Extra Credit Reading Notes: Great Plains Reading A

This is a super interesting story. It is an origin story explaining the origin of land on Earth. As well as explaining some of the beginnings of human and animal existence on Earth.
I like how the story starts out with the conflict being that there is no land, just water. The elk, of all things, somehow seems to either move the water or raise up the land above the water, either way it is visually cool to think about. An elk is not an animal I would predict to have such power
Similarly, it is fascinating to me how Native Americans portray animals in their stories. Animals having powers, intelligence, wisdom, etc. This story is an example of an animal having a vital role in the events of the story.
The idea of the sun being the father and the moon being the mother of the Osage people is also an intriguing idea that I may have to use in one of my stories. Just the fact that the sun and moon are characters is interesting in itself.

I like how this story is all about a short instance where the two animals show their rivalry for each other by fighting.
There is not any background really, just the scene-setting of the bear walking along the stream. The whole story is action and description of what each animal is thinking.

I like how the story tells a full story that is centered on the action.
All of my stories have a fair amount of backstory and/or character development and this story is a great example of how I could go about writing a full story without needing as much of those two things.

I also like the names of the two animals.
The dialogue is minimal but interesting. It adds context to their situation and what each of them is thinking/planning

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