Native American myth. A young hunter marries a female buffalo in the form of a beautiful maiden, but when his people reject her he must pass several tests before being allowed to join the buffalo nation.

A young hunter draws his bow against a buffalo cow drinking from a stream. Before he can loose his arrow, there is no buffalo -- instead, there stands a beautiful young woman, whom he knows he must marry.
The hunter's people shun the Buffalo Woman, and so she returns, with their son, Calf Boy, to her people. The hunter's heart compels him to follow. But he has been warned: The Buffalo Nation is angry at the Straight-up-People. And if he cannot find his wife and son among the many buffalo, they will be lost to him forever. -- GoodReads

This is a great book to teach about the acceptance of others! A young Native American hunter goes to hunt a buffalo, when all of the sudden the buffalo disappears and he is standing in front of a beautiful woman! When he brings her back to his tribe, they push her away. He follows her back to her tribe, but loses her and their son in all of the buffalo; on top of the fact that the buffalo people dislike the normal people. The book teaches acceptance of the difference of others and would be great for young or middle aged children. ( )

The buffalo woman is written and illustrated by Paul Goble. It is a great children's book about a hunter who finds a woman to marry while out hunting for buffalo. As he was getting ready to shoot the buffalo he looked up and was surprised to see a woman standing there, this is the woman he knew he had to marry. His family and village shun her and send her away back to her family and village. There she is turned into a buffalo and when her husband comes to look for her, he cannot find her because she blends with the other buffalo. He must undergo struggles and tests to try and get her back. This struggle takes on a deeper meaning and strengthens the relationship between the buffalo and the people. This is a great book that teaches a lot about the native American culture as well as how important buffalo were to the Indians. This is a good book for grades 3 through 5 as it has colorful pictures but also a deeper meaning and understanding. ( )

Reading Level: 4.0
Genre: Traditional Literature
Summary: An old Native American legend in which a young hunter marries a female buffalo that has been transformed into a beautiful woman. The hunter and the woman are of two different tribes. They fall in love, marry, and try to overcome the rejection of his tribe. He ultimately joins the Buffalo Nation and is transformed into a buffalo, too. The book includes a song from the Osage tribe at the end.

Evaluation: This is an entertaining story that teaches the reader a lot about Native American culture. It allows the reader to understand how much the lives of the Indians and buffalo were interwoven. The Plains Indians relied on the buffalo for food, clothing, shelter, and many other things and this book shows the reader that there was a deep sense of kinship between tribes and the buffalo. The content of this book is easy to read and age appropriate. This book keeps the reader engaged and provides a story that will definitely keep the reader’s attention and teach them how much the Indians relied on the buffalo. This book also teaches a lesson about love and relationships and illustrates how strong the bond can be. The beautiful artwork helps to tell the story.