Crazy Horse's Vision book review

I was first dawn to the fiction picture book Crazy Horse’s Vision because of its illustrations. Using brightly colored acrylics on wooden panels, illustrator S.D. Nelson painted powerful images to correspond to author Joseph Bruchac’s text. This book review will discuss how both the illustrations and the text create a piece of authentic Native American literature.

The story is about a leader of the Lakota Sioux people named Crazy Horse. He is famous for defeating General Custer alongside Sitting Bull at Little Bighorn in 1876, (Bruchac 31). At the beginning of the story Crazy Horse is a young boy and quickly proves himself to be of leadership material. He tames a wild horse, (5), kills his first buffalo with one arrow, (7), and receives an important vision, (22). The story ends as Crazy Horse is still a young man and is realizing that his vision prophesizes that he will be a defender of his people, (28).

There are many aspects which make this book authentic. According to scholar Debbie Reese, “All of Bruchac’s books are recommended as sources with accurate information from a Native American perspective,” (Reese 170). Bruchac is considered an “insider” author because he is of Abenaki decent who was greatly influenced by his Abenaki grandfather and grandmother as a young boy, (170).
Illustrator S.D. Nelson is also an “insider.” He is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe whose painting has been influenced by the traditional ledger style of the Plains Indians, (Bruchac 32). Nelson describes in the Illustrator’s Note how the “outlined two dimensional figures and indistinct facial expressions” techniques he uses in Crazy Horse’s Vision are inspired by the Plains Indians ledger style drawing, (32). He also explains that he painted Crazy Horse blue because the Lakota people believe blue to represent the sky and a connection with the spirit world.

Another way that this book is authentic is Bruchac’s descriptions of Plains Indian customs. After a battle Crazy Horse stands next to the burial scaffolds to clear his thoughts, (16). Burial scaffolds were a custom performed with the recently deceased. Crazy Horse also goes on a vision quest for which he “stripped off his clothes” and fasted according to custom, (18-19).

Each of these features combines to produce a story true to Native American culture. Bruchac and Nelson’s dual effort has effectively generated a magnificent book which informs readers of Plains Indian tradition.

Works Cited:

Bruchac, Joseph. Crazy Horse’s Vision. New York: Lee & Low Books, Inc., 2000.

Reese, Debbie A. and Caldwell-Wood, Naomi. "Native Americans
in Children's Literature" in Harris, V. J. (Ed.) Using Multiethnic Literature in the K-8 Classroom. Norwood: Christopher Gordon, Inc., (1997): 155-192.

Image: http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~gathread/bruchac.html

The Game of Silence book review

“I take a long time to write these books because they are, in the truest sense, labors of love for my characters, my children, my ancestors, and my people,” (Erdrich 2005).

The next Native American book which I chose to review is a historical fiction novel. I was curious about Native American historical fiction because of author Cynthia Leitich Smith’s desire to avoid it. In my last post I described how she preferred to set her books in a contemporary setting so that the audience will understand that the Native American tradition lives and breathes today, not just in the past.

The Game of Silence written by Louise Erdrich is set in 1850 on Lake Superior’s southern shores on the island of Moningwanaykaning, (modern day Madeline Island). Omakayas, or Little Frog, is a nine-year-old girl and member of the Anishinabe, the original name for the Ojibwe or Chippewa people. The story follows Omakayas as she is faced with many obstacles including extra chores, relocation, separation, hunger and death which are all caused by the white settler westward expansion. Omakayas’ world is disrupted when a ragged-looking group of Natives arrive on the shore of the island seeking refuge. She soon discovers that white people forced them to relocate and her village will soon suffer the same fate. In addition to the anxiety caused by this irruption of fear, Omakayas is coming of age in her culture and is having doubts about completing the custom of a vision quest.

Erdrich is an “insider” author as she is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwa in North Dakota. An indication that The Game of Silence is authentic literature is Erdrich’s extensive usage of Ojibwa terms. At the end of the text, she includes a helpful five-page glossary and pronunciation guide, noting that the spellings are often idiosyncratic as Ojibwa was originally a spoken language, (249).

