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48 pp.
| Medicine Wheel
| March, 2024
|
TradeISBN 9781778540134$18.95
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Kristy Cameron.
Renowned Indigenous storyteller Locke (Lakota and Anishinabe) provides an engaging retelling of a Lakota legend. Wakhán Thánka (the Great Spirit) creates the world in seven days. After sending power to the East, South, West, and North, Wakhán Thánka creates mountains, trees, plants, animals, and water. On day five, the ancestors are put into motion in Grandfather Sky; on day six, Grandmother Earth receives the gift of creation. Finally, on the seventh day, Wakhán Thanka makes the greatest gift: the human spirit. But where to put it? Buffalo, Bear, and other animals have ideas, but in the end Wakhán Thánka places it at the center of all. "The intersection of everything in this universe, this creation, is within each one of us. We have the responsibility to guard this precious gift as it does not belong to us but to Wakhán Thánka." Locke's lively text and Cameron's (Métis) brightly colored and textured stylized illustrations bring a dynamism to the tale. A list of Lakota words in the text is appended.
40 pp.
| Abrams
| May, 2023
|
TradeISBN 9781419731921$18.99
|
EbookISBN 9798887070599$15.54
(2)
K-3
Nelson (Sitting Bull, rev. 11/15; Red Cloud, rev. 7/17) shares Indigenous traditions and practices involving tipis that continue in modern times. Young Clara comes to stay with her unci (grandmother) and cousin Juniper, who live on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Over the course of an idyllic summer, the two girls learn about their history, particularly about the family tipi, a precious object that has been passed down through the generations and has profound significance for their family. The girls have lunch in the tipi; their unci braids their hair in the tipi; they even sleep in it overnight. Their unci adds the girls to the family's generational story by asking each granddaughter about her aspirations (Juniper wants to be a basketball player; Clara, a pilot) and then making their spirit paintings on the outside of the tipi. Nelson's vibrant illustrations are stylized to reflect Lakota ledger drawings. He effortlessly blends this art style into his realistic, authentic depictions of modern Lakota life. An extensive author's note provides more information about tipis from prehistory to the present and information about Nelson's own family. Also appended are a photo of a Lakota beaded dress (circa 1900) and tipis in use during the Standing Rock protest.
56 pp.
| Abrams
| March, 2017
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4197-2313-1$19.95
(2)
4-6
After many years of war, Oglala Lakota chief Red Cloud (Makhpiya-luta) signed the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty. Writing from Red Cloud's point of view, Nelson recounts historical events and includes powerful quotes, documents, and photographs. The book's vibrant art is inspired by historical Plains ledger art; the sketches, colored-pencil and bright watercolor washes, stand out against the ledger lines. Timeline. Bib., ind.
Reviewer: Alia Jones
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2017
(4)
4-6
Shortly after her family is relocated to a Lakota reservation in 1880, ten-year-old Four Winds is sent to a boarding school to become "civilized" with white language and customs. Four Winds chafes under the strict rules designed to sanitize Indians of their culture. Though some supposed Native American language and perspectives feel awkwardly forced into the story, the narrative is well paced.
165 pp.
| Abrams/Amulet
| November, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4197-0785-8$16.95
(4)
4-6
Illustrated by
Jim Yellowhawk.
Jimmy McClean is Lakota, but his father is half-Scottish and Jimmy is blonde and blue-eyed. His grandfather, Nyles High Eagle, helps Jimmy understand his native heritage on a modern-day road trip inspired by Crazy Horse's life. Although Jimmy's questions and comments are a clunky device for Grandpa to recount historical and biographical information, the Lakota author offers an authentic voice. Bib., glos.
(2)
4-6
This handsome biography combines the story of Sitting Bull's life with a brief history of the Lakota people in the nineteenth century. Sitting Bull episodically narrates his own tale in the voice of a respected elder reminiscing about the past. Quotes from Lakota culture, Sitting Bull, and his contemporaries create informative subheadings. Illustrated with Nelson's ink and colored-pencil drawings and archival photographs. Timeline. Bib., ind.
Reviewer: Betty Carter
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2015
80 pp.
| Abrams
| April, 2012
|
TradeISBN 978-1-4197-0179-5$19.95
(3)
4-6
Illustrated by
S. D. Nelson.
This anthology presents profound, expressive, and hauntingly honest voices of Lakota youth on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Moving pieces are presented by theme: Natural World; Misery; Native Thoughts; Silence; Spirit; Family, Youth and Dreams; and Language. This attractive book includes bordered pages, Nelson's Lakota-themed art, and eloquent notes from the editor introducing each section. Ind.
(3)
4-6
Feather has always been interested in her Lakota heritage, but her curiosity turns into a way of life in this contemporary coming-of-age story. When her brother Peter falls ill, the hospital's modern medicine has no effect. Feather and Grandfather go on a New York City vision quest to save Peter and initiate Feather into her place as a Lakota healer. The novel's original premise is refreshing.
48 pp.
| South Dakota
| June, 2012
|
TradeISBN 978-0-9845041-6-9$18.95
(3)
K-3
At dawn, buses take kids off to school while pictographic images of buffalo and men on horseback fly through the sky. Throughout the day, the interactions of people, animals, earth, and sky are celebrated in modern poetic language with traditional songs in Lakota and English. This is a pictorial testament to a way of life that still survives in South Dakota.
