Informational

Sequoyah: The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing
By James Rumford

This story of the Cherokee, Sequoyah, wonderfully illustrates how Sequoyah created a writing system for the Cherokee Indians, celebrating literacy and the success of the Cherokee Nation. Although his task was difficult, and Sequoyah knew no English, he persevered and created a system believing that “writing will make us strong.” A running Cherokee version alongside the English text makes the story more real and relevant and highlights major events in Sequoyah's life as well as the origin of Sequoyah’s syllabary. Ages 5-9 (k-3).

Poetry

Woman Who Fell From the Sky
Joy Harjo (1996)

These poems are lively, with exciting meters and rhythms and show considerable emphasis on sounds of language. The content will enrich not only language but allow for children to expand their imaginations and see or hear the world in a new way. Joy Harjo mixes elements of Native American storytelling, prayer, and song, praising the land and the spirit, influences of American culture, and the concept of feminine individuality. Children will be able to interpret and compare images, and findings. The content will encourage them to explore. Grades 4-6

Realistic Fiction

The Unbreakable Code
Sara Hoagland Hunter (1996)

A warm tribute to the Navajo "code talkers" who served in the Marine Corps during World War II, this story opens with a troubled grandson and an elderly Navajo man (his grandfather). It follows the history of how Navajo code talkers came to be and highlights the role they played in World War II. This story, appropriate for grade 2-4 works well with the oil paintings, which portray the Southwestern landscape and the military scenes. Samples of the original code and military terms are included. It spotlights an interesting chapter of World War II history that has received little attention.

Multicultural

The Game of Silence
Louise Erdrich

This is the sequel to The Birchbark House, and continues the story of an Ojibwe girl named Omakayas and her family living in the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior in 1850. The story contains many realistic images of Ojibwe people in that era in regard to traditional cultural activities and in the ensuing changes that take place with the coming of white people. Both cultural and ethnic portrayals accurately convey many social issues and problems; an honest description of Ojibwe life on the shores of Lake Superior in the mid-19th century. Sometimes referred to as a Native American Little House, this story does not provide views of hostility and violence in European settlers' treatment of the natives and it seems as though Native Americans and settlers live in peace, if not common understanding.