The Game of Silence is true to the Ojibwa culture in many ways. In her novel Erdrich succeeds in describing Ojibwa customs and traditions. Throughout the text the Omakayas, her brother, and cousins are enticed to play a game of silence when the adults are meeting. Erdrich explains how this practice “is based on a real Ojibwa game adults used to keep children quiet when they needed adult time indoors,” (“extras” 3). Another custom is depicted in chapter 5 with the task of artfully constructing “jeemaanan”, or birchbark canoes, (67). Chapter six follows the family as they “knock manoomin,” the practice of harvesting rice, (74). The inclusion of these customs illustrates that Erdrich is an informed author.

Another reason for the accuracy of this novel is Erdrich’s drawings depicting authentic Ojibwa articles. The intermittent illustrations contain objects which represent “pieces from [her] own collection of traditionally made Ojibwa baskets and moccasins,” (“extras” 3). It is clear that Erdrich is dedicated to creating an accurate portrayal of Ojibwa culture in all aspects of her novel.

Erdrich has created a work which informs the audience of the Ojibwa culture. Its positive and accurate depiction of Native American culture can teach a misinformed or unaware reader. Although her novel is historical fiction, it would make a great addition to a classroom. Perhaps a method for guaranteeing that children understand the Ojibwa culture as ongoing would be to supplement this novel with literature by Cynthia Leitich Smith or other authors which is set in a contemporary setting.

Work Cited:

Erdrich, Louise. The Game of Silence. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2005.

Image: http://ebooks.library.ipswich.qld.gov.au/00000170-00...

Jingle Dancer book review

“The depiction of the culture must ring true to the population the book purports to represent. Believability is part of the magic of fiction,” (Smith 2005).

Before reading the fiction picture book, Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leitch Smith, I had not heard of the tradition of jingle dancing. This originally Ojibway custom is brought to life in Jingle Dancer through the exquisite watercolor paintings of Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu.
The book follows Jenna, a young girl who is a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Set in contemporary Oklahoma, Jenna asks friends and neighbors of different generations for jingles to complete her regalia so that she can dance at the powwow.

In her article “Spotlight on CLA Social Justice Workshop: Social Justice in Native American Literature for Youth” Smith states that one reason why she writes primarily contemporary fiction is to counteract the domination of historical fiction in Native American children’s literature. She believes that many children are led to believe that Native Americans no longer exist, (“Spotlight” 8).

Throughout Jingle Dancer Smith interweaves cultural Native American tradition into a contemporary situation. For example, she links the natural world with the modern one. “As Moon kissed Sun good night, Jenna shifted her on Grandma Wolfe’s shoulder,” Smith describes while Jenna and her grandmother are painted sitting in a contemporary living room, (“Jenna” 3). Also, the Native women in the story have traditional roles like Jenna’s storyteller aunt, (9), and also contemporary ones like her lawyer cousin, (13).

Smith is an “insider” author as she is a mixed-blood member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Audiences know that she is an “informed” author for a few reasons. Firstly, Smith notates that the number four is significant in Native American storytelling, (“Spotlight” 8). She includes this custom in the text the following ways: Jenna compiles four rows of jingles for her dress, (“Jenna” 5), she visits four women to ask for jingles, and the cone-shaped jingles make the sound “tink, tink, tink, tink,” (2).
Secondly, Smith includes an Author’s Note which explains the jingle dancing art form and its significance within the community. She also incorporates into the text four terms used within the culture and compiles a glossary at the end.

Jingle Dancer successfully describes how a Native American custom is continuing in a contemporary setting. This accomplishment ensures that a misinformed audience of children will understand that the Native American culture exists today.

Works Cited:

Smith, Cynthia L. Jingle Dancer. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 2000.

---. “Spotlight on CLA Social Justice Workshop: Social Justice in Native
American Literature for Youth.” Journal of Children’s Literature 31.1 (2005): 7-9.

Image: http://www.k12.wa.us/cisl/BookReview.aspx

Big Brother Dustin book review

In this post I will review a non-fiction picture book by Alden R. Carter entitled Big Brother Dustin. Carter’s book addresses a disability called Down syndrome. Prior to reading this text, I understood that Down syndrome can affect individuals in different ways. For example, my November 16, 2008 post titled “Keeping Teachers Uninformed of Students’ Disabilities is Risky Business” focuses on a child with mosaic Down syndrome who has a high I.Q. However, I realize that many children with Down syndrome have difficulties learning. Big Brother Dustin does not clarify any questions or concerns that readers may bring to the text. Carter does not describe Down syndrome which makes this text a poor source of accurate understanding of this disability.

