"The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush"-Retold by Tomie dePaola

This is a multicultural book. A young boy in a Native American tribe had a hard time fitting in with the rest of the boys his age. He was not able to run and shoot his bow like the other boys. His name was Little Gopher. Although he could not do these other things as well he was able to create toy warriors and paint beautiful stones. The wise shaman had told little gopher that he was going to be remember for different reasons other than being a great warrior. One day he went to the hill to ponder becoming a man when to spirits appeared to him. They showed him what tools he would use to become great among his people, they told him to find white buckskin to paint the evening sky. Little Gopher went home immediately and began making his paintbrushes and painting pictures. He painted many great pictures of battle and great deeds but when he found the white buckskin he could not find the colors to paint the evening sky. Little Gopher never gave up trying to make the perfect colors, and one night he was rewarded for that. The spirits spoke to him and told him the colors would be provided for him on the hillside. He then painted the perfect sunset and left the colors behind. The next day there were flowers growing all over the hillside in the colors of the beautiful sunset. Little Gopher was no longer called that he was call He-Who-Brought-the-Sunset-to-the-Earth and his people began to praise him.
I think this is a great book to show students how it is to be patient and that you do not have to be like everyone else. That is good to fallow your own path and to be an individual. This book also shows that if you truly believe in something then you can and will make it happen.