The Thunderbird is an important symbol found in legends throughout North America. Sometimes friendly, sometimes threatening, this awe-inspiring bird was a supernatural creature that derived its name from the flapping of its powerful wings, which was said to produce thunder. Read on to find resources to teach children about this widespread Native American legend, as well as a new middle grade fiction series that celebrates mythical creatures.
Photo by Dr Haggis [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Thunderbird: Native American Legend
The Thunderbird appears most frequently in legends of the Pacific Northwest, yet it can be found throughout North America. It appears in songs and oral histories, even in ancient stone carvings. With the flapping of their powerful wings and the lightning that would shoot out of their eyes, the Thunderbirds were said to bring rain and storms.
A Note About Sources
When learning about Native American cultures, it is extremely important to interrogate your sources. This is a highly sensitive topic among Native communities, and with good reason. For hundreds of years outsiders have appropriated and interpreted Native culture. Even when done with good intentions, this can distort the original context, so it is important to make sure that your source is reputable and respectful.
For example, when searching for resources on the Thunderbird legend, I came across many entries from “cryptozoology,” a branch of pseudoscience that attempts to prove the existence of creatures from legend. As a result, there is a lively search for the “real” Thunderbird, sometimes thought to be a surviving pterosaur and sometimes a monstrous creature related to the condor.
You also run into a lot of links about the cars and the airplanes named after the powerful Thunderbird!
As a result, I’ve collected for you reliable resources about the supernatural Thunderbird from Native American legends, so you can learn more about it with your children. Keep in mind that the Thunderbird appears in legends across North America, so you will run across some variation.
Thunderbird: What to Read
History of the Thunderbird symbol, especially in the Mississippian culture
A history of the modern Thunderbird jewelry of the US Southwest
Collection of Native stories about the Thunderbird
Thunderbird and Whale stories from the Pacific Northwest
I also found a beautiful book at our local library, called Brave Wolf and the Thunderbird: Tales of the People. This traditional Absaroka (Crow) tale is here retold by Joseph Medicine Crow. It is an example of how the Thunderbird often is friendly towards humans and can help them. It is part of the Tales of the People series created with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.
Thunderbird: Where to Visit
Thunderbird Park, Victoria, BC
Thunderbird Park in Victoria, British Columbia
Mythical Creatures for Kids
If you have a child that is fascinated by mythical creatures, then you don’t want to miss the wonderful new middle grade series The Unicorn Rescue Society. In the first book, The Creature of the Pines, we meet Elliot, a bookish boy starting his first day at a new school. He quickly teams up with Uchenna, his polar opposite in many ways except for how neither of them seems to be a bit of a misfit. But my favorite character is the wild-haired Professor Fauna, a mysterious teacher feared by most students. But when the children find a mysterious creature on a school field trip, they find that Professor Fauna is the only person in whom they can confide.
And thanks to him, they are introduced to the Unicorn Rescue Society – much to Elliot’s chagrin and Uchenna’s delight. Young readers will delight in their adventures with the Professor, and travel along with them to save a dragon in the just released second book in the series, The Basque Dragon
. Highly imaginative book for anyone who believes (or wants to believe) that mythical creatures might still exist!
This book is part of the Basque Dragon book tour. Find out more in the links below!
WEEK ONE
July 2 – Liv The Book Nerd – Review + Creative Instagram
July 3 – Mommy Ramblings – Favorite Mythological Creature from a Children’s Picture Book
July 4 – Live.Laugh.Love.Library – Listicle: Five Interesting Facts about your Favorite Mythological Creature
July 5 – All Done Monkey – Review + Favorite Mythological Creature
July 6 – Storymamas – Favorite Mythological Creatures to have as pets
WEEK TWO
July 9 – The HSP Bookshelf – What Mythological Creature I would want to have as a pet
July 10 – The Pages In-Between – Creative Instagram Picture
July 11 – Lost in Storyland – What Mythological Creature I would want to have as a pet
July 12 – Laura’s Bookish Corner – What Mythological Creature I would want to have as a pet
(read my 
!) Pro tip – always use washable markers like these 
, especially if your child likes to draw on themselves (and the table, etc) like mine does!
!
.
by Sherman Alexie and Yuyi Morales and the lovely Navajo legend 
. This service makes a great gift to help children learn about other cultures and celebrate their own heritage.