The book follows Dustin, a boy with Down syndrome as he helps to prepare for the arrival of a baby sister. Dustin helps his father build a crib, (Carter 7), organizes baby clothes with his mother, (9), attends a class for siblings of newborns, (11), and eventually chooses a name for his new sister, (18). Everything that Dustin does throughout the story is not out of the ordinary. In fact if it were not for the photographs by Dan Young and Carol Carter, readers would not even realize that Dustin has Down syndrome. Down syndrome is only mentioned in the summary.

Scholar Joan Blaska states that Big Brother Dustin includes “positive, non-stereotypical characters and situations,” (Williams 73). This, I believe, is the point that Carter strives to make by not revealing through the text that Dustin is a boy with Down syndrome. The usage of photographs clearly illustrates the physical symptoms associated with Down syndrome.
The book demonstrates acceptance of Down syndrome. Dustin’s parents, grandparents, and other children in the story do not treat Dustin any differently than they would treat a boy without disabilities. Young, through his photos, describes Down syndrome and Dustin himself as realistic and presents the material in a realistic manner.

In conclusion, although this book does not describe the disability (as author Laurie Lears often does in her explanatory depictions of children with disabilities), the use of photographs and text allows Dustin to be seen as “one of us not one of them,” (Williams 75). This book functions in a constructive way in the disability community. It proves that diversity does not reflect negatively on individuals, families, and communities.

Works Cited:

Carter, Alden R. Big Brother Dustin. Morton Grove: Albert Whitman & Co., (1997).

Williams, Sandra Q, Inkster, Christine D, Blaska, Joan K. “The Joan K. Blaska Collection of Children’s Literature Featuring Characters with Disabilities or Chronic Illnesses.” Journal of Children’s Literature 31, no. 1, (Spring 2005): 71-78.

Image: http://www.aldencarter.com/csc2.htm

Becky the Brave book review

“Children generally enjoy seeing books with characters who look or act like them—whether they are wearing glasses of have a pony tail or use a wheelchair,” (Williams, Inkster, and Blaska, 2005).

In this post I will review a book which discusses a disability called epilepsy. The book is entitled Becky the Brave: A Story About Epilepsy written by Laurie Lears and illustrated by Gail Piazza. Prior to reading this story, I had many misconceptions about epilepsy. I ignorantly thought that when an individual was having an epilepic attack, they were in fact sleeping. I believed that when an individual was having an epileptic seizure, it is best to restrain the individual and somehow keep them from swallowing their tongue. After reading Lears’ text, I have realized that neither of these actions are helpful and can in some instances harm the individual who is having a seizure.

This story follows Sarah who looks up to her big sister Becky, a girl with epilepsy. Sarah admires Becky for being fearless. Sarah soon realizes that Becky is afraid of being ridiculed at school after having an epileptic seizure in the classroom. Sarah overcomes her social anxiety and speaks to Becky’s class, insightfully explaining Becky’s epilepsy to the children. As a result, Becky’s classmates are better informed and accepting of her epilepsy.

At the beginning of the text Lears includes a note written by Ann Scherer, Senior Director of Communications of the Epilepsy Foundation. The note includes common epileptic symptoms, physiological descriptions of those with epilepsy, what to do if someone is having an epileptic seizure, and suggested ways to interact with children with epilepsy. The inclusion of this note illustrates that Lears’ is an “informed” author and is committed to publishing works which are culturally authentic.

Throughout the text Lears’ instills her dedication to culturally correct literature. Pages 6-7 describe how Sarah and her parents react while Becky is having an epileptic seizure. The first aid procedure is correctly portrayed as Sarah pushes a chair out of the way so that Becky will not hurt herself, (6), the father rolls Becky onto her side and the mother places a pillow under Becky’s head, (7). It is clear that Lears’ objective is to inform readers of the correct way to react if a person with epilepsy has a seizure.

Scholar Joan Blaska lists Becky the Brave as an “outstanding” representation of children’s literature addressing disabilities, (Williams 77). The text depicts others accepting Becky and not ridiculing her. Lears’ book most certainly promotes positive images of persons with disabilities and allows children to gain an accurate understanding of epilepsy.

