The Little White Buffalo is the story of Hŏpi, the Little White Buffalo, and her big brother, Ta-Tonka. In the story the two young buffalo wander away from their herd seeking an elusive mountain goat and encounter a mountain lion. They learn the importance of staying with the herd. Terri Einer, illustrator, brings the book to life with adorable artwork of the North American prairies. Little Hŏpi is named after the city of Hopkins, Minnesota, where the author lives. The name is spelled similarly to the Hopi (Hōpi) Native America tribe. The Hopi reservation land is in Northern Arizona. Ta-Tonka is similar to Tatanka, a Lakota word meaning “Big Beast”. Tonka is short for Minnetonka, a large lake in the western suburbs of the Minneapolis, Minnesota. The name Minnetonka comes from the Dakota Native American word, "mni tanka", which means "great water".