A new exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Tacoma brings alive the stories of author and illustrator Gerald McDermott in “Soar into Story: The Adventures of Raven and Coyote.”

Two of McDermott’s most popular tales, “Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest” and “Coyote: A Trickster Tale from the American Southwest,” are transformed from page to playtime through a variety of hands-on activities, where children can explore the worlds of Raven and Coyote. Children explore the characters through make-believe activities, playing with story sequences, building vocabulary and retelling the stories.

“Our goal was to bring Gerald McDermott’s stories to life, for kids to play with them and take them apart,” said Debbie Kray, director of product development for the museum.

McDermott’s stories bring to life mythology from around the world. Many of his stories - including the two featured in this exhibit - are “trickster tales,” which explore the mischief and mishaps of some of the sneakiest mythological figures.

The story of Raven is a Pacific Northwest Native American tale about how the sly bird stole the sun from the Sky Chief to share with all the people of the world. McDermott’s illustrations bring to life the color and style of Native Northwest art, while implementing his knack for stunning texture and detail.

The Raven’s World section of the exhibit includes a replica of the Sky Chief’s house. In the center is a large story pole, designed by local Native American artist Shaun Peterson, a member of Puyallup Tribe.

In the pole are carvings that recreate the story of Raven. Young visitors also have the opportunity to build their own story by sequencing story pole segments together.

Children have the opportunity to dress up as Raven and other characters in the story, to fish for salmon to offer in thanks to Raven, and to help Raven place the sun in the sky.

Coyote’s story is based on the stories of Southwestern Native Americans, who told of a coyote that longed to fly with crows. Children have the opportunity to explore Coyote’s world through costumes, games and activities. They can test what happens when Coyote tries to fly, use magnets to put the story’s events into sequence and visit with stuffed versions of some of the many animals Coyote encounters on his adventures.

“Soar into Story” also includes a small theater room, where visitors can watch the books’ images while the story is narrated, or simply watch the images and narrate the stories themselves. In Gerald’s Studio, children can illustrate their own stories and learn about McDermott’s process for illustrating his books.

The exhibit includes activities for children from infancy to about age 8, and McDermott’s stories will capture the imaginations of even larger audiences.

“The great value of his stories is that they can go from the simple colors that can captivate a child to the larger mythological [aspects],” Kray said. “I think they really reach all ages.”

The exhibit was put together with the help of many community members and organizations, including the Puyallup Tribe of Indians and Chief Leschi School, Tacoma Public Library and Tacoma Public Schools.

The exhibit opened earlier this month and will remain at the museum for about two years. After that, the museum plans to install another exhibit featuring two more of McDermott’s tricksters, Jabuti the tortoise and Zomo the rabbit.

In conjunction with “Soar into Story,” the main branch of the Tacoma Public Library is hosting an exhibit called “Myth and Magic,” featuring McDermott’s original illustrations for these and other stories.  

The exhibit includes a total of 46 of McDermott’s original pieces dating from 1984 to present day. Tacoma is one of the first cities to host the collection, which will be touring the country for the next couple of years.

“We work very closely with the Children’s Museum and we look for ways to bring readers together with the people who create their favorite books,” said David Domkoski, spokesperson for Tacoma Public Library. “One of the ways of getting readers excited about books is to get them excited about the original art work…It’s just another way of reaching out to readers.”

So far, reaction to the exhibit has been overwhelmingly positive.

“People are just in awe,” Domkoski said. “It’s one thing to see these images on the printed page, but to see the texture, the brightness, the details of the images in person is just amazing. Kids just love it.”

The collection of original artwork will be on display at the Tacoma Public Library’s main branch through Nov. 14.

Several events and activities have been scheduled for children and adults alike to coincide with these exhibits. Scheduled events include a workshop for parents and teachers, a creative movement class and a dance program that culminates in a performance at Pantages Theater next spring.

For more information on the Children’s Museum of Tacoma and the “Soar into Story” exhibit, visit www.childrensmuseumoftacoma.org or call (253) 627-6031.