Works Cited:

Williams, Sandra Q, Inkster, Christine D, Blaska, Joan K. “The Joan K. Blaska Collection of Children’s Literature Featuring Characters with Disabilities or Chronic Illnesses.” Journal of Children’s Literature 31, no. 1, (Spring 2005): 71-78.

Lears, Laurie. Becky the Brave: A Story About Epilepsy. Morton Grove: Albert Whitman & Co., (2002).

Image: http://www.amazon.co.uk/.../dp/080750601X

Jewish Children's Literature Book Reviews

“By writing [Jewish stories] for Jewish children, I find that they appeal equally to non-Jewish children,” (Kimmel, 2003).

In order to complete a book review of Jewish children’s literature, I chose two picture books to critically analyze. The first of the two is The Chanukkah Guest by Eric A. Kimmel and illustrated by Giora Carmi (1988) which won the Sydney Taylor Picture Book Award. I was first struck by the title of this text because of Kimmel’s spelling of ‘Chanukkah.’ I wonder why he chose this spelling while using ‘Hanukkah’ for his 1998 book When Mindy Saved Hanukkah and the 1989 Caldecott Honor Medal winner Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins. The different spellings come from the transliterating Hebrew letters into English. Hanukkah became the most common spelling form because the “CH” sound does not exist in modern English, (Wikipedia). Both variants are used in North America, therefore, I must assume that Kimmel’s decision is based upon personal preference.

This book describes how Bubba Brayna mistakes Old Bear for the rabbi. It is quite humorous how Old Bear, driven by hunger, arrives at Bubba Brayna’s house and is, subsequently invited in because of the latter’s sight and hearing deficiencies. On this first night of Chanukkah Old Bear eats all of the potato latkes which Bubba Brayna has prepared for the rabbi and the community. In turn the community bands together to remake enough latkes for everyone to enjoy. I found the story especially funny when Bubba Brayna mistakes Old Bear’s growling and actions as that of the rabbi’s. “’Grrrrurrrr.’ Old Bear licked Bubba Brayna’s face. Bubba Brayna blushed. ‘Oh, Rabbi! At my age!’ (Kimmel 19).

This text functions as an accurate text in the Jewish community. It contains “positive Jewish content and focus.” In her article “Judging Judaica: A Librarian Offers Tips for Evaluating Books of Jewish Content,” Linda Silver describes that this description aids the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee in determining its candidates. “If Jewish questions underlie or animate the theme and the author seeks to answer them in a Jewish context, then the book has ‘positive Jewish content and focus,’” (Silver 44).
The cultural accuracy of this book is firstly illustrated by Kimmel’s inclusion of a glossary of Jewish terminology used in the text. At the beginning of the book he lists four terms (Bubba, dreidel, latke, and menorah) and their definitions. This list deepens the reader’s understanding of the plot as well as the Jewish tradition of Chanukkah. Previous to reading this text, I did not understand that “Bubba” means grandmother and “latke” is a potato pancake. Secondly, Kimmel includes Jewish cultural traditions such as lighting the menorah, (11) and playing dreidel, (13).

The second text which I chose to review is The Sukkah That I Built by Rochel Groner Vorst and illustrated by Elizabeth Victor-Elsby, (2002). I was drawn to this book as I had no prior understanding of sukkahs. Also, the title appears to be a play on the Mother Goose nursery rhyme “This is the House that Jack Built” which I was introduced to as a child. According to author James Orchard Halliwell-Phillips, this rhyme originated as a Hebrew hymn in Sepher Haggadah. Vorst’s text follows the sing-song rhythm of Mother Goose’s rhyme by beginning with one object, continuously adding more objects, and naming them one by one until the reader is once again at the beginning object. The main character, a young boy of about eight years old, describes how he and his family build a sukkah with poles, schach, a hammer, nails, boards, and a ladder, (Vorst 15-16).

The first way in which Vorst lends to a Jewish cultural accuracy is by citing a Torah verse at the beginning of the story. “’In booths you shall dwell for seven days’ (Leviticus 23:42)” followed by its Hebrew transcription indicates the importance of the sukkah to the Jewish culture. Second, Vorst includes a glossary at the end of the text which defines schach and sukkah. She also describes the Jewish holiday of Sukkos or Sukkot in a short text at the end of the story. Vorst’s text is an accurate depiction of Jewish culture as she is an “insider” author.

Like Kimmel’s text, Vorst’s added to my knowledge of Jewish culture and tradition. Whereas I have not previously understood the Jewish holiday of Sukkos and its traditions, reading The Sukkah That I Built has informed me of them.

