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Summary
Summary
Once, a long, long ago, buffalo roamed the West, filling the plains and canyons with the music of their thundering hooves and huffing breath.
Then hunters came and destroyed nearly all of them. But buffalo are stubborn, ornery creatures, and though the herds were gone, a few lone calves lingered. If the buffalo were to survive as a species, however, they needed the help of someone just as feisty as they were.Inspired by the work of Mary Ann Goodnight, a pioneer credited with forming one of the first captive buffalo herds in the 1800s, this is the beautifully told and warmly illustrated tale of one woman's quest to save what otherwise would have been lost forever.
Author Notes
Tracey Fern is the author of several children's books including Buffalo Music , an ALA Notable Book. She lives with her family in Newtown, Massachusetts and can be visited online at traceyfern.com
Lauren Castillo has illustrated many picture books and has also written and illustrated several, including the Caldecott Honor book Nana in the City. She lives in Harrisburg, PA, and you can also find her at www.laurencastillo.blogspot.com and follow her on Twitter @studiocastillo.
Reviews (4)
Horn Book Review
After herds of buffalo are hunted to the brink of extinction during the late 1800s, Molly begins to raise orphaned buffalo on her own. This quiet fictional story is based on fact and the soft illustrations in muted colors will transport readers back in time to the open fields of Texas. An author's note offers more information about the real Molly. Reading list. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Like Joseph Bruchac's Buffalo Song (2008), this picture book is based on the life of an early conservationist who helped save the buffalo from extinction. The story is told through the fictionalized viewpoint of Molly, a character based on Mary Ann Goodnight, who remembers hearing the huge buffalo herds when she and her husband first settled in the lonely Texas Panhandle in 1876. Then the shots of hunters fill the canyon, and within six seasons, the buffalo have nearly vanished. Molly raises two orphan calves. Cowhands bring her more, and she find herself fending off wolves and poachers and caring for her charges until they become one of five foundation herds in the U.S. The mixed-media illustrations, in thick black lines filled in with colored pencil, show Molly's hardscrabble daily life; her stubborn resistance as settlers, fences, trains, and cattle crowd in; and her nurturing of calves in a world of slaughter.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2008 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4-A story based on the actions of Mary Ann Goodnight, a pioneer who made great strides in saving the buffalo from extinction in the late 1800s. Molly's first-person narrative offers alliterative descriptions of the sounds made by animals native to her West Texas home, including the "huff-huff" of buffalo breath and the thunder of their pounding feet. Soon, this everyday music is replaced by the noise of gunfire, as hunters slaughter the creatures for profit. When a cowhand brings her two orphan calves, Molly nurtures them and many more, developing the first captive buffalo herd. She even sends several yearlings to Yellowstone National Park to help reestablish their herd. The story ends with Molly wistfully hoping that the buffalo and their music will return to the plains. Fern's lyrical text and Castillo's folk-style artwork beautifully capture the era and events. Done in warm, earthy hues, the mixed-media illustrations depict a rugged landscape of grays and browns speckled with touches of color-wildflowers or bright blooms on a tree. Outlined in thick black lines, the characters shimmer with vitality and Molly's affection for her fuzzy-coated orphans is tenderly depicted. Buffalo Music is perfectly suited to a young audience, clearly conveying the magnitude of the decimation and the importance of conservation efforts.-Lynne Mattern, Robert Seaman School, Jericho, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
When Molly first settled in West Texas, she did her chores to "buffalo music," the noises made by massive herds of buffalo grazing nearby. Soon, however, buffalo hunters arrived to slaughter the animals they thought would last forever. "Forever came fast." In six years the buffalo were gone. Molly's grief over their loss abates when a fellow settler brings her two orphaned buffalo calves to raise. They thrive and word spreads: Soon Molly's herd numbers 100. When Yellowstone National Park decides to rebuild its herd, some of Molly's buffalo become founding members. Molly's story, though fictional, is based on the real life of pioneer Mary Ann Goodnight, whose homebred buffalo eventually populated not only Yellowstone but other wildlife refuges and several zoos. Fern's debut is auspicious. Her homespun expressions ("fending off wolves and poachers with the long end of my rifle") allow Molly's straightforward sentiment to shine. Castillo's smudgy illustrations recall Glen Rounds and invest both Molly and the buffalo calves with enormous personality. Together they make this story one with widespread appeal. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.