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Gerald Dawavendewa's THE BUTTERFLY DANCE
Many times on AICL and in lectures, I've said that I wish I'd had Cynthia Leitich Smith's Jingle Dancer back in the early 90s when my daughter danced for the first time. In Smith's book, we see a...
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Oyate's Review of Neil Philip's THE GREAT CIRCLE: A HISTORY OF THE FIRST NATIONS
For those of you looking for Oyate's review of Neil Philip's The Great Circle: A History of the First Nations, it is available at the Internet Archive, also known as the Wayback Machine. To use it, you...
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Joan Walsh Anglund's THE BRAVE COWBOY
Several weeks ago, Jo, (she's married to my cousin, Steve) wrote on my Facebook wall (in a comment to my post there about Peggy Parrish's Let's Be Indians) to tell me about Joan Walsh Anglund's The...
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Dorothy Kunhardt and Garth Williams' ROGER MOUSE'S WISH
Editor's Update, 6:30 PM on April 10, 2013: Mary sent me text and scans of three pages of Roger Mouse's Wish. I've inserted that material. Thanks, Mary!________________________________Earlier today...
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NATIVE WRITERS: VOICES OF POWER, by Kim Sigafus and Lyle Ernst
Native Writers: Voices of Power by Kim Sagafus and Lyle Ernest is part of the Native Trailblazers Series published by 7th Generation Native Voices. Here's the cover:And here's an excerpt from the...
View ArticleDear Teachers: Native masks are not art
Dear Teachers and Homeschooling Parents,Many art project books for use in classrooms include a section on making Native masks. One example is Laurie Carlson's More Than Moccasins: A Kid's Activity...
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GOOD MORNING WORLD by Paul Windsor (Haisla, Heiltsuk)
Spring mornings! Many of us get out of bed and feel a surge of joy at hearing birds sing and seeing the sun rise on budding trees.With the spring sunshine streaming across the yard outside my window,...
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Navajo Nation's First Poet Laureate: Luci Tapahonso
Does your library have Luci Tapahonso's Blue Horses Rush In on your YA or adult fiction or poetry shelves?Is her Songs of Shiprock Fair on your picture book shelves?If they're not, order them next time...
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New blog: DE COLORES: THE RAZA EXPERIENCE IN BOOKS FOR CHILDREN
De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children is a new blog, just launched a few days ago. De Colores is moderated by Beverly Slapin. Several of her reviews have been published here, on AICL....
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WEETZIE BAT by Francesca Lia Block
Years ago I started reading Weetzie Bat but put it down, in part, because of these passages in the first few pages of the first chapter (note: To write this post, I read an e-book that doesn't provide...
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"Indian American" in Francesca Lia Block's PINK SMOG
A few days ago, I wrote about Francesca Lia Block's now-classic Weetzie Bat.Although I appreciate that the gay relationship in it was groundbreaking in 1989 when it was published, I can't--and...
View ArticleA Native Perspective on Francesca Lia Block's CHEROKEE BAT AND THE GOAT GUYS
Francesca Lia Block's Weetzie Bat is a much acclaimed book. When published in 1989, it was hailed as groundbreaking, primarily for its inclusion of a gay teen relationship. I had not read it until a...
View ArticleTHE BROKEN BLADE, by William Durbin
An individual responsible for curriculum in a Wisconsin school district wrote to ask me about The Broken Blade, by William Durbin.Durbin's book is about a 13-year-old boy named Pierre. He lives in...
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Cynthia Leitich Smith on Gansworth's IF I EVER GET OUT OF HERE
While I'm working on my review essay about Eric Gansworth's If I Ever Get Out of Here, here's what Cynthia Leitich Smith had to say about it:"[If I Ever Get Out of Here is] A heart-healing,...
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Books by Native Authors at Bus Boys and Poets
I was in Washington D.C. last week. When I'm there, I try to get over to Busboys and Poets and check out the books they have in the bookstore. Deborah Menkart of Teaching for Change was with me and...
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What I Like about Eric Gansworth's IF I EVER GET OUT OF HERE
America--or any nation--celebrates moments and events in its history that show that nation in a good light. Noting those moments is important, but so is noting that there is not a single story within...
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A Not-Recommended E-Book: THROUGH THE HIDDEN DOOR by Rosemary Wells
You know how kids can be cruel? Cruel kids are the opening for this novel. A group of cruel boys is throwing rocks at a dog that belongs to the headmaster of their ritzy private school in...
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American Indians in Children's Literature's "Show Me The Awesome" post
Design by John LeMasney via lemasney.comLaunched by Liz Burns (she blogs at A Chair, A Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy at School Library Journal), Kelly Jensen (she blogs at Stacked), and Sophie Brookover...
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KAMIK: AN INUIT PUPPY STORY by Donald Uluadluak
"Ataatasuaq? Are you home?" Jake called as he walked into his grandfather's kitchen. Jake is a young Inuit boy visiting his grandfather. He's not alone on this visit... He's brought his new puppy with...
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Reading: Part One of Susan Cooper's GHOST HAWK
On Monday, June 3rd, I received (from a colleague) an advanced reader copy of Susan Cooper's Ghost Hawk. My thoughts, as I read, are in italics.Primarily a writer of fantasy, Cooper has a great deal of...
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