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Learning Native American CultureThrough Booksby Jane MouttetIn the last column in this series, these books include informationabout more than one tribe of people and would be useful only forbasic introductory information. Finally are a few books aboutspecific tribes which were not included in the column on that regionof the country.GENERAL BOOKS*Atlas of Indians of North America / writtenand illustrated by Gilbert Legay. LCCN95013019. Hauppauge, N.Y. : Barron’sEducational, 1995.HBB, 0812065158, list price: $18.95.970.004/97. Indians of North America--Social life andcustoms--Handbooks, manuals, etc.; Indians of NorthAmerica--History--Handbooks, manuals, etc. 95 p. :ill. (some col.), col. maps ; 32 cm.Grades 6-9. Rating : *5.This atlas is a good starting point for thoseresearching Native American tribes. The book isdivided into geographical regions. Within thechapters there is general information about theregion and boxes of information on individualtribes. Students could use this book as aspringboard for deciding which tribe to furtherresearch. Gilbert Legay avoided stereotypes inboth his text and his full-color illustrations. Thebook is well-researched and accurate. The tableof contents and the index increase the book’susefulness as a reference book. If you can onlyhave one general reference book about NativeAmericans, give this one first consideration.Buffalo / written and illustrated by BeverlyBrodsky. LCCN 2002009639. New York :Marshall Cavendish, 2003.HBB, 0761451331, list price: $18.95.599.64/3/0978. Indians of North America--GreatPlains--Juvenile literature; American bison--Juvenileliterature; Indians of North America--Great Plains. 32p. : ill. ; 26 cm.Grades 3-5. Rating : 4.Using selections from Native American songsand poems as well as her own words, BeverlyBrodsky tells the story of the buffalo. From theEuropean wisent, a cousin of the buffalo, to thenear destruction of the American buffalo and itsrestoration, Brodsky tells how the animals wereportrayed in cave paintings (including how thepaint was made) and how they were used by theNative Americans. Some information aboutnative culture is included, both in the text byBrodsky and the included Native Americansongs and poetry. From the illustrations inBuffalo it is evident that Brodsky has studied theNative American style.The great change / text by White Deer ofAutumn ; illustrations by Carol Grigg.LCCN 92014501. Hillsboro, Ore. : BeyondWords Publishing, 1992.HBB, 0941831795, list price: $14.95.Fic. Death--Fiction; Indians of North America--Fiction. 1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill. ; 30 cm.Grades K-3. Rating : 3.The Great Change is a story of death. Wanba’sgrandfather has just died. Grandmother findstalking about the death difficult. She finallyexplains it comparing death to a caterpillarchanging into a butterfly. Death is not part of theCircle of Life—instead it is the Great Change.There are not illustrations on every page. CarolGrigg used watercolors to illustrate the text.Native crafts : inspired by NorthAmerica’s First Peoples / Maxine Trottier ;illustrated by Esperanca Melo. (Kids cando it.) Toronto : Kids Can, 2000.PAP, 1550745498, list price: $5.95.745.5089/97. Indian craft--Juvenile literature. 40 p. :ill. ; 26 cm.Grades 3-5. Rating : 4.Native Crafts contains sixteen craft projectsrelated to different Native peoples groups. Abrief description of the projects relationship toNative Americans is given with each project.Mazine Trottier’s instructions are clear andEsperanca Melo’s illustrations contribute to theunderstanding of them. Used alone, readers willnot learn much about Native Americans, but thebook could be used as a supplement to a study ofNative Americans giving students some handsonactivities.The people shall continue / written bySimon Ortiz ; illustrated by Sharol Graves.LCCN 88018929. Emeryville, Calif. :Children’s Book Press, 1994.HBB, 0892391251, list price: $14.95.973.04/97. Indians of North America--History. 23 p. :col. ill. ; 25 cm.Grades 1-3. Rating : 3.The People Shall Continue is the general story ofall Native Americans from creation on. SimonOrtiz recounts the differences and similarities ofthe Native People. The coming of the Anglosbrought trouble to the Native Americans. Theylost their lands; they were treated as slaves; theirchildren were taken away and sent to school.The book ends with a call for all peopleregardless of skin color to come together andshare their struggles. Simon Ortiz is Acoma, hisbook portrays frustrations and some bitterness atthe way Native Americans have been treated.The People Shall Continue accurately shows theNative American perspective. Sharol Graves’brightly colored illustrations show NativeAmerican history from creation to the present.Pilgrims and native Americans : hands-onprojects about life in early America /Jennifer Quasha. (Great social studiesprojects.) LCCN 00028008. New York :PowerKids Press, 2001.HBB, 0823957004, list price: $19.95.974.4/8202. Handicraft; Indians of North America--Massachusetts; Indians of North America--Massachusetts--History--17th century--Study andteaching--Activity programs--Juvenile literature;Pilgrims (New Plymouth Colony)--Study andC H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 3 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5