Works Cited:

Halliwell-Phillips, J.O. The Nursery Rhymes of England. New York: F. Warne and Co.,
(1886).

Kimmel, Eric A. The Chanukkah Guest. New York: Holiday House, (1988).

Kimmel, Eric A. “Joy on Beale Street.” The Lion and the Unicorn 27, (2003): 410-415.

Silver, Linda R. “Judging Judaica: A Librarian Offers Tips for Evaluating Books of
Jewish Content.” School Library Journal 48, (Jan 2002): 44-45.

Vorst, Rochel Groner. The Sukkah That I Built. Brooklyn: Hachai Publishing, (2002).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah#Alternative_spellings_based_on_transliterating_Hebrew_letters

Images:

http://http//www.judaism.com/beyond/33427.asp

http://%20www.schoollibraryjournal.com/.../2000018600.html

Habibi parallels in real life

A recent broadcast on Fox's television show "America's Most Wanted" struck me as a somewhat familiar story.



During the segment to which I am referring, two Texan high school sisters named Sarah and Amina Said were having problems balancing a Muslim tradition and an American one. Their father, Yaser Said, an Egyptian born Muslim, was extremely controlling of the girls' activities. He would not even let them have friends who were boys. The alleged outcome is that Yaser, upset by his daughters' Americanization, shot and killed them on January 1, 2008.
Read Sarah and Amina's full story here


This story reminded me of Naomi Shihab Nye's book Habibi, (1999). This work follows American born fourteen year old Liyana as she struggles to balance cultural traditions when her family moves to Jerusalem.
Naomi Shihab Nye's book Habibi at Amazon.com

The fathers in both of these stories are often reminding their teenage daughters of proper Islamic behavior. Obviously the father on "America's Most Wanted" was much more controlling and violent than Liyana's father. However, the passion and stuggling that the Said family endured while trying to respect the tradions of two different cultures made me realize that the problems in the story Habibi do indeed exist in our society. This realization provides motivation to promote multiculture children's literature. Books like Habibi allow children and adolescents to "find themselves within the pages," (Levithan, 1). Authors and publishers need to continue to create books that deal with diverse issues, and librarians need to include these texts in their collections. This way children and adolescents may learn new ways to overcome such problems as transition into new cultures.
David Levithan's article "Supporting Gay Teen Literature"

Image: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/.../habibi.htm

Keeping Teachers Uninformed of Students' Disabilities is Risky Business

Recently I was listening to a Podcast of "This American Life," a Chicago radio show that airs weekly. Episode 366 is entitled "A Better Mousetrap" and is about people who find new solutions to problems. You can listen to the entire episode here (although it is Act 1 that this blog post is pertaining to):
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=366

This episode introduces a mother, Kristy, whose son, Tim, has mosaic Down syndrome. Kristy explains how when Tim began kindergarten at a public school she was appalled to learn that the teacher gave Tim special allowances because of his disability. Tim's I.Q. is extrememly high and according to Kristy, a "normal" boy, and she felt that her son should be held to the same standards as every other student in the classroom. The example she gives is that one day she entered the classroom in which all the students were sitting in a circle on the rug...except Tim who was rolling around in the center of the cirlce. Kristy asked the teacher why she was allowing Tim to behave this way and the teacher answered, "Well, he likes to do that."
Kristy decided to not inform Tim's future teachers of his mosaic Down syndrome. The result was that Tim was treated the same as every other student and his social and learning skilled developed "normally."
While listening to this story, I felt that Kristy's decision was wrong. Even though Tim is now 20 years old and a successful college junior, it just seems that Kristy was working against a system that helps children become better students and better people in society. To keep a teacher misinformed about a student's disability seems like a hypocrisy.
However, as I thought about Kristy and Tim's story I realized that Kristy does not believe her son to have a learning disability and therefore, did not feel the need to inform his teachers of his mosaic Down syndrome.
I have come to the conclusion that this instance is an exception. It is apparent that Kristy made a decision that has chaned her son's life for the better (as far as she is concerned). I do think that this situation could have had the opposite outcome. Keeping teachers in the dark of their students' disabilities is risky. I believe that teachers should hold all students in the same regard, but special consideration must be given to those with disabilities.

Image: http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=73462