Zimmerman, Dwight Jon. Saga of the Sioux

Zimmerman, Dwight Jon.  Saga of the Sioux .  Henry Holt/MacMillan Children's Publishing Group,  2011.  208p  $18.99     978-0-8050-9364-3     ms/hs      E-BN       

     This is a retelling of Dee Brown’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee for young readers, and focusing mainly on the Sioux.      It is a detailed history of relations between the US government and the Sioux in the mid-west between the end of the Civil War and the early 1900s.  The book’s layout is very attractive, with plenty of beautiful sepia-toned photos and a user-friendly font.  The information will blow students away, as they learn of treaty after treaty, promise after promise, that the US government entered into and then violated.  It is angering, and heartbreaking, to read of the ruthless disregard that the white man and his world had for these indigenous peoples.  The story is told cogently but without extra drama ... it is presented very objectively and simply, without a lot of excess verbiage.  The author is careful to credit Dee Brown’s original book, and he lists a number of helpful resources, as well as a glossary, a good index, and notes. 

Subject: American Indians    

Carol Kennedy

 

Sonneborn, Liz. Northwest Coast Indians.

Sonneborn, Liz.   Northwest Coast Indians.  Capstone Publishers, 2012.  48p.  $32.00  ISBN 978-1-4329-4949-5      elm/ms  (Grades 5-8)      VG-BNS           

     This book discusses foods, clothing, housing, beliefs, and life today pertaining to Indians of the Northwest Coast.  Using the format of answers to questions, it gives quite a complete overview of the Native American tribes living along the Northwest coast of North America.  It covers Alaska and south along the coast of Canada through Washington and Oregon.  This series stresses the similarities among the tribes in the highlighted geographic area.  It explains the early interactions between the Pacific Northwest Coast Indians and non-Indians. 
     The title includes a timeline, glossary, and index.  The source list for further information is extensive.  It includes four books, four web sites and five places to visit.
     The photography is bright and colorful, and it greatly enhances the text. 
The coverage is balanced, emphasizing general patterns among the tribes, and then that pattern is illustrated through details about a specific group.  It would provide an excellent introductory reference to the study of these tribes.
     The First Nations of North America series divides all tribes into ten geographic areas.  Adapting to their surroundings, the tribes in each area share similar customs.  Each title gives a good overview of the history and culture of the tribes covered.    

Subject: Indians of North America - Pacific Northwest

Joan Theal

 

Steinmetz, Karen. The Mourning Wars.

Steinmetz, Karen. The Mourning Wars.
Roaring Brook Press see macmillan children's pub 2010 230p 18.99 978-1-59643-290-1 E-BN


Eunice Williams was a Puritan girl in the Deerfield, Massachusetts area of New England. One night Indians pillaged the town and took hostages. This book is Eunice’s story is about her survival in an A’onote tribe.
This is a very well written and researched story about a young girl who is taken hostage by an Indian. During the raid she watched her mother be ignored by her father as she struggled to survive the forced marches. This detail was a major factor later when her father came to find her.
Eunice was lucky enough to be adopted by an Indian family who had lost their daughter. She was adopted into the tribe and became their daughter. In reading this novel, readers will gain great deal of understanding about the Indian way of life during this period in American history. The author shows that the life Eunice led with the Indians was peaceful and full of love as a family unit. However, on the other hand it showed that the father ( a preacher) was a very self-centered individual. Eunice became aware that the only reason he wanted her to return to civilization was to enhance his standing with the church.
As years past, Eunice did open communication with her brothers and sisters who had be ransomed from the Indians.
This is a book to be read and enjoyed. It would fit very nicely with colonial American history units. McNeil, Linda