Synopses & Reviews
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;
Synopsis
A stunning picture book biography of a 19th century Hidatsa woman, from award-winning author and illustrator S. D. Nelson Buffalo Bird Girl (ca. 1839-1932) was a member of the Hidatsa, a Native American community that lived in permanent villages along the Missouri River on the Great Plains. Like other girls her age, Buffalo Bird Girl learned the ways of her people through watching and listening, and then by doing. She helped plant crops in the spring, tended the fields through the summer, and in autumn joined in the harvest. She learned to prepare animal skins, dry meat, and perform other duties.
There was also time for playing games with friends and training her dog. When her family visited the nearby trading post, there were all sorts of fascinating things to see from the white man's settlements in the East.
Award-winning author and artist S. D. Nelson (Standing Rock Sioux) captures the spirit of Buffalo Bird Girl by interweaving the actual words and stories of Buffalo Bird Woman with his artwork and archival photographs. Backmatter includes a history of the Hidatsa and a timeline.
Synopsis
A stunning picture book biography of a 19th-century Hidatsa woman, from award-winning author and illustrator S. D. Nelson, that "is a lovely and graceful introduction to a way of life that persists despite cultural obstacles and the march of time" (School Library Journal, Starred Review) Buffalo Bird Girl (ca. 1839-1932) was a member of the Hidatsa, a Native American community that lived in permanent villages along the Missouri River on the Great Plains. Like other girls her age, Buffalo Bird Girl learned the ways of her people through watching and listening, and then by doing. She helped plant crops in the spring, tended the fields through the summer, and in autumn joined in the harvest. She learned to prepare animal skins, dry meat, and perform other duties.
There was also time for playing games with friends and training her dog. When her family visited the nearby trading post, there were all sorts of fascinating things to see from the white man's settlements in the East.
Award-winning author and artist S. D. Nelson (Standing Rock Sioux) captures the spirit of Buffalo Bird Girl by interweaving the actual words and stories of Buffalo Bird Woman with his artwork and archival photographs. Backmatter includes a history of the Hidatsa and a timeline.
About the Author
S. D. Nelson is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe in the Dakotas. He is the award-winning author and illustrator of
Black Elkand#8217;s Visionand#8212;recipient of a Western Writers of America Spur Storyteller Award and named a Chicago Public Library Best of the Best. He lives in Flagstaff, Arizona.