Synopses & Reviews
Told from the Native American point of view,
Black Elkand#8217;s Vision provides a unique perspective on American history. and#160; From recounting the visions Black Elk had as a young boy, to his involvement in the battles of Little Big Horn and Wounded Knee, as well as his journeys to New York City and Europe with Buffalo Billand#8217;s Wild West Show, this biographical account of Black Elkand#8212;an Oglala-Lakota medicine man (1863and#8211;1950)and#8212;follows him from childhood through adulthood. and#160; S. D. Nelson tells the story of Black Elk through the medicine manand#8217;s voice, bringing to life what it was like to be Native American in the mid-to-late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. The Native people found their land overrun by the Wha-shi-choos, or White Man, the buffalo slaughtered for sport and to purposely eliminate their main food source, and their people gathered onto reservations. Through it all, Black Elk clung to his childhood visions that planted the seeds to help his peopleand#8212;and all peopleand#8212;understand their place in the circle of life. and#160; The book includes archival images, a timeline, a bibliography, an index, and Nelsonand#8217;s signature art.
and#160; Praise for the work of S. D. Nelson
and#160;
Western Writers of America Spur Storyteller Award
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award
and#160;
[STAR] and#8220;An appealing story full of excitement, warmth, and wisdom.and#8221; and#8212;The Five Owls, starred review
and#160;
and#8220;A fine choice for story hours, this will also find wide curricular use.and#8221; and#8212;Booklist
and#160;
and#8220;A modern-day story in the Sioux tradition of storytelling.and#8221; and#8212;Winston-Salem Journal
and#160;
and#8220;Splendid acrylic artwork captures the action, humor, and spirit of the tale. A solid addition to collections of Native American tales and an enjoyable read-aloud.and#8221; and#8212;School Library Journal
and#160;
and#8220;Nelson pulls it off with his confident style as a storyteller . . . polished illustrations . . . informative, well written.and#8221; and#8212;Kirkus Reviews
FandP level: U
FandPand#160;genre:and#160;B
Review
STARRED REVIEW
andquot;Well written and impeccably researched, this excellent title offers a uniquely personal look at history. A must-have.andquot;
Review
andquot;A broad, tantalizing glimpse of history in the making.andquot;
Review
andquot;Nelson...will leave readers with a rich picture of this noble figureand#39;s personal and cultural context. Solidly historical and far more heartfelt than those on the overcrowded shelf of assignment-fodder profiles.andquot;
Review
STARRED REVIEW
andquot;This powerful introduction to a great warrior and leader invites readers to ponder the meaning of and#39;hero.and#39;andquot;
Synopsis
A stunning picture book biography of Lakota-Oglala medicine man Black Elk, from award-winning author and illustrator S. D. Nelson Black Elk (1863-1950) was a Lakota-Oglala medicine man and a cousin of Crazy Horse. This biographical account follows him from childhood through adulthood, recounting the visions he had as a young boy and describing his involvement in the battles of Little Big Horn and Wounded Knee, as well as his journeys to New York City and Europe with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.
Award-winning author and member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe S. D. Nelson tells the story of Black Elk through the voice of the medicine man, bringing to life what it was like to be Native American from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. The Native people found their land overrun by the wasichus (White Man), the buffalo slaughtered for sport, and their people gathered onto reservations.
Interspersing archival images with his own artwork, inspired by the ledger-art drawings of the nineteenth-century Lakota, Nelson conveys how Black Elk clung to his childhood vision, which planted the seeds to help his people--and all people--understand their place in the Circle of Life. Backmatter includes a Lakota description of the Circle of Life, a brief history of the Lakota and a timeline.
Synopsis
This biographical account of Black Elk--a Lokota/Ogala medicine man--chronicles his life from childhood all the way through adulthood. Readers will follow Black Elk through his trials and tribulations of life in the villages to being a part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Full color.
Synopsis
Almost 10 years before
Brown vs. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez and her parents helped end school segregation in California. An American citizen of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage who spoke and wrote perfect English, Mendez was denied enrollment to a andldquo;Whites onlyandrdquo; school. Her parents took action by organizing the Hispanic community and filing a lawsuit in federal district court. Their success eventually brought an end to the era of segregated education in California.
Praise for Separate is Never Equal
andquot;Tonatiuh (Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote) offers an illuminating account of a familyandrsquo;s hard-fought legal battle to desegregate California schools in the years before Brown v. Board of Education.andquot;
--Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
Capital Days introduces young readers to Washington, D.C., during the early to mid-19th century. Spanning more than 60 years, the story of Michael Shiner (c. 1804andndash;1880) highlights a period of immense change in our country and its capital. Covering the burning of the city during the War of 1812, the rebuilding of the Capitol and White House, the raising of the Washington Monument, and on through the Civil War, the end of slavery, and numerous other andldquo;capital days,andrdquo; this book offers readers fresh insights and background on how our nationandrsquo;s capital came to be. The book includes excerpts from Shinerandrsquo;s diary, other primary sources, archival images, and a timeline.Much as she did in Maritcha and Searching for Sarah Rector, award-winning author Tonya Bolden expertly examines the intricacies of American history through the lens of one relatable personandrsquo;s life.
Synopsis
Told from a Native American point of view, Black Elkandrsquo;s Vision provides a unique perspective on American history. From recounting the visions Black Elk had as a young boy, to his involvement in the battles of Little Big Horn and Wounded Knee, as well as his journeys to New York City and Europe with Buffalo Billandrsquo;s Wild West Show, this biographical account of Black Elkandmdash;an Oglala Lakota medicine man who lived from 1863 to 1950andmdash;follows him from childhood through adulthood.
