning of the folktale, the author mentions how the animals came up from the Third World and asked the Spirit Being to create people to live with them in the Fourth World. Spider Woman is the being that saves Wandering Girl and teaches her to weave for The People. After Weaving Woman’s spirit is trapped in the blanket, she begs Spider Woman to save her. Spider Woman once again takes pity on her and by pulling a thread creates a spirit pathway to release the woman. As the tale ends, Weaving Woman is teaching all the weavers to make spirit trails in their blankets so that pride does not overcome them. Even today, Navajo weavers create pathways in their blankets “so the spirit of the weaver will not be imprisoned by its beauty.”

Shonto Begay is an accomplished and award winning Navajo artist and author. His children’s books are known for being authentic representations of Navajo life. Drawing upon his experiences as the son of a Navajo medicine man and weaver, this picture book’s vivid illustrations accurately depict traditional dress, hair styles, and blanket patterns. Each of the characters has a unique look, but appropriate skin tone and facial features. The landscape, homes, and artifacts of this rural society are also realistically portrayed, giving readers a glimpse of an earlier culture.

Begay’s talented illustrations bring the spiritual world to life in this picture book. The intriguing pictures of the Shaman performing a healing ceremony for Weaving Woman share this mysterious practice with readers. Begay manages to give children information without dishonoring his own culture. Allowing part of each illustration to escape its border also alludes to the end of the story when Spider Woman frees Weaving Woman by pulling a thread out of her blanket to create a spirit pathway, an act still practiced today.

Teachers and librarians looking for high quality children’s picture books that accurately and authentically reflect Native American cultures should consider this work for their collection. Books written and illustrated by “insiders” are rare, especially honored artists like Shonto Begay. The dramatic blend of Navajo folktale and illustrations creates an interesting picture book worthy to share with all children.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publishers Weekly writes, “As in Begay's Ma'ii and Cousin Horned Toad, the graceful figures of the characters appear on dappled backgrounds, brightly colored against pastoral Western landscapes during happy times, darker and often spooky as Weaving Woman traps herself. Duncan's tale carries a thoughtful message, grounded in well-chosen details and adeptly relayed through her personable storytelling.”

School Library Journal comments, “The details Duncan adds from the Dineh creation story, as well as the happy ending, make it distinctively Navajo, as do Begay's light-spangled paintings. Significantly, in almost every one, the perfect rectangle of the illustration is broken by an element of the design extending beyond it: a visual reminder of the story's moral. The impact of the heroine's decision to use dyes is somewhat lessened by the brightly patterned clothing she wears throughout. Nevertheless, Begay's dramatic shifts of perspective, his innate sensitivity to the land and people depicted, and the text's powerful message about pride's deadly effects combine in an appealing and meaningful way.”

Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Spider-Woman-Lois-Duncan/dp/0590461559

CONNECTIONS
Other books for children written or illustrated by Shonto Begay:
Begay, Shonto. MA’II AND COUSIN HORNED TOAD. ISBN 0590612344
Begay, Shonto. NAVAJO: VISIONS AND VOICES ACROSS THE MESA. ISBN 0590461532
Cohen, Caron Lee. THE MUD PONY. Illustrated by Shonto Begay. ISBN 0590415263
Maher, Ramona. ALICE YAZZIE’S YEAR. Illustrated by Shonto Begay. ISBN 1582460809
White Deer of Autumn. THE NATIVE AMERICAN BOOK OF LIFE. Illustrated by Shonto Begay. ISBN 0941831434

Submitted by Kim