48 pp.
| Abrams
| March, 2010
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8109-8399-1$19.95
(3)
K-3
Lakota Black Elk fought in the 1876 Battle of the Little Big Horn at twelve years old, was shot at Wounded Knee, and performed in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Using archival material, Sioux author-artist Nelson offers a first-person account of Black Elk's life. Captioned black-and-white photographs and extensive notes provide historical context and critique the exploitation of Native American tribes. Timeline. Bib., ind.
116 pp.
| Nebraska
| November, 2007
|
PaperISBN 978-0-8032-6028-3$12.95
(2)
4-6
Quiet, responsible narrator Lori and reckless show-off Lana are cousins. They often squabble, but when Lana is diagnosed with cancer, Lori looks to their Lakota heritage for comfort. Sneve's tone is unfailingly calm, her turns of plot are almost always unexpected, and her symbolic touches are felicitous.
Reviewer: Barbara Bader
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
January, 2008
(4)
K-3
Native Americans series.
Report writers will find basic information about the history, traditions, and lifestyle of each of these Native American tribes. The books also include brief mention of the status of the tribes today. Although these are serviceable introductions, the simple texts are full of generalizations. Illustrations include historic photographs, stock photos, and drawings. Maps, reading list. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Native Americans titles: Cherokee Indians, Chinook Indians, Comanche Indians, Iroquois Indians, Lakota Indians, and Seminole Indians.]
32 pp.
| Raintree
| September, 2002
|
LibraryISBN 0-7398-5673-1$$25.69
(4)
K-3
Raintree Biographies series.
Each of the dryly written books in this series begins with a character-defining event--Roosevelt's driving alone through the Tennessee mountains despite a death threat; Boone's rescue of his daughter from Indians--and then proceeds to briefly summarize their lives. Each double-page spread is broken up by reproductions and photos, as well as quotes and text boxes. A timeline is appended. There are five other fall 2002 books in this series. Bib., glos., ind. [Review covers these Raintree Biographies titles: Crazy Horse, Frederick Douglass, Daniel Boone, Eleanore Roosevelt, and Thomas Jefferson.]
64 pp.
| Chronicle
| March, 2001
|
TradeISBN 0-8118-2908-1$$16.95
(3)
4-6
Illustrated by
Adam Cvijanovic.
In this sequel to The Ledgerbook of Thomas Blue Eagle, Thomas, a nineteenth-century Lakota, travels with Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West show from his home on the Pine Ridge Reservation to the major cities of Europe. The engaging fictional narrative containing historically accurate details takes the form of a sketchbook in which Thomas writes and draws in pencil and watercolor.
36 pp.
| Lee
| May, 2000
|
TradeISBN 1-880000-94-6$$16.95
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
S. D. Nelson.
This fictionalized biography covers Crazy Horse's early years. Focusing on his vision quest, in which Crazy Horse sees himself as an invincible leader, Bruchac paints the stoic but brilliant tactician and warrior as a hero. Nelson's acrylics on wooden panels, patterned after children's drawings in ledger books from the Indian boarding schools, are also reminiscent of the figures drawn by Plains Indians. An author's and an illustrator's note are appended.
Reviewer: Betty Carter
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2000
(3)
K-3
In Iktomi's seventh misadventure, the self-absorbed Plains Indian trickster leases a strange man's eye-juggling trick. Readers will have such a blast with the tale's absurdity (having violated the terms of his contract, Iktomi ends up with one buffalo eye and one mouse eye) and visual jokes, that they won't mind being left hanging regarding Iktomi's fate.
32 pp.
| Dutton
| May, 1999
|
TradeISBN 0-525-45413-6$$15.99
(3)
4-6
Photographs by
Suzanne Haldane.
Hoop dancer Kevin Locke travels extensively to elementary schools in the United States, performing the hoop dance, playing his flute, and telling stories. Both text and photos feature Locke in different contexts: as a hoop dancer, father, and teacher. The well-written text of this photo essay provides rich details about Lakota culture. Bib., glos.
173 pp.
| Dutton
| October, 1998
|
TradeISBN 0-525-45353-9$$22.99
(3)
YA
Black-and-white photos illustrate this compendium of compellingly honest first-person narratives from disenfranchised youth in Thailand, Ukraine, South Africa, Northern Ireland, and the United States. Shorter narratives by adults from grassroots mentoring organizations give a well-rounded view of the global scope of problems youth and society face with drugs, violence, and HIV/AIDS. The stories are bleak, but all contain real hope and inspiration for change.
48 pp.
| Carolrhoda
| November, 1998
|
LibraryISBN 1-57505-279-2$$22.60
(3)
4-6
World's Children series.
Photographs by
Cheryl Walsh Bellville.
Showing how Lakota culture has evolved and how it has remained unique, Rose matter-of-factly covers many aspects of Lakota life, including topics not typically found in this type of book (poverty and alcoholism, sovereign nation status, reservation schools, and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978). In tandem with Bellville's full-color photos, the text provides an accurate perspective on Lakota life today. A pronunciation guide is included. Ind.