Synopsis
A 2015 Pura Belprandeacute; Illustrator Honor Book and a 2015 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book Almost 10 years before Brown vs. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez and her parents helped end school segregation in California. An American citizen of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage who spoke and wrote perfect English, Mendez was denied enrollment to a andldquo;Whites onlyandrdquo; school. Her parents took action by organizing the Hispanic community and filing a lawsuit in federal district court. Their success eventually brought an end to the era of segregated education in California.
Praise for Separate is Never Equal
STARRED REVIEWS
andquot;Tonatiuh masterfully combines text and folk-inspired art to add an important piece to the mosaic of U.S. civil rights history.andquot;
--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
andldquo;Younger children will be outraged by the injustice of the Mendez family story but pleased by its successful resolution. Older children will understand the importance of the 1947 ruling that desegregated California schools, paving the way for Brown v. Board of Education seven years later.andrdquo;
--School Library Journal, starred review
andquot;Tonatiuh (Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote) offers an illuminating account of a familyandrsquo;s hard-fought legal battle to desegregate California schools in the years before Brown v. Board of Education.andquot;
--Publishers Weekly
andquot;Pura Belprandeacute; Awardandndash;winning Tonatiuh makes excellent use of picture-book storytelling to bring attention to the 1947 California ruling against public-school segregation.andquot;
--Booklist
andquot;The straightforward narrative is well matched with the illustrations in Tonatiuhandrsquo;s signature style, their two-dimensional perspective reminiscent of the Mixtec codex but collaged with paper, wood, cloth, brick, and (Photoshopped) hair to provide textural variation. This story deserves to be more widely known, and now, thanks to this book, it will be.andquot;
--The Horn Book Magazine
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Synopsis
Sitting Bull (c. 1831andndash;1890) was one of the greatest Lakota/Sioux warriors and chiefs who ever lived. From Sitting Bullandrsquo;s childhoodandmdash;killing his first buffalo at age 10andmdash;to being named war chief to leading his people against the U.S. Army,
Sitting Bull: Lakota Warrior and Defender of His People brings the story of the great chief to light. Sitting Bull was instrumental in the war against the invasive
wasichus (white men) and was at the forefront of the combat, including the Battles of Killdeer Mountain and the Little Bighorn. He and Crazy Horse were the last Lakota/Sioux to surrender their people to the U.S. government and resort to living on a reservation.
The book includes an extensive authorandrsquo;s note and timeline, historical photographs, a map, a bibliography, endnotes, and an index.
Synopsis
Jimmy McClean is a Lakota boyandmdash;though you wouldnandrsquo;t guess it by his name: his father is part white and part Lakota, and his mother is Lakota. When he embarks on a journey with his grandfather, Nyles High Eagle, he learns more and more about his Lakota heritageandmdash;in particular, the story of Crazy Horse, one of the most important figures in Lakota and American history. Drawing references and inspiration from the oral stories of the Lakota tradition, celebrated author Joseph Marshall III juxtaposes the contemporary story of Jimmy with an insiderandrsquo;s perspective on the life of Tasunke Witko, better known as Crazy Horse (c. 1840andndash;1877). The book follows the heroic deeds of the Lakota leader who took up arms against the US federal government to fight against encroachments on the territories and way of life of the Lakota people, including leading a war party to victory at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Along with Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse was the last of the Lakota to surrender his people to the US army. Through his grandfatherandrsquo;s tales about the famous warrior, Jimmy learns more about his Lakota heritage and, ultimately, himself.
Synopsis
This is an exceptional poetry collection written by Lakota students in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grades at Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The historic school was founded in 1888 at the request of Chief Red Cloud of the Oglala Lakota. The poems enable readers to learn about the unique lives and heritage of students growing up in such distinctive circumstances and straddling cultures. The collection was compiled by a teacher at the school, working with school administrators, and contains never-before-published artworks by award-winning artist S. D. Nelson.
Praise for Walking on Earth and Touching the Sky
STARRED REVIEW
"This is an important collection that offers opportunities for insight into a culture that has too often been either ignored or misunderstood."
--Booklist, starred review
"A moving, fascinating glimpse across cultures. Vivid, polychromatic illustrations by Nelson accompany the studentsand#8217; evocative works." --Kirkus Reviews
"As a collection, the poems present an interesting, eye-opening look at the Lakota culture, which is one that is often overlooked. The paintings by S.D. Nelson are gorgeous and vibrant."
--Library Media Connection
Awards:
New York Public Libraryand#8217;s Children's Books 2012: 100 Books for Reading and Sharing list
HONORABLE MENTION - 2012 Aesop Accolade, American Folklore Society
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2013
Synopsis
This fascinating picture book biography tells the childhood story of Buffalo Bird Womanandmdash;a Hidatsa Indian born around 1839. Through her true story, readers learn what it was like to be part of this Native American community, which lived along the Missouri River in the Dakotas, a society that depended on agriculture for food and survival rather than hunting. Using original artwork and archival photographs, award-winning author/illustrator S. D. Nelson has captured the spirit of Buffalo Bird Girl and her lost way of life. The book includes a bibliography and an index, as well as an authorandrsquo;s note and timeline of events.
Awards and praise for Buffalo Bird Girl
Gelett Burgess Award
CCBC Choices Book, Biography
? Kirkus starred review
? SLJ starred reviewand#160;
About the Author
Joseph Marshall III, raised on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation, is an enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota (Rosebud Sioux) tribe. His internationally acclaimed works include nine nonfiction books, four novels, a collection of short stories and essays, and several screenplays. He divides his time between Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota.
Jim Yellowhawk is a contemporary Lakota multimedia artist. He lives in Rapid City, South Dakota.