The Huron Carol


Printed:	2003	Author:	Jean de Brebeuf
Publisher:	Eerdmans Publishing	ISBN:	0802852637
Suppliers:

Hardcover - 32 pages (August 2003) , usually ships within 24 hours.
Amazon Review
Kindergarten-Grade 4-- In the 1600s, the missionary Father Jean de Brebeuf wrote a carol in the Huron language telling the story of the birth of Christ, set in the Huron world. Given here in an English translation, the language is simple with evocative images, although the poetry does not always flow smoothly. As discussed in an afterword, Tyrrell has tried to make the illustrations authentic in terms of clothing and setting. Done in pen and ink and watercolor and using a limited palette, the main figures are set in an arched insert on each recto, surrounded by a swirling background of angels, stars, or birds. There is a liturgical look to this arrangement. Some people may have a philosophical difficulty with the validity of recasting the religious tradition of one culture into the setting of another. Grand Chief of the Huron nation, Max Gros-Louis, says in the afterword "We are pleased that this book tells a part of our common history," and certainly Father Brebeuf is historically significant as one of the first European missionaries to write in the Huron language. A book that will be of most interest to large eclectic collections. --Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